Since beginning this research into what it means to Flourish at Life, I admit to being rather hesitant in any of my writings to use the word virtue. In today’s culture, you don’t hear the word spoken much. In fact, outside of a discussion related to a passage from Proverbs 31 in faith circles, it’s likely never used. However, I am discovering that no matter what resources I turn to, secular or religious, there is no avoiding returning again and again to the idea of cultivating virtues when attempting to describe a person who truly flourishes in life. Even if the discussion is exclusively about how Scripture defines a virtuous woman in Proverbs, descriptors such as noble character, worthy, productive, trustworthy, valor, and devoted all emerge.

So, whether a person opts for synonyms of virtue such as high standards, character, morality, ethics, merit, distinction, or excellence, the underlying premise is related to a person’s disposition, their nature, their personality. And although many people may state that they aspire to be a person of character, the reality is that we currently live in a culture where many virtues appear to be Vanishing because the hard work of cultivating these characteristics is indeed difficult. Nurturing the discipline required to develop healthy habits that lead to a virtuous (or flourishing) life takes an investment of time and effort throughout one’s lifespan. In the faith community, we discuss this process of becoming more like Christ as sanctification, but even if you do not desire to follow Christ, can you deny that the virtues He displayed in His life are not advantageous characteristics to possess?

So, I pose this question: What characteristics do you think a person flourishing in life possesses? I think an excellent starting point would be to look at religious history and select from the Cardinal, Theological, or Capital virtues, or perhaps you decide to look at modern virtue ethics which is inspired by the Aristotelian understanding of character. Regardless of where you begin, I opine that most of us would find similar traits composing our lists, and although many of us are born with some natural tendencies, it is vital to cultivate, encourage, and develop the characteristics that we desire to see modeled in human behavior.

Although I’m certain that if I asked people to describe virtues that appear to be lacking in my life, an extensive list would form; however, two virtues that I am confident need constant cultivation in my life are gratitude and humility, as evidenced in posts such as Attitude and Gratitude, Gratitude Gap, Unexpressed Gratitude, Relational Equity and End of Me. These are what Dr. Neel Burton refers to as Vanishing Virtues. Specifically speaking to gratitude, Burton offers, “In our consumerist society, we tend to focus on what we lack, or on what other people have that we do not, whereas gratitude is the feeling of appreciation for all that we already have.”

So, what are some Vanishing Virtues that you deem would be valuable to cultivate in Emerging Generations in addition to gratitude and humility? Perhaps we can compose our own list of what we consider virtues (or values) that are essential ingredients for a flourishing life. What qualities do you think have existed in previous generations that are lacking today? Please consider sharing in the comments below as these will be instructive in guiding me in further research on the topic.

References:

Athanassoulis, N. (n.d.). Virtue ethics. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://iep.utm.edu/virtue/ (

Burton, N. (2016, December 24). Why is gratitude so hard. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201612/why-gratitude-is-so-hard#:~:text=Despite%20these%20many%20and%20varied%20benefits%2C%20gratitude%20is,our%20successes%20while%20blaming%20others%20for%20our%20failures.

CatholicBible101. (2023). The virtues. Retrieved from https://catholicbible101.com/thevirtues.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20category%20is%20known%20as

Merriam-Webster, Inc. (2023). Virtue. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virtue