How does virtuous living lead to happiness? Does being good help you become happier? What does it even mean to be good, or to live a virtuous life?
Virtue... there’s a word I’ve heard more and more of lately, but not in a good context. You may have heard the term “virtue signaling.”
When a person virtue signals it means they want to be seen as virtuous as opposed to the lack of virtue they are generally criticizing in someone else.
Virtue signaling is politically correct, self-righteous, supposed moral superiority. It’s usually carried out on Twitter or some other form of social media. It sounds like: “This person said or did such and such. Please notice how morally superior I am than he or she is.” Thank you Social Media Hall Monitor.
Virtue signaling isn’t virtuous. It’s not morally good at all. So, what is virtue and what does it have to do with happiness?
After all, we tend to associate virtue with a certain kind of unattractive prudishness. I want to reclaim this word “virtue” because virtuous living is a key to the good life. Pun intended. To have a good life, you need to become good, in both your attitudes and your actions. If you want to lead a life that’s meaningful, impactful, and flourishing, what I mean when I say a happy life, then you’ll want to cultivate virtue.
Virtues aren’t rules. Virtue is not the imposition of some moral code. Rather, it’s the cultivation of a moral character. Virtue is more about being than doing, but it is about doing. It’s a little hard to describe, but like someone once said, “I know it when I see it.” Learning to live virtuously is like learning to play an instrument.
Hardly anyone is just a natural when it comes to playing the piano. There are so many keys, so much music theory to learn. But, with repeated practice, playing the piano becomes more comfortable and, dare I say, easier. It becomes more what we would call “second nature.”
Virtue is that way. It’s not humans acting naturally. No, left to our own devices most of us are selfish, shameless, unscrupulous people. We learn virtue, or rather, we can learn virtue. The kind of virtue that leads to happiness is an internalized virtue that results from consistently choosing moral attitudes and actions.
Aristotle, the 4th century B.C. philosopher had much to say about virtuous living and how that leads to happiness. Thomas Aquinas, the medieval Christian theologian took Aristotle’s ideas and saw how they were very similar in some important ways to the kind of virtuous life that’s encouraged in scripture. They came up with different ideas about and lists of virtues. But they both made huge contributions to our understanding of virtue.
In more modern times, the psychologists Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson have researched virtue by looking at what they call wisdom literature from around the world and they’ve developed a list of virtues and associated character strengths. I use some of their tools in coaching people on how to discover and use their strengths daily to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
I love this quote by Dr. Seligman: “The belief that we can rely on shortcuts to happiness, joy, rapture, comfort, and ecstasy, rather than be entitled to these feelings by the exercise of personal strengths and virtues, leads to legions of people who in the middle of great wealth are starving spiritually.” – Martin Seligman
A good, happy life is a virtuous life. A life that lacks virtue will lack happiness. It’s really that simple.
Here’s my best stab at a definition of virtue: “Virtue: A moral quality of character acquired by habitual moral action.”
As you intentionally act in morally good ways, you form the habit of acting in good ways, and in so doing your character develops the virtue associated with the action.
Gary Player, the famous professional golfer, was practicing hitting balls out of a bunker in Texas and this good old boy with a big hat stopped to watch. Gary’s first attempt went in the hole. The man said, “You got 50 bucks if you knock the next one in.” Player holed the next one. Then the proud Texan says, “You got $100 if you hole the next one.” In it went for three in a row. As he peeled off the bills he said, “Boy, I’ve never seen anyone so lucky in my life.” Player shot back, “Well, the harder I practice, the luckier I get.”
A virtue is a character quality that you build over time by consistently making the right moral choices and taking the right moral actions. Under it all lay the right moral thoughts.
You can cultivate virtue. Character follows what’s been called the Law of the Farm. You reap what you sow. When you plant seeds in your mind, your life produces what the seeds contain.
If you plant resentment, bitterness, self-centeredness, anger, immoral desires, well, you’re going to harvest a life of misery. But, if you intentionally plant thoughts of virtue: love, faith, hope, wisdom, justice, self-control, courage, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and goodness, well, you’ll reap a life of meaning, of fulfillment, a life of happiness.
That’s my list of virtues. There are twelve of them and I’ll share future posts to explain each one of them and how you can build virtues into your life and experience a happier more fulfilling existence. You want to be happy. Everyone does. So, stick around, and you’ll learn how to grow your sense of well-being, peace, hope, and joy.
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The video version of this post can be found here.
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