In the past I’ve written about the seven virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity) in some detail but today I want to reflect on each a little and see where our culture stands on these concepts.
- Prudence – This virtue is non-existent among most people. The lack of foresight amongst our leaders and common people alike is simply astounding and only a small percentage of people seem to follow it.
- Justice – True justice is best modeled as “an eye for an eye” in the sense that restitution should be given for crimes. For murder, you life should be given. For theft, you should return what was stolen. Our society instead imposes punishment and completely ignores the true victims of crime treating it as an affront to the State.
- Temperance – A virtue that is discouraged by society in favor of gluttony in all forms (not just eating). In fact, if you are not doing it in excess, you aren’t living is the standard of the day.
- Fortitude – Having the ability to stand for what is right is lost on many people in this day. We make heroes out of cowards and call people who stand for what is right “conspiracy theorists” and kooks. Standing up for what is truly right and good is a rarity these days.
- Faith – While anywhere from 70% to 82% of Americans are Christians, you barely hear of people talking about their faith in God. Instead, they turn on the television to watch the secular elite openly mock their belief system and tell them that God is dead or indifferent.
- Hope – There is little hope among us. The future looks bleak and the prospect of economic collapse and major wars hangs heavily on our heads. The welfare state along has destroyed hope along with ambition.
- Charity – Very few people truly love God I’ve found. Everyone is out for the angle, nobody seeks to be honest with each other, and nearly everyone you meet will try to do it themselves. Closeness to God was once considered a virtue; now it is a curse.
Instead of embracing the Seven Deadly Sins, we should be seeking out the Seven Virtues. But our society is so corrupt and degenerate, that we see the Sins as Virtues and have no idea what true virtue is.