Stoicism - PART 8 Virtue - Introduction

 I'm back! As promised, I will be taking on a five-part analysis of the Stoic concept of Virtue. This is arguably the most developed and studied concept  by the Stoics, as it allows us to determine morals and ethics in what I consider to be the most objective way. Our cultures and backgrounds influence our morality and thoughts on different social and political issues and this will most likely not change after covering these concepts, however our objective will be to view these issues in a way that we can empathize or at least understand contrary beliefs and ideas. This is important now more than ever since we are all digitally connected and exposed to unlimited information in our pockets, so sharing ideas and beliefs has never been more efficient and effective. 

Understanding virtue and it's components should help us with identifying our thought process and understanding how and why we have an opinion on certain things, whether these are controversial or not. This is important because we must always question our thoughts and opinions by comparing them to different perspectives and being open to ideas that seem to be against your own, only then will you be able to act just. Sadly, social media has played a big role in separating ideologies and dividing people by using algorithms that increase the exposure of news/posts that are aligned with a specific person's political or social beliefs. Most people view news and events solely through social media, this creates a biased and distorted view of reality and prevents us from seeing the truth. We won't reach absolute truth on many things, but the closer we are, the more likely it'll be for us to act virtuously. It's important that we study and view events from different approaches, as wrong as you may believe an idea to be, you should always take it as an opportunity to listen and learn from it instead of dismissing it. In fact, the more you empathize and understand other points of view, the stronger and wiser your opinion becomes since you've evaluated more scenarios and possibilities than others.

I believe we must always question our opinions and doubt our thoughts, however I also believe that we mustn't hesitate when it is time to act or make a decision based on these ideas. This may seem counterintuitive, but bear with me. If you believe in something, fight for it. Fight for everything that you believe will improve or help yourself or those around you, but always stop to listen to those who oppose you. This doesn't mean you'll change your mind, but you will show the deserved respect to those who are also fighting for their version of justice or improving the lives of those around us. Search for information from sources that you don't usually consume, look for the strongest arguments that oppose yours, compare your ideas with them and identify whether you need to reconsider any of your views or opinions. There should be no shame in changing your mind, be ashamed of staying ignorant and dismissive because this will keep you from being the best version of yourself. 

I know, I've talked mostly about the nature of our ideas and biases, but I strongly believe that these themes are highly relevant in our current time and can be potentially solved by understanding virtue. They will continue to divide us further unless we are able to understand these phenomenons, hopefully after stressing the impact and importance of these issues we are able to more easily grasp the concepts that define Virtue according to the Stoics. These are Courage, Wisdom, Temperance and Justice.