MM#240--The War on Virtue

Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, david Kaiser.

Hello, I am David and welcome back to another Mojo Minute. We all know people who have excelled in school and in the workplace. We have all heard about athletes, actors, dancers and musicians who have performed spectacularly. Some may have been blessed with exceptional natural abilities, but few could have risen to the top without a lot of hard work. Indeed, many people who were not endowed with God-given talents nevertheless managed to find their way to the top because of their exceptional determination. And short success is not a function of luck. It is a result of self-discipline, personal responsibility and perseverance the vital virtues. There are many other virtues, of course, and all are worthy of emulation. Many virtues lead to inner peace and even sanctification, but the vital virtues are the keys to worldly success and to the measure of happiness that worldly success provides. Let's start at the very beginning. Thousands of years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was the pupil of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great, contemplated virtue In his Nikomachian ethics. He said the virtue is achieved by doing self-controlled acts. Moreover, according to Aristotle, more of virtue is necessary if people are to reach their potential. If we do not control our passions, we are destined for failure. This is not true just in ages gone by, but right here, right now, today, And that was the opening quote from Bill Donahue's excellent work War on Virtue, a new release book here in 2023. How the ruling class is killing the American dream. It's published by Crisis Publications out of Manchester, New Hampshire. Now why is there a war on virtue? It's my understanding that virtue was the building blocks of the moral life We just heard about that from Aristotle. It is, But some people don't like that. They want to tear down the Judeo-Christian heritage and tradition. That is what happens when you live in a post-Christian world. Let's go back to the book to unpack what is going on. Of course, economic success has never been the full measure of the American dream, And for Adams, the American dream was not a dream of merely material plenty, though that has doubtless counted heavily. It has been much more than that. It's been a dream about being able to grow to the fullest development as man and woman. To accomplish this goal, Adams recognized the need for a scale of values that recognized our communal, spiritual and intellectual life. Our scale of values was bequeathed to us by our Judeo-Christian heritage Pre-Emin. Among these values, and indeed among the values described by the Catholic Church, is the dignity of every human being, Regardless of our as described characteristics or our stations in life. We are all equal in the eyes of God. In fact, this tenant is so sacrosanct so it can never be compromised without sinning. Who ya? Wow? Donahue, with the help of this Adams fellow, nails it Exactly Why virtue matters. And what does Donahue call this scale of values taken from this guy, Adams? Well, first of all, who is this Adams guy? Well, he's a historian, James Truslow Adams. He is the guy who wrote the blockbuster of a book called The Epic of America. He's also the guy that coined the infamous term that we now all say is the American dream. And another person talked about the American dream, And let's go back to the book for that. In his influential work, The Book of Virtues, Bill Bennett cites the reverend Martin Luther King as representative of the virtue of perseverance. King never gave up the fight for civil rights, knowing full well that the American dream could be realized by calling upon Americans of all races to make good on the promise of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They were the basis of the quote promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. King saw it as his job to inspire his fellow African Americans to persevere in their struggle for freedom. So we have the virtue of perseverance. That's very important. What else is part of this scale of values that Adams talked about? Let's go back to the book. Virtue is a critical component of the scale of values. From the ancient world to the latest surveys of the American people, happiness has always been tied to virtue, And Catholicism has long taught that virtue builds character and is indispensable to the well-being of individuals in society. The cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance were described by Plato and Cicero, then, given a Catholic understanding, by Saints Augustine, Gregory the Great and Thomas Aquinas. But in addition to these foundational virtues, there is another virtue that is most important to the realization of the American dream Patriotism. It may not ensure economic success the way the vital virtues do, but it is a necessary component of the American dream. As Alexis de Tocqueville noted, love of country is a great binding force and it preserves the America. That about safes the American dream. To put it differently, if Americans became convinced that their country is fatally flawed, why will they bother to defend it? And we are seeing that right now. We have a very drastic, deep cut in recruiting for our military, because we are teaching unpatriotic things. And patriotism isn't a bad thing. In our next Mojo Minute we'll talk all about patriotism. Is it a vice or is it a virtue? Little PS here, a little disclaimer it's a virtue, But in today's Mojo Minute we need to recognize that there is a war on virtue and that war is trying to tear down the basic building blocks of our society. And to do otherwise is to believe in something not proven in over 3,000 years of human history. In fact, the great and distinguished historian Gerr Trub Hemelfarb wrote in the book Demoralization of Society from Victorian Virtues to Modern Values exactly this point, saying The great philosophers, she contends, insisted upon the importance of virtues not only for the good life of individuals but for the well-being of society and the state. We have been studying those very philosophers and we will keep studying them on purpose. To set the foundation for building the virtuous life and the flourishing life, To live a morally good life, we have to exercise the human virtues that they talk about. This was sank, or sank just 25 years ago, but has been steadily under attack since, So much so intensifying in the last 15 years. To recognize this war on virtue is to steer away from these counterfeits and to put yourself back on the path of a flourishing life.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on.