Showing posts sorted by date for query virtue. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query virtue. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Thursday, March 14, 2013
He that has not mastery over his inclinations...wants the first principle of virtue and industry
“He that has not mastery
over his inclinations, he that knows not how to resist the importunity of
present pleasure or pain, for the sake of what reason tells him is fit to be
done, wants the true principle of virtue and industry, and is in danger of
never being good for anything.”
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Thinking Life by P. M. Forni
Do you want to live a good life? Try engaging in some good thinking. The quality of our life, work,
and relationships,
our happiness, depends of the decisions
we make. We make better decisions
through good thinking that is both creative and analytical. Such thinking can be difficult if we live in
a near constant state of distraction.
P. M.
Forni points out in his book The
Thinking Life that we live in an age of distraction. The Internet,
cellular phones, and ubiquitous media have made it
possible for us to be in an almost constant state of stimulation. In a diet of constant feeding, our minds have
no time to digest, so much of what comes in passes out mostly unchanged. We can find information in an instant, but it
takes more than an instant to take it in and retain it.
Excellent thinking, reflection,
introspection, and deep learning,
take time and energy. Not only that,
they require some devotion and discipline. I think one of the most useful points Forni
makes is the importance of attention, the opposite of distraction. I have read the works of memory experts that
suggest that we do not remember things because we did not pay close attention
to them to begin with. If we want to
know what is going on around us, especially with the people we care about, we
have to be attentive. If we want to
remember something, we have to pay attention when we experience it. If we want to do some serious thinking, we
have to attend to some thoughts and put aside others, at least for a while.
Fortunately, our power of paying attention, and other abilities
important to thinking like decision making, can be improved with practice. Throughout The Thinking Life, Forni provides advice on
how to develop your thinking abilities.
Each chapter ends with specific questions and exercises aimed at helping
you increase your ability in some area of thinking.
In his argument for the benefits of thinking, Forni draws on an ancient
Greek philosophy
known as Stoicism. Famous Stoics include Zeno, Marcus Aurelius,
Epictetus,
and Seneca. Forni doesn’t suggest that we be
stoical. He suggests that we practice
moderation and self-discipline so that we can set aside time and energy for the
important task of thinking, which leads to better decisions and more happiness.
Moderation and self-discipline are virtues,
something the Stoics held in high regard.
Another virtue that Forni encourages is humility. I think humility is one of the greatest
virtues. Humility is a condition for
honestly assessing our place in the world so we can see where we need help, see
where can help others, and learn.
These comments scratch the surface of Forni’s short book. He addresses a problem in our culture with
thoughtful advice and concision.
If you’re interested in this book, you may also be interested in
Forni, P. M. The Thinking Life: How to Thrive in the Age
of Distraction. New York: St. Martin’s,
2011.
Google
Monday, September 10, 2012
From virtue comes money and every other good of man
I
tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money
and every other good of man, public as well as private.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
What I Read (12)
Date: June 10, 2008
Title: The Great Divorce
Author: C. S. Lewis
Thoughts: “What concerns you in the nature is the nature of choice itself: and that ye can watch them making” (quote from the book).
Date: July 2, 2008
Title: The Gospel of Luke
Thoughts: “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. And you are witnesses to these things” (Luke 24:46-48).
Date: July 12, 2008
Title: Walking with God
Author: John Eldredge
Thoughts: “The reason we are morally obligated to be happy is that people have to live with us” (quote from the book).
John Eldredge also wrote Epic.
Date: July 27, 2008
Title: Undaunted Courage
Author: Stephen E. Ambrose
Thoughts: How could someone as extraordinary as Meriwether Lewis come to such a sad end?
Date: August 2, 2008
Title: One Small step Can Change Your Life
Author: Robert Maurer
Thoughts: “To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization” (quote from the book).
Date: August 3, 2008
Title: Red Harvest
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Thoughts: More crime than you can shake a stick at.
Date: September 28, 2008
Title: Book of Lies
Author: Brad Meltzer
Thoughts: Thrillers aren’t my thing, but this book was okay. I read it mainly because of the Jerry Siegel/Superman connection.
Date: October 21, 2008
Title: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization
Author: Anthony Esolen
Thoughts: A look at the good and the bad from ancient Greece to today and how we’ve forgotten so much of the good and embraced so much of the bad. The book is a call to let history be a corrective to the excesses of modern society.
Other parts of What I Read:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,
Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10,
Part 11
Title: The Great Divorce
Author: C. S. Lewis
Thoughts: “What concerns you in the nature is the nature of choice itself: and that ye can watch them making” (quote from the book).
Date: July 2, 2008
Title: The Gospel of Luke
Thoughts: “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. And you are witnesses to these things” (Luke 24:46-48).
Date: July 12, 2008
Title: Walking with God
Author: John Eldredge
Thoughts: “The reason we are morally obligated to be happy is that people have to live with us” (quote from the book).
John Eldredge also wrote Epic.
Date: July 27, 2008
Title: Undaunted Courage
Author: Stephen E. Ambrose
Thoughts: How could someone as extraordinary as Meriwether Lewis come to such a sad end?
Date: August 2, 2008
Title: One Small step Can Change Your Life
Author: Robert Maurer
Thoughts: “To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization” (quote from the book).
Date: August 3, 2008
Title: Red Harvest
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Thoughts: More crime than you can shake a stick at.
Date: September 28, 2008
Title: Book of Lies
Author: Brad Meltzer
Thoughts: Thrillers aren’t my thing, but this book was okay. I read it mainly because of the Jerry Siegel/Superman connection.
Date: October 21, 2008
Title: The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization
Author: Anthony Esolen
Thoughts: A look at the good and the bad from ancient Greece to today and how we’ve forgotten so much of the good and embraced so much of the bad. The book is a call to let history be a corrective to the excesses of modern society.
Other parts of What I Read:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,
Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10,
Part 11
Friday, July 24, 2009
What I Read (7)
Date: January 23, 2006
Title: Don’t Grow Old—Grow Up! Author: Dorothy Carnegie
Thoughts: “The moment a man’s attention is center on service to others, he becomes more dynamic, more forceful and harder to resist” (quote from the book).
Date: January 30, 2006
Title: The Great Bridge
Author: David McCollough
Thoughts: A good book about a great accomplishment.
Date: February 26, 2006
Title: Positive Imaging Author: Norman Vincent Peale
Thoughts: The launch of Infra Consulting LC in March 2006 receives a huge, positive response from potential clients and the media. Within days I’m having consultations and negotiating contracts for grant writing and management consulting projects. I have a training session scheduled for April that is filling fast. (I didn’t launch my business until November 2006 and it didn’t go this smoothly.)
Date: March 13, 2006
Title: Change the Way You See Everything Author: Kathryn D. Cramer & Hank Wasiak
Thoughts: Connie and I have been talking about similar things for months. We just didn’t have the term ABT. Though Cramer & Wasiak suggest ABT is more than just positive thinking, it seems not far from Peale and Carnegie. Thinking isn’t magic, it leads to action.
Date: April 19, 2006
Title: Getting Started in Consulting
Author: Allen Weiss
Thoughts: I will be a successful consultant. I am attracting great clients to me and my business.
Date: May 11, 2006
Title: The Success Principles Author: Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer
Thoughts: I’m going to achieve all the good I can imagine now and even more.
Date: May 16, 2006
Title: Self-Love
Author: Robert H. Schuller
Thoughts: “Man is a dignity seeker” (quote from the book).
Date: June 26, 2006
Title: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Tested by Time Author: James L. Garlow
Thoughts: “I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private,” Socrates.
Other parts of What I Read
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,
Part 6
Title: Don’t Grow Old—Grow Up! Author: Dorothy Carnegie
Thoughts: “The moment a man’s attention is center on service to others, he becomes more dynamic, more forceful and harder to resist” (quote from the book).
Date: January 30, 2006
Title: The Great Bridge
Author: David McCollough
Thoughts: A good book about a great accomplishment.
Date: February 26, 2006
Title: Positive Imaging Author: Norman Vincent Peale
Thoughts: The launch of Infra Consulting LC in March 2006 receives a huge, positive response from potential clients and the media. Within days I’m having consultations and negotiating contracts for grant writing and management consulting projects. I have a training session scheduled for April that is filling fast. (I didn’t launch my business until November 2006 and it didn’t go this smoothly.)
Date: March 13, 2006
Title: Change the Way You See Everything Author: Kathryn D. Cramer & Hank Wasiak
Thoughts: Connie and I have been talking about similar things for months. We just didn’t have the term ABT. Though Cramer & Wasiak suggest ABT is more than just positive thinking, it seems not far from Peale and Carnegie. Thinking isn’t magic, it leads to action.
Date: April 19, 2006
Title: Getting Started in Consulting
Author: Allen Weiss
Thoughts: I will be a successful consultant. I am attracting great clients to me and my business.
Date: May 11, 2006
Title: The Success Principles Author: Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer
Thoughts: I’m going to achieve all the good I can imagine now and even more.
Date: May 16, 2006
Title: Self-Love
Author: Robert H. Schuller
Thoughts: “Man is a dignity seeker” (quote from the book).
Date: June 26, 2006
Title: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Tested by Time Author: James L. Garlow
Thoughts: “I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private,” Socrates.
Other parts of What I Read
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,
Part 6
Friday, March 20, 2009
Stories for a Man’s Heart by Al and Alice Gray
Gray, Al, and Alice Gray, eds. Stories for a Man’s Heart. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1999.
This is part of the Stories for the Heart series, one of Christian publishing’s entries into a market that has boomed since the creation of the Chicken Soup books. It has over 100 short selections from a variety of books and authors.
The stories are organized into categories meant to represent aspects of the masculine life. They are virtue, love, motivation, encouragement, fatherhood, sports, legacy and faith. Nearly all are from Christian authors; all were chosen by Christian editors.
Some of the sections are stereotypical “man” stuff, like sports. I could really only relate to fishing and that more as a casual catcher of pan fish than a serious sportsman. By contrast, fatherhood is something universal; even those who aren’t fathers had one and were affected by his presence or absence and relationship with him.
I’ve never read a book of this kind before, so I don’t have much context for it. I enjoyed it more than I thought I might, mainly because I enjoy hearing people’s stories. It is a little like hanging out at a family gathering or with some friends as they swap anecdotes.
The motivational or lesson teaching value of the book is probably depends a lot on the reader. The stories are not fables; they are vignettes from life, mostly from the lives of the authors. There is not interpretation or lesson added to the stories; they only appear of the authors included them. You may find some of the stories resonate with you or motivate you, but don’t expect to find a series of case studies from which definite lessons are drawn.
Book series like this might be titled Stories Calculated to Make You Cry. This book has four tearjerkers. Results may vary. If you cry at weddings, funerals, graduations or sad movies, you may find many more of the stories move you to tears.
This is part of the Stories for the Heart series, one of Christian publishing’s entries into a market that has boomed since the creation of the Chicken Soup books. It has over 100 short selections from a variety of books and authors.
The stories are organized into categories meant to represent aspects of the masculine life. They are virtue, love, motivation, encouragement, fatherhood, sports, legacy and faith. Nearly all are from Christian authors; all were chosen by Christian editors.
Some of the sections are stereotypical “man” stuff, like sports. I could really only relate to fishing and that more as a casual catcher of pan fish than a serious sportsman. By contrast, fatherhood is something universal; even those who aren’t fathers had one and were affected by his presence or absence and relationship with him.
I’ve never read a book of this kind before, so I don’t have much context for it. I enjoyed it more than I thought I might, mainly because I enjoy hearing people’s stories. It is a little like hanging out at a family gathering or with some friends as they swap anecdotes.
The motivational or lesson teaching value of the book is probably depends a lot on the reader. The stories are not fables; they are vignettes from life, mostly from the lives of the authors. There is not interpretation or lesson added to the stories; they only appear of the authors included them. You may find some of the stories resonate with you or motivate you, but don’t expect to find a series of case studies from which definite lessons are drawn.
Book series like this might be titled Stories Calculated to Make You Cry. This book has four tearjerkers. Results may vary. If you cry at weddings, funerals, graduations or sad movies, you may find many more of the stories move you to tears.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
His Excellency by Joseph J. Ellis
Ellis, Joseph J. His Excellency: George Washington. New York: Knopf, 2004.
Ellis organizes his biography of the first President of the United States along the lines of Henry Lee’s statement about the man, “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” though he breaks Washington’s life into a few more categories than that. He begins with Washington’s youth on the frontier and follows it through his vigorous retirement.
Ellis presents a man who does not rehearse his past, but seeks lessons from his experience. I’ll take a similar attitude in this review.
One of the things that stands out about Washington is his understanding of models and how to use them. As a youth, he looked up to the landed aristocracy that ruled Virginia and proceeded to become a man in much the same mode. As head of the Continental Army, he looked to Roman general Fabius Cunctator who won through retreat, preserving his army from battles he couldn’t win, even though Washington warred against his on adventurous nature to fight such a war. As a retiring general who could have received great political power from a grateful nation, he looked to Cicero, who retired to his farm when his duty was completed.
Washington also knew how to break with models and go his own way. He twice came out of retirement to lend his reputation to efforts to build an American nation, first to preside over the Constitutional Convention, second to serve as president under the new constitution.
Another notable thing about Washington’s life is the balance he struck between ambition and virtue. Only an ambitious and opportunistic man could have accomplished what he did; he accumulated great wealth and power. However, he held on to power lightly and readily let it go, though he seemed a little more attached to wealth. His virtues restrained his ambitions.
Finally, Washington was a realist. He was certainly a man of high ideals, but he didn’t expect to see people and nations conform themselves to ideals. Just as he had to restrain himself from excesses, so did others. This is clearly where he differed from Thomas Jefferson and his Ant-Federalist faction; Washington didn’t believe in a naturally virtuous class of citizen who would naturally uphold republican values. People pursued their interests; that went double for nations.
Washington was the right man at the right time. His insight into models, ambition, virtue and realism were just what the nascent nation needed to rally it together and lead it through the rough patches that could have broken it to pieces.
Ellis organizes his biography of the first President of the United States along the lines of Henry Lee’s statement about the man, “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,” though he breaks Washington’s life into a few more categories than that. He begins with Washington’s youth on the frontier and follows it through his vigorous retirement.
Ellis presents a man who does not rehearse his past, but seeks lessons from his experience. I’ll take a similar attitude in this review.
One of the things that stands out about Washington is his understanding of models and how to use them. As a youth, he looked up to the landed aristocracy that ruled Virginia and proceeded to become a man in much the same mode. As head of the Continental Army, he looked to Roman general Fabius Cunctator who won through retreat, preserving his army from battles he couldn’t win, even though Washington warred against his on adventurous nature to fight such a war. As a retiring general who could have received great political power from a grateful nation, he looked to Cicero, who retired to his farm when his duty was completed.
Washington also knew how to break with models and go his own way. He twice came out of retirement to lend his reputation to efforts to build an American nation, first to preside over the Constitutional Convention, second to serve as president under the new constitution.
Another notable thing about Washington’s life is the balance he struck between ambition and virtue. Only an ambitious and opportunistic man could have accomplished what he did; he accumulated great wealth and power. However, he held on to power lightly and readily let it go, though he seemed a little more attached to wealth. His virtues restrained his ambitions.
Finally, Washington was a realist. He was certainly a man of high ideals, but he didn’t expect to see people and nations conform themselves to ideals. Just as he had to restrain himself from excesses, so did others. This is clearly where he differed from Thomas Jefferson and his Ant-Federalist faction; Washington didn’t believe in a naturally virtuous class of citizen who would naturally uphold republican values. People pursued their interests; that went double for nations.
Washington was the right man at the right time. His insight into models, ambition, virtue and realism were just what the nascent nation needed to rally it together and lead it through the rough patches that could have broken it to pieces.
Friday, November 28, 2008
The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry
Newberry, Tommy. The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2007.
Newberry takes the title of his book, and his theme, from Philippians 4:8. The verse is an admonition to think on good things. According to Newberry, our potential for joy in life is greatly influenced by our predominate thoughts.
The book has three major divisions dealing with the development of a joyful life: thinking and self-worth, emotion management, and developing good habits. The first section may be old ground for those who’ve read similar books. It asserts the connection between our typical thoughts and the results in our mind and actions. If we want more joy, we must think on those things that bring joy. To have a healthy expectation of joy, we must have an appropriate self-image. Newberry gears his book toward a Christian audience and defines self-worth as “authentic self-esteem rooted in your uniqueness as a child of God.”
Thoughts and emotions are not independent. They influence each other. Because of this, we can affect reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions by out thoughts and the way we look at situations. Newberry devotes a chapter to identifying thought habits that magnify negative emotions and strategies for developing new thinking for better emotional responses. He provides a list of Bible verses that one can dwell on to help combat negative reactions.
The final section deals with lifestyle changes that support joy. It is about taking control of your environment, associations and behavior to protect yourself from negativity and concentrate on joy. Not everything is in our control, but the idea is to respond productively to negativity rather than simply reacting by reproducing the negativity in ourselves.
As part of this, the final chapter is devoted to gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful supporter of joy. One of the best habits to develop to increase joy is to consider what you have to be thankful for and express that gratitude.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
-Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
Newberry takes the title of his book, and his theme, from Philippians 4:8. The verse is an admonition to think on good things. According to Newberry, our potential for joy in life is greatly influenced by our predominate thoughts.
The book has three major divisions dealing with the development of a joyful life: thinking and self-worth, emotion management, and developing good habits. The first section may be old ground for those who’ve read similar books. It asserts the connection between our typical thoughts and the results in our mind and actions. If we want more joy, we must think on those things that bring joy. To have a healthy expectation of joy, we must have an appropriate self-image. Newberry gears his book toward a Christian audience and defines self-worth as “authentic self-esteem rooted in your uniqueness as a child of God.”
Thoughts and emotions are not independent. They influence each other. Because of this, we can affect reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions by out thoughts and the way we look at situations. Newberry devotes a chapter to identifying thought habits that magnify negative emotions and strategies for developing new thinking for better emotional responses. He provides a list of Bible verses that one can dwell on to help combat negative reactions.
The final section deals with lifestyle changes that support joy. It is about taking control of your environment, associations and behavior to protect yourself from negativity and concentrate on joy. Not everything is in our control, but the idea is to respond productively to negativity rather than simply reacting by reproducing the negativity in ourselves.
As part of this, the final chapter is devoted to gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful supporter of joy. One of the best habits to develop to increase joy is to consider what you have to be thankful for and express that gratitude.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
-Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
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