3 Insights
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw
“No one is free who is not master of himself.” – Pythagoras
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy
What I Learned this Week
More than 7,200 pages of journal entries from Leonardo da Vinci still survive today. He started his practice of writing in his notebooks while he began working as a military and naval engineer for the Duke of Milan. What is wild is that the notebooks, sketches, and pages we have today are a mere one-quarter of what he actually wrote. Over 28,000 pages of material.
Not long after da Vinci, Michel de Montaigne published over 100 essays, starting in 1580. His writing provides honest insights of human nature across 100’s if not 1,000’s of pages.
Great men and women throughout history have written countless lessons and thoughts down on paper.
Too much or too little
When does something become a virtue versus a vice?
Nowadays, our writing is limited to passive aggressive comments in the digital space, 140 characters or less most of the time.
But a quick review of history helps us understand that great ideas, virtues, and even vices are timeless.
The definition of virtue has changed over time, and has been influenced by many different cultures and philosophies:
Roman virtue
The Romans believed that virtue was a quality that was expected of good citizens and was passed down through generations. Virtues were divided between those that were considered to be private and those that were expected of citizens.
Aristotelian virtue
Aristotle believed that virtues were habits that helped people achieve happiness. He believed that virtues were what made up a good and noble character, and that examples of virtues included honesty, compassion, humility, and courage.
Classical virtue
The four cardinal virtues of justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude were valued by classical philosophers. These virtues were considered to be natural, or cardinal, because all lesser attitudes hinged on them.
Christian virtue
In addition to the four cardinal virtues, Christianity added the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Christians believed that the theological virtues were imparted by God, whereas the natural virtues originated from humanity.
Humanist virtue
In Western history, humanism emphasized virtuous action as the goal of learning. This was especially characterized by the work of English humanists such as Thomas Elyot and John Milton.
The word “virtue” comes from the Latin word virtus, which means “strength, virtue, manly quality”.
Vice
The word “vice” is derived from Latin vitium “defect, offence, blemish, imperfection”, in both physical and verbal senses.
Despite our technological advances, we forget that humans today are not much different from humans in generations passed. We can easily be influenced by those around us. Nowadays we are exposed to even more information, more examples of both virtue and vice.
Why do we not talk about virtue more frequently?
Why do we not learn from the lessons of the past?
Perhaps because it makes us uncomfortable.
Ask any parent. It is easy to tell your kids what to do. It is MUCH harder to be the example you want to see in them.
The same is true for work.
What kind of teammate are you? Do you even believe in your team’s mission? Are you acting with virtue when no one is watching?
Only you can answer that question. Benjamin Franklin created a list of 13 virtues that he practices weekly four times a year. Again, there are many paths and roadmaps from history that still today can act as a great guide.
Reflections
What virtue can I practice this next week?
The Real Con 127