Virtue and Character

[Wayne]

Human life is not guaranteed. A successful life requires using one's reason to identify

those things in reality that will nourish one's life and taking those actions necessary

to gain them. These things are values. Basic values of life are food, clothing and

shelter. Other values including family, religious beliefs and recreation satisfy

spiritual needs.

Virtues are values of character. Character reflects a person's commitment to rationality

in relation to reality, other people and his or her own thinking processes. For example,

honesty is the policy of being true to the facts of reality to others and to oneself.

Virtues, like all values, are self-created.

Pride and honor are respect for and acknowledgment of the achievement of one's own

or other people's values. Pride is the recognition of one's own achievement of values.

Honor is the commitment to preserve the mutuality of values in relationships and

organizations. It is never to betray a mutual value and it is not expecting to be

betrayed. It is taking responsibility for one's actions, good or bad. One can see

the greatest expression of honor in the American armed forces. Doing one's chosen

duty involves a life and death commitment to oneself, one's fellow soldiers and one's

country. You can see honor in service men and women in their respect and precision

in the execution of their duties.

Maturation is the process of assuming responsibility for one's own success and happiness

in life. It is getting an education and learning skills needed for providing values

for oneself and one's family. It is developing a work ethic of punctuality and commitment

to excellence. Character as the commitment to values is self created. Children at

various stages of life are dependent upon their parents. A child's growth includes

assuming greater independence. It also includes learning respect for the independence

and values of other people.

Incomplete maturation causes character flaws which can be categorized in different

ways depending on how the maturation failed. These flaws contrast with the independent

man or woman who deals with other people -- and themselves -- with rationality, honor

and respect.

The egotist mentality is a failure of honesty and independence. The egotist attempts

to enhance his or her self worth by trying to create the appearance of intelligence,

education or moral superiority. He or she has a chronic need to impress other people

with exaggerated or invented tales of their background and accomplishments.

Narcissism is a more extreme version of egotism in which the person is militantly

only aware of or concerned with his or her own values.

The cynical mentality is a variant of the egotist or narcissist. The cynic believes

that "Everybody is out for themselves; I have to get what I can." Such concepts as

values and other people's values have no explicit meaning. Such a person may not

overtly harm another, unless they can get away with it without detection or penalty.

Criminality includes a great amount of such cynicism.

The elitist mentality is another variant of the egotist mentality. The elitist believes

himself or herself to be member of the intelligentsia, those people who believe they

are entitled to define and control the ideas and values of a culture. Contrast the

elitist with an authentic intellectual leader who, respecting the mind and values

of the people, uses reason and persuasion rather than arcane language or emotional

appeals.

The demagogic mentality is a more extreme case of the elitist who craves political

power. The demagogue achieves power through intelligence, cleverness and charisma.

The demagogue has elements of the cynic in that he or she does not care about other

people except as pawns in their self-aggrandizement. Having achieved their power,

they will waste no time casting out putative friends and crushing potential rivals.

Perhaps all elitists are potential demagogues but lack the popular appeal to ever

achieve any direct political power. Elitists without such power find themselves to

be the propaganda ministers of the demagogue.

The serf mentality is the opposite of the elitist mentality but is also a failure

of independence. The serf does not feel self-confidence to create his or her values.

Serfdom has two contrasting elements: dependence on others and resentment for that

dependence. In a political context, others are society or the government. A slave

is a serf without actual choice or rights, but the serf is self-entrapped by his

or her own dependence.

The victim mentality is a corollary of the serf mentality with a greater emphasis

on placing blame for one's own weaknesses or failures on other people or society.

The entitlement mentality contrasts with the victim mentality. He or she does not blame others

yet feels entitled to whatever they want from other people.

The serf mentality does not include those people who are truly in need or dependent

through sickness or accident. However, there are people who make many bad decisions

in their lives which make it very difficult for them to sustain themselves. They

then become serfs or victims.

A variant of the serf mentality is the true believer who is morally dependent on

a cause or organization. It is the cause and his or her efforts in service to that

cause that gives the true believer a sense of self worth. Anyone who challenges the

true believer's faith with logic and facts is met with indifference or hostility.

A member of a cult is a more extreme true believer. He or she devotes his or her

entire life to the cause.

The true believer might be motivated by naive idealism, which is the belief in some

doctrine without knowing its full context. This is common in young people, who naively

believe that all personal or social problems can be solved by the one true cause.

The true believer's cause may or may not be just. The cause might be to correct

government policies or social mores that infringe on people's rights. But the problem

with the true believer is subverting their own or other people's values for the sake

of the cause. That is not to say that it is not proper to risk one's values when

fighting for something that is right. Judging the true believer depends on the context.

Is it right or wrong, true or false and does it interfere or promote other people's

rights and values?

The childish mentality forever believes in Santa Claus. He or she believes that the

government can forever bestow bounties on all good citizens. As such, eternal and

universal riches and happiness are possible. The child does not know the adult world

and adult responsibilities. He or she does not know that if one wants something one

has to work for it. Work is not fun and the rewards of work are not always immediate.

The child only knows now, he or she does not know the future.

A variant of the childish mentality is the negative thinker. This is usually more

naïve or innocent. Lacking in their own self confidence and knowledge of the world,

they believe in the power of external forces and constantly believe disasters are

coming. They will grab onto every "chicken little" fad such as imminent global warming

or global famines. Their lives may be boring or they do not believe they are being

"moral enough" so they join their cousins the true believers in fighting for the

latest cause. The negative thinker will bristle at any refutations of their cherished

beliefs. They will use any kind of rationalization to discount any challenges to

their ideas. Good news can even be met with disappointment.

A less innocent version of the negative thinker is the envier with a component of

resentment or hatred of the "good for being the good" (Ayn Rand). Feeling a failure,

such a person will not reconsider their own negative thinking and will feel hatred

towards other successful people. A person who politicizes such attitudes will grow

to hate successful countries or societies. They will want to tear them down.

The rebel mentality is the child who one day realizes that there is no Santa Claus

and he or she hates the fact that he or she has to take responsibility for his or

her life. The rebel rejects conventional standards of right and wrong. As a child,

he or she hated parental limits and requirements and as an adult hates limits and

requirements of a civilized society. Some rebels are true believers and direct

their frustrations toward political causes. They hate authority, the military or

the government (at least the aspects of the government that do not conform to their

ideals). They derive their sense of self value by posturing as David fighting Goliath.

Of course there are legitimate motivations for rebelliousness. Parents or governments

can have unreasonable restrictions and limitations on liberty. The justification

of the rebel's cause must be judged upon what is right and true.

A final character flaw is manifested by the evil mentality which believes in his

or her entitlement to destroy other people's values. This can be a criminal, tyrannical

dictator or terrorist. It can be members of a religion or any ism that believes it

is justifiable to kill people in service to itself.

Examples of evil mentality include the street rioter and angry demonstrator who churlishly

and childishly demand that other people accommodate themselves to their demands.

It also includes the blogger who spews hatred and obscene insults. He or she is one

step away from doing in action what he or she says in words. An evil politician will

engage in evil activities including using his or her power to intimidate or deny

the rights of anyone who has the potential of threatening their power.

The serf and its variants all have a component of feelings of personal helplessness which is a lack of self-confidence

in one's ability to understand the world and thus knowing how to create values and prosperity in life.

An educational system derives from the dominant philosophy of the time. If altruism and service to society are the dominant ethic, then students are not taught independent

thinking skills that create intellectual self-confidence.

In the elitist and demagogue, there is always a component of power lust -- the insatiable

desire to have influence and power over other people. Independent people approach

other people with mutuality and respect. The elitist demagogue needs to feel superior

and have power and control.

The elitist comes to expect their status from parents, teachers or merely the station

of their birth. This is obvious in a feudal or a caste society. In a society with

an educational system that stresses subservience to society, there are the individuals

who rise to the top and become the college educated intelligentsia class who are

taught that it is their station in life to be the ruling elite.

Another source of elitism arises from a person's lack of feeling for one's own personal

power, control and self-respect. A natural part of the human experience is to feel

that one has the power to create one's values and that other people or forces cannot

restrict their achievement. This includes not just physical needs but also needs

such as love and parental respect and honor. A child of an alcoholic father may feel

powerless and a lack of security for having his or her needs met. The child may grow

up feeling that if they cannot control their own destiny, they will psychologically

substitute it with the need for power over other people. Some such people succeed

at this through charm, intelligence and charisma.

The elitist and the serf exist in a symbiotic relationship. Each needs the other.

As the serf needs the elitist for guidance and sustenance, the elitist needs the

serf for justification and power. The elitist actually believes that the serf is

powerless and incapable of creating their values in life and must be taken care of.

The serf agrees. The elitist has no respect for the serf but must pretend that they

do. The elitist endlessly proclaims how much they care about the "little people,"

but continually prove that it is a lie by never actually doing anything that will

actually help individual human beings unless it serves their own purposes. The serf

endlessly believes the sincerity of the elite not knowing they are merely pawns in

elitist power struggles.

The serf believes the elites will someday create universal wealth and prosperity

from which they will eventually benefit. If they see their elites with power and

influence and wealth they will rationalize it to themselves that the elites are doing

"good" work and deserve the perks of power. The serf actually admires the trappings

of the elite, believing that their power and wealth prove the elites effectiveness

at achieving success. Some cynically approve of and envy the elites who trample on

other peoples rights in their quests for power.

The serf/elite symbiosis follows the altruism/socialism paradigm. If society is the

benefactor of individual action then the serf believes he or she is a member of that

society and thus is entitled to its benefits. The elite capitalize on being the administrator

of those entitlements while justifying it on altruistic grounds. Caught in the middle

is the productive independent individual who has to pay for the entitlements and

suffer the bureaucratic elite.

The elitist/serf symbiosis represents an attack on the American idea of individualism. The fact that America was built and prospered with individual Americans working together in common enterprises is a reality that the elites want to ignore. They do so because they have a vision of a communal society that deprecates the life and values of the individual. The elites encourage class warfare rhetoric. It is true that some people will have more monetary success than other people and the elites want to encourage envy and resentment towards wealthy people. The left is always crying for increasing taxes on the "rich." Not only is this legalized theft, it encourages hatred and blame for economic problems on them. In fact, it those people with money that invest and create jobs. Their innovations lead to ever higher standards of living for everyone.

To the extent that businessmen accept the ethics of altruism is the extent to which they feel guilt for their success. Such businessmen associate with and encourage politicians who reflect their philosophy. This furthers the growth of a statist government.

Return to America

Edited May 11, 2011 by Wayne

[scottd]

Amazingly well conceived and written article. Thank you for sharing this. Everyone in America needs to read and understand this before next November...

[dream_weaver]

Wayne,

You have been added to my quote of the day in my Franklin Planner Software. I would like to have voted you +1 on this, but it is not available as an option. Nice categorization and contrast.