Virtues Revisited
Upon further review and consideration of early philosophical thought, including that of Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, etc., I have found it necessary to add and make a few necessary corrections to the first and second layers of my original Pyramid of Virtues. And although I hope my learning continues, I am currently under the belief that with these changes, my pyramid is forever complete. The changes and the rationale for my changes are as follows:
In the second layer of my pyramid dealing with the virtues that are both personal and interactive (i.e. concerning others) I have added one virtue (Friendship) and changed the qualities of a previously identified virtue from Non-Judgment to Fairness (Fairness in Judgment) instead.
Friendship is a necessary addition to the second layer because it allows one to be tolerant of one’s own and another person’s (friend’s) faults. Friendship opens up the power of Forgiveness, which in itself is a form of Love, and is applicable to oneself or another individual. Regarding Judgment, since virtues are applicable to one’s existence, one should work towards developing Wisdom, which if gained then fairly applied with good judgment. Ignoring what one knows is not good judgment.
In the first individual layer of my pyramid of virtues I have added Courage and Prudence. Although Strength and Poverty-of-Spirit still serve as the base cornerstones of my entire pyramid, I believe Courage and Prudence are necessary to provide a solid central foundation.
True Happiness (a goal in and of itself) can only be obtained through the proper application of wise and cautious judgment in practical matters, which is Prudence. In order not to stagnate (not necessarily a good thing), then one must have the Courage to Dream. Without Courage nothing new will be attempted. However, without the proper application of Prudence within one’s dreams, Happiness will remain elusive. In other words “grant me the Wisdom to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things that I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”
Considering all of the above, my new Pyramid includes fourteen Virtues and looks like the following:
Love
Faith Charity
Purity Fairness Friendship Patience Truthfulness
Strength Temperance Courage Prudence Humility Poverty-of-Spirit