October Musings….
What if the approach IS the destination?
What does it mean to be a consummate person or benevolent person? How do we consistently bring out our best and most beautiful self as we walk through life? How do we embody social, moral, and ethical virtuosity?
WARNING: more questions than answers ☺️
We all know people like this—those who are just so good, and have cultivated themselves to a place that they flow through life, and they influence others. There is a POWER to their goodness. It’s not just about “being good” or “behaving”, but rather positively influencing others and having the capacity to transform a family, one’s company, and one’s community through one’s behavior and actions.
I think this concept is often misunderstood in the west, especially in America. The capacity to BE good is to convey that in one’s actions to the point where others are transformed. This is an important distinction—transformative goodness. There are other qualities embedded in that like trustworthiness, loyalty, prudence , etc. A virtuous person knows how to be, and what to do at the right time, where the approach becomes socially situational and deeply appropriate for the moment.
Interestingly, Aristotle’s approach was quite similar in that we can’t create a “rule” so to speak because of this situational mastery or “feel” for the game. This is not about a competition, but rather learning from situations that requires strategy.
How do we influence in lots of different changing situations, different personalities, and social relationships? How do we work through it by seeing what’s needed in MANY different scenarios?
Our love of learning can take us far. If we can live with an openness to seeking more knowledge, humbly seeking the truth, and more beauty, we can move from text to action, from books to the world, from concept to embodiment.
In Ancient Greek, the root word for happiness is closely related to the word for virtue.
Food for thought.
