There is a concept that was outlined by Plato and then furthered by other writers such as Cicero, Saint Ambrose, and Thomas Aquinas called the 'Cardinal Virtues', so called because the word 'cardinal' comes from a latin word meaning, 'the hinge of the door'; the virtues are 'pivotal' in life. C.S. Lewis touches on them in regards to morality and Christianity, and I've decided to blog on them because I see them to be a great argument for morality, simply because I do not think each virtue can be denied, and also because each one serves as a great reminder for how a Christian is called to be. Christ indeed is virtuous and calls all of His followers to be so. There are four Cardinal Virtues and three other Theological Virtues; the first are the ones that everyone seems to agree on, while the last three are ones that Lewis says, 'Christians acknowledge'. I'll blog about the theological ones later on, but for now let's go over the ones titled, 'Cardinal Virtues'. They are Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude.
Prudence simply means thinking ahead. It is thinking through an action and what is to most likely come of it. I think this idea of being wise has been forgotten over time. Especially since Christ says to be like children, many think that if you are 'good', then you do not need to worry about being wise, too. This is not what Christ means. He means that we should have a child's heart but a grown-ups head. Be wise, but do not forget to be silly, kind-hearted, accepting. Think ahead, but take in the moment when it's happening. Be like little children but do not be foolish. Lewis says, 'He wants us to be single-minded, simple, affectionate, and teachable, but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting trim'. Although prudence centers around common sense, the great fact is that God will take anyone, but He calls for everyone to give their all. God has room in His kingdom for people with very little sense, but He wants everyone to use what sense they have. Christianity, when pursued, takes the whole of a person. It is meant to be a life change.
Temperance, back when originally outlined as a virtue, meant not abstaining, but rather going the right length and no further. Not to say that abstaining is wrong, because it is of course good if used as a form of self control to keep one from going further than intended, but that does not mean that we must label the things someone chooses to abstain from as 'bad' or 'wrong'; it simply means that they choose to abstain for wise reasons. Some things are not in themselves bad, but if taken too far or too much, then they can become bad. Many people think of temperance in regards to drinking, which it does apply, but the truth is that anyone can become intemperate to other aspects of this life; drunkenness can be on things of this world, which shows just as much a lack of self control. Someone can be drunk on alcohol or drunk on all of her thoughts to clothes. So many college students are drunk on social networking. This is one that I realized I have been captive to in the past. Temperance is knowing how long to stay on Facebook or utilizing self control on Pinterest. This is a matter of the heart, and a Lewis puts it, 'God is not deceived by externals'.
Justice is such a beautiful virtue (though they all are, because that is the point). It includes being honest, finding truth, keeping promises, and all of the good and fair side of life. Fortitude encompasses all sorts of courage; the bold, the brave, the enduring, the fearless. This last one seems to really go hand in hand with all of the others. It takes courage to be virtuous. Often a person can do a virtuous act, but that does not make them a virtuous person. Now, I do not think there is a scale on which we can judge any acts of people, saying that this person is more virtuous than another, but being a virtuous person should be progression. I have played soccer from the time that I was four, but in the past sixteen years since then the way people knew I was a soccer player was because I progressed; as my knowledge of the game grew, so did my skill and my intentions with the game. As my coaches trained me, I became more reliable in the game because I had experience and chose to make a commitment to carrying out what I was learning. Life is rather like a type of game; we learn from mistakes and intentionally make choices from reasoning. A person who intentionally does just actions is on his or her way to a virtuous end, what we call 'character'. We associate people with their names, with who they are. Actions make us who we are.
So how are these virtues different in Christianity versus simply being of the world? There are a few reasons. One is simply the definition of truth. Right actions done for the wrong reasons do not build up progress to make character. Motivation is important because it either correlates with the idea of virtue or it does not. One motivation is selfless while the other is selfish. If our motivation is because of what Christ has done for us, then it is out of selfless love. That is truth. Another reason is so that we have the right mindset in all of this of who our Lord is; if a person is doing virtuous acts as a set of rules, then he or she is not performing out of love by love and for love. We should choose to be virtuous because of the love of God that has been given us. God wants His people to be of a certain sort, and He wants His chosen people to understand His character and be intentional in pursuing Him. We are not called to live wisely or justly or courageously in order to go down a checklist. The last reason that Christ changes our view on these virtues is because of the belief of eternity. These actions are a little bit of Heaven. By doing these acts here, on earth, we get a glimpse of the type of people we are to become fully in the future. They remind us of the deep, strong, firm, rock solid kind of happiness that God intends for all of humanity.
Sometimes it seems like the world has formed this view of the average student's college life to be one that is crazy, risky, and a once in a lifetime experience. Virtue seems to go out the window. College may be a once in a lifetime experience, but why not make it a virtuous one? Christ doesn't want us to earn a college degree and then start to pursue courage and temperance. We can do these things now.
Sometimes it seems like the world has formed this view of the average student's college life to be one that is crazy, risky, and a once in a lifetime experience. Virtue seems to go out the window. College may be a once in a lifetime experience, but why not make it a virtuous one? Christ doesn't want us to earn a college degree and then start to pursue courage and temperance. We can do these things now.
In this life, we have brokenness. We have trials and tribulations. The message is that there is hope. There is a love that came for us, in humility, and we can respond or we can deny it. We can choose to accept the gift of Heaven or we can choose to remain in Hell. The light and hope is through knowing and accepting Jesus Christ. He is our Savior, our friend, and our redeemer.
