Page 6 - 2015 On The Path

6 – Sunday, October 25, 2015 – El Dorado NEWS-TIMES
Shift from virtue to rights has caused morality loss
By Father Edward D’Almeida Special to the News-Times
When you are lost, sometimes the quickest way to get back on track is to return to a well-known and recognizable place. Only then can you go forward with confi- dence of reaching your destination. Whether we have a destination and are wandering aimlessly is another worthy topic.
For several recent generations we have lost a focus on virtue. In its place we have put a greater amount of focus on rights. The shift of focus, I suggest, has caused in per- sons, communities and our nation a loss of moral compass, regardless of religion.
Rights demand something from someone, specifically justice. Today, rights seem to have a very self-cen- tered and self-interested point of view. For example, “I have a right to...”, “You can’t deny my right to...”, etc. are common phrases. More than often it seems we don’t even consider what is just in a situation but rather what, when, how and where I want whatever it is that I desire. Our approach to rights is like a fast-food mentality to get our desires fulfilled immediately by someone else.
Virtue, on the other hand, demands me to be a better person. It is self-centered only in the sense that I challenge myself to be the best person I can be, which benefits both society and me. An extreme focus on rights can make us narcissistic. A healthy focus on virtue improves persons, communities and nations, necessarily including the practice of justice, which is itself a virtue.
Three to four hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Aristotle and Plato wrote extensive- ly about virtue in ancient Greece. It
Father Edward D’Almeida, paster of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in El Dorado.
is something common to all people regardless of time or place. Do you want to know if you are a good per- son? Aristotle’s answer for knowing whether a person is good is to ask if the person is virtuous.
So, what exactly is virtue? Let’s define the term. A virtue is a habit- ual and firm disposition to do the good. We all have habits, repeatable patterns of action. Some actions are good (virtues) and some are bad (vices). If we habitually do what is good then we strengthen our will and dispose it to right action.
For example, when you see a piece of trash on the sidewalk, do you have a habit of picking it up and throwing it away? A virtue is more than just a one-time occurrence. It
is a habit. It is virtuous to do what is good (picking up trash every time you see it) with ease, prompt- ness and joy. In addition to doing small actions of habitually picking up trash then you will be disposed to do even greater good for the city of El Dorado. Small, seeming-
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ly insignificant actions habitually done will prepare us for big actions when circumstances call for them.
A story might illustrate virtue bet- ter. Two men come across an unat- tended $20 bill on their co-worker’s desk. The first man sees it and is
See VIRTUE on page 7
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plan to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
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