Virtuous life.
Disclaimer: This article discusses death and holocaust.
Selfish gene
I am a selfish person. There is no doubt about that. So is everyone else. We are moved on this earth by a will which is hardwired into our brains, which has only one objective called "SURVIVAL" of the individual. As today, survival is generously easy, we do not find much conflict with my survival to your survival. But it is during hard times that survival matters, and our greed become apparent.
In Tsunamis, wildfires, and natural disasters like Nepal Flood, we run for our lives. We do not wait to fetch others, except our own children. But we cannot consider our own kids as a separate entity, as it is engraved by nature that survival of the kids means survival of part of you into the future. That fact cannot be erased as we do not know where the memory location of that is.
Once I read a book about Auschwitz, in the concentration camps, when the gas chambers are activated with thousands of people inside, at the end there would be a pile of bodies in a shape of a cone. As the gas is inserted from the below, to fresh air would be progressively rise up. So do the people. On the bottom of this pile of bodies would be the weak. Elderly and children, more and more stronger people would be on the top. This is just an extreme example to show that we do not care for our elderly and children when it comes to life or death. Weaker one will perish, and that would be the brutal natural law.
But the human mind is remarkable. It can override this default setting of the human brain. It is hard but not impossible. It takes years of practice unless there is a tendency. When we consider a virtuous life- some people think of it as a meaningful life. As there is no default meaning in life, often we find ourselves engaged in activities which provide different meaning for us. This version of virtuous life is easy, and what is commonly found.
Consider the following list of items which commonly attributes to the virtuous life. What do they all have in common?
Honesty Telling the truth even when lying would benefit you
Courage Doing what is right despite fear
Compassion Taking another person's suffering seriously
Humility Admitting that you may be wrong
Justice Treating people fairly, including those you dislike
Temperance Knowing when enough is enough
Wisdom Considering consequences before acting
Integrity Acting according to your principles when nobody is watching
What is a virtuous life?
These characteristics of a person, specially shows how they act in an interaction with others. Simply put, a virtuous life means, not a meaningful life. It simply means a life which is devoted to others overriding the natural tendency for our own survival. When you look back at your memories you would understand that what remains as pleasant and happy are the times you have spent caring for others. Genuinely, without expecting anything in return. Because you are moved by unknown reason during such times.
We can harvest this wisdom and put it into routine of our lives. A kind deed done for others despite your own disadvantage will make you smile in a long term. Because that action do need your consciousness to override your subconscious you will remember it longer. You might say, after all it is just a memory. However, memories we cannot just think of them as memories. A life is nothing, but a dream filled with memories. And the most beautiful are the ones where you have sacrificed yourself.
So how are you going to create a virtuous memory today? I am sure there would be a lot of ways. How about keeping some exchange in your pocket to buy a meal for some unknown person?
Comments