Oddly, you list a few traits that are not necessarily thought of as virtues. Pride is almost always thought of as a vice, although it is necessary to some extent. Curiosity is more of a neutral trait that can be considered either virtue or vice depending on how it is manifested. And by "judgement", are you referring to "having good judgement" or the trait of being "judgemental" and "judging others", whether rightly or wrongly? The word "judgement" by itself is rather vague.
Pride is only viewed as a vice by those in whose best interests it is that everyone else shuts the fuck up and stays humble: can't have the common people feeling pride, now, can we? They might actually start thinking they have worth and that'd really make things difficult for "us". Better make "humility" a virtue and "pride" a vice and keep them in line.
A realistic feeling of worth - "pride" in what you have achieved - is vital for a healthy mind and it's been suppressed by the powerful for centuries.
Over-inflated pride causes problems but realistic pride is perfectly fine.
Also, they're all traits. Not virtues, not vices. All have their good points and their bad points depending on the circumstances. "Stubborness" can be a "virtue" in the right circumstances - people just change the name to "steadfastness" when they're being complimentary but in reality it's the same "I ain't changing my fucking stance on this, buddy" attitude that gets things done.
Yeah, I know that. But look at the name of the thread. The OP specifically called everything on the list a virtue. If the topic was called "Character Traits" and they were not mentioned as either virtues as vices, or as both, I would not have made the response I made.
edited 22nd Aug '15 1:46:10 PM by shiro_okami
Just thinking of the characters in my current work, I can see how they'd each have very different opinions on the list and whether they're "virtues" or "vices" and in which situations.
Aubrey, for example, would see even justifiable pride on the part of anyone else to be a vice while being overly prideful himself and not even acknowledging it as "pride". And would think "critical thinking" a deadly flaw when compared with "faith" so far as the Bible is concerned.
Wolfe would see justifiable pride as a necessary and good thing but over-inflated pride to be "pompous". He also views assumed humility, where pride is warranted, to be a particularly egregious form of deceit.
James would treasure critical thinking and actually look down on those who do not apply it.
The voice inside us that speaks of hope, thinking only of the best outcomes, the positive consequences. It refuses to bow to the petty concerns of reality, but fixes its gaze into the future, whether far or near. The past concerns it not, and but little regard it has for the present. All it sees is the brilliant shine of "what if," those two most dangerous words in the English language, the slimmest sliver of what might be best for us, whispering seductively in our minds to go forward, to try and dare and risk everything we have, ignoring the reality we have for the greener grass on the other side. Often it fails us, leading us forth into the minefield of temptation, yet even when reality explodes around us, and the grim consequences swoop down like a legion of avenging demons, it does not laugh or side with them, nor does it stand between, but merely waits to the side for its next opportunity to whisper to our soul, "What if ...?"
I'll do this for a fic that I did before, just for fun. Had to spend some time re-reading it (surprisingly, after all this time it's much better than I thought it would be).
Honesty/Integrity
Mimi: It's always being clear with your intentions and saying the truth about others. Truth can be said nicely but if someone won't listen even then that person will have to learn it at some point. I have no respect for anyone without integrity, although if I care about this person (e.g. family) then it's my duty to make it known to that person.
Tom: Truth is what people say rather than what they do, isn't it? Oh, you want a serious answer? Fine, then. An honest person says everything he (or she) believes in. No one has to believe him, and no one should be expected to. If I decided to lie, I would at least let the other person known that I lied, and that would be more honest than not revealing the lie at all. But that's assuming that your lie isn't going to ruin someone's life, because otherwise lack of honesty is not the worst thing about you.
edited 24th Aug '15 4:17:41 PM by Coujagkin
Matthew talks about Perseverance;
Hector Gibbs talks about his shift in his view of Justice.
This has been brought up as a writing exercise for the writing group I'm a part of, and I thought I would share it.
The idea is to take a common virtue, such as Loyalty or Humility, and then write for a few minutes on how your character would describe that virtue. We've done one of these about every other meeting, as writing practice, and then usually read them aloud (if we weren't out of time) to see how differently everyone described them.
For reference, I'm providing the list of virtues that we've been using:
- Perseverance
- Pride
- Wisdom
- Curiosity
- Ingenuity
- Spirituality
- Perspective
- Judgement
- Open-mindedness
- Critical Thinking
- Justice
- Loyalty
- Compassion
- Courage / Bravery
- Emotional Intelligence
- Gratitude
- Love
- Self Control
- Humility
- Forgiveness / Mercy
- Honesty / Integrity
- Prudence
- Humor
- Optimism / Hope
- Patience
That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw