Arete can be defined as excellence or virtue and is indeed a character trait that most of us try to embody. It is important to distinguish between a person who is habitually honest because someone told her/him to do so (mindless) and a person who is honest because it is within him/her to do so or because they chose to do so on their own (mindful). Only the latter can truly be viewed as embodying virtue. Those who mindlessly do virtuous acts have a “single-track” disposition to do “good” actions for certain reasons and are characterized as self-righteous; they do good to be good versus do good because it is the thing to do. They are selfish in their intent! They also often end up begrudging the choice and hold resentment regarding the action, whether they are aware of it or not. Mindfully virtuous people have a “multi-track” disposition and are concerned with various aspects that influence and are connected to their actions (i.e. emotions, emotional reactions, desires, values, perceptions, attitudes, interests, expectations and sensibilities). In essence, mindfully virtuous people strive to aligne their emotional state with their reasons for doing something. I must point out that this is far easier said than done, and requires gentle courage and determination. That’s where I come in, being the sounding board for more overall clarity. Thus, a fully virtuous person has a high level of practical wisdom (phronesis).
Bri·co·lage: (Bri·co·läzh´)
n. 1. An assemblage improvised from materials ready at hand, or the practice of transforming “found” materials. 2. Do it yourself.Topical Choices
- Balance & Flow
- Being Fully Engaged
- Career and Job
- Causality
- Coping With Change
- Detachment
- Effective Communication
- Expressing Feelings
- Finding Purpose
- Food Tips
- Fulfillment
- Inner-Voice
- Interconnectiveness
- Interviewing Techniques
- Job Satisfaction
- Job Search
- Life Tools
- Managing Stress
- Meditation
- Meta-Cognition
- Motivation
- Nutrition
- Personality Types
- Physical Fitness
- Setting Goals
- Skills & Interests
- Struggle
- Success
- Uncategorized
- Wellness
Quotes
"To be spiritual, as I see it, is to function at a realm beyond thought. It is about living in the darkness of the unknown by honoring the limits to what we are capable of and pushing beyond those limits just to see if we can. To be spiritual is the continual process of manifesting our dreams so that we can pick new ones and so always be in the light of discovery. Spirituality is about feeling "good" regardless of what feelings may manifest at each given moment. Finally, it is about creating love rather than waiting for it to show its face to us. There is nothing for one to "do" to create love, for in love seeing is the doing. To see another without needing him or her or any circumstance to be anything other than who and what they are is to really be love; and in that instant one is propelled out of the realm of thought and into the realm of the spirit." ~ By Shawn Athanasios ~