Origin of Rational Thought

Virtuous adjective Having or showing virtue, especially moral excellence.

Character noun Moral or ethical strength.

Ethics are made of non-contradictory principles, and therefore, are an essential formula for life. There are various factions of ethics, for example, Deontological ethics which are based on the practice of intrinsically right or wrong duties and rules; or Teleological ethics, which are based on the emphasis of cause and effect decisions and what they achieve.

Then there are Virtue ethics. This is the practice of ethical decision based upon individual character traits. That is, if you perceive honesty as a personal trait, then you will always be honest no matter the circumstance. You live your life by this personal code and you base all actions on a particular choice of character traits. Virtue is a sign of knowledge: knowledge of self, knowledge of decisions, and knowledge of a sound formula for just action.

Therefore, if knowledge of virtue requires practice and exercise of said principles, then it can be stated that knowledge and virtue are indeed interchangeable; it can be stated that knowledge and virtue form our character.

At the end of the day these ideas make the difference in breaking through the clutter of crumbling walls; it is what we take from our precious seconds of organized time of reflection. Here are some of my reflections on what knowledge and virtue mean to me. Here you go, and may you enjoy.

Virtuous beliefs are formed through virtuous thought. They come from personal reflection: reflection of our life and times, reflection of past mistakes, and reflection on acknowledgement of these mistakes. If you truly believe that mistakes are made in order to learn, then you will see the value in no longer making them. You will learn the lesson. In fact, you will come to see repetitious mistakes as what they truly are: an effective barrier placed over your inevitable growth of soul.

Rational thought is our own to form and apply as we may. I can explain rational thought to you as I view it, but what is rational thought as you see it? My explanation of rational thought makes sense to me; however, it might not necessarily make sense to you. I could use rhetoric to influence your rationale in an effective matter but that would mean I have not achieved my end goal…and my end goal is for us all to think for ourselves, not as another may tell you to think; or what to think; or how to think.

So, once again, I return to virtue as being equal to knowledge and vice versa. I will state the intercessory to bridge the gap between these two interchangeable ideas and the purpose of rational thought. It is the taking of these three elements, applying each to our lives, and realizing what is needed to evolve; to survive; to progress.

The missing link is wisdom.

Wisdom is the taking of practical reasoning, applying past experience, and using rational action in life decisions. For example, if you believe in the virtue of patience and see that everything has a time and place, and therefore, need not be rushed, well; you now have a formula to use when faced with a dilemma. You use the virtue of patience to reflect on a possible consequence instead of rushing to a hasty decision. Through practice of virtue you gain knowledge of how to act in tight situations, when before you would have grabbed on to something; anything in order to ground your self in life.

Now picture that the same situation arises again and again. What do you do?

Well, through proper reflection, you recognize that it is not a situation per se, but in fact it is the same mistake arising again and again. Once you recognize the mistake, you can now acknowledge that its lesson has been learned. You have now applied practical reasoning to past experience, and applied rational thought to effective action.

You now have wisdom.

So many of us feel that it is much better to ground ourselves in past mistakes; maybe because we feel we owe something, anything, to our past. Our souls travel along broken roads, scuffing our dirty feet in the lost remnants of our lives. It need not be that way.

Let me explain.

I have learned so much about character in my university years: societal character and individual character of past and present. I have come to see that my whispered thoughts actually hold valid truth when I once felt they were only random words. I become lost in these thoughts at times. When that happens, I can freely admit that it is needed to ground my self in something; in anything. I choose to ground my self in faith. Faith in me. Faith in you. Faith in us all. I prefer to ground my self in this glorious creation we call life.

That is virtue of character, my friends. When the road seems long and oh so dark, you must believe that much harder in your self. You must not only believe, but you must also learn to trust that your path is just; that your path is true. Understand that your character is forming it self into your personal reflection and what you feel on the inside will show true on the outside.

One more morning is one more reason to shine. One more day is one step closer. One more night is another glimpse of time to reflect on who we are and who we will become. Be resilient. Be strong. Know that it is okay. Until we meet again, my friends, until we meet again.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit." - Socrates