Virtue

I wonder sometimes if I am a virtuous person. We have been speaking about virtue in my World Literature course. From what I understand, just because no one has ever done anything wrong does NOT mean they are a virtuous person. Virtue comes from the will to do good, whether or not it is perceived to be good at all. We just read about Socrates and his apology and how he refuses to admit to ever have committing the acts of corrupting the youth. He understands that being wise and pursuing truth unfortunately will land you in hot water, I also understand this. Truth stings, truth hurts and truth destroys people. The reason this bothers me is because I am constantly told that I am negative and that a lot of people don't like the things that I say. I have never felt that I am particularly negative, when in fact I pursue the truth even though I never really realized it consciously until recently. I also looked for a way to put this into words and now I even have a concrete example to explain why I feel the way I do.

I feel that most people hate the truth, in fact a lot of times they do whatever they can to never have to see it. I feel as though I am persecuted the same way Socrates was persecuted, simply for looking deeper inside myself and other people to really understand my own behavior. I also feel that laws and the morals and ethics presented by religion usually give a moral compass to those who never will look inside themselves to find truth. I am well aware of the fact that most people follow these strict guidelines because they are selfish and know that if they simply follow the rules, they will usually get what they want.

I will add more to this later, I have to continue studying for classes I have tomorrow. I am however fascinated with these new thoughts that I have never been exposed to. More to come.