“Windows To Spirituality”
What Is Pity? Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others, and is used in a comparable sense to compassion, condolence or empathy – the word deriving from the Latin pietās (etymon also of piety). Two different kinds of pity can be distinguished, “benevolent pity” and “contemptuous pity” (see Kimball), where, through...
The Virtue Of Care Caring Equals Loving A human being is, most fundamentally, one who is called into existence by love and called into existence to love. Pope John Paul II, therefore, says that “love is the fullest realization of the possibilities inherent in man.” Because the virtue of care...
Tree Of Virtues And Tree Of Vices A tree of virtues (arbor virtutum) is a diagram used in medieval Christian tradition to display the relationships between virtues, usually juxtaposed with a tree of vices (arbor vitiorum) where the vices are treated in a parallel fashion. Together with genealogical trees, these diagrams qualify as among the earliest...
What Is Compassion? Compassion, which can be defined as loving and caring for others without expecting anything in return, helping the oppressed and the wronged, and treating them with extreme kindness and sincerity, is a manifestation of the godly virtues, heavenly breath, and a further name for the warmth of...
What Is Empathy? Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another’s position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of emotional states. Types of empathy include cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, and...
Ethics Of Jainism This article covers Ethics Of Jainism. Jain ethical code prescribes two dharmas or rules of conduct. One for those who wish to become ascetic and another for the śrāvaka (householders). Five fundamental vows are prescribed for both votaries. These vows are observed by śrāvakas (householders) partially and are termed as anuvratas (small vows)....
What Is The Virtue Of Justice? Being just to other people, however, presupposes a more fundamental order of justice in which we name things justly. We could not fulfill our obligation in justice to pay another the ten dollars we owe him if we fail to call a sawbuck a...
What Is Righteousness? Righteousness is defined as “the quality of being morally correct and justifiable.” It can also be considered synonymous with “rightness”. It is a concept that can be found in Indian religions and Abrahamic traditions as a theological concept. For example, from various perspectives in Hinduism, Christianity, and Judaism it is considered an attribute that implies that a person’s actions are justified,...
Truth Truth (Anglo-Saxon tréow, tryw, truth, preservation of a compact, from a Teutonic base Trau, to believe) is a relation which holds (1) between the knower and the known — Logical Truth; (2) between the knower and the outward expression which he gives to his knowledge — Moral Truth; and (3) between the thing itself, as it exists,...
What Is The Truth? This article covers the answer to the question: “What Is The Truth?“ The Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard. The Truth is also sometimes defined in modern contexts as an idea...
The Virtue Of Uprightness “For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face,” says Psalm 11:7. While there are many allusions to the virtue of “uprightness” in the Old Testament, it is scarcely ever mentioned in today’s secular world. Uprightness, nonetheless, remains an essential...
What Is Honesty? Honesty is a facet of moral character that connotes positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft, etc. Honesty also involves being trustworthy, loyal, fair, and sincere. Honesty is valued in many ethnic and religious cultures. “Honesty is the best policy” is a proverb...
Zest in Positive Psychology In positive psychology, zest is one of the 24 strengths possessed by humanity. As a component of the virtue of courage, zest is defined as living life with a sense of excitement, anticipation, and energy. Approaching life as an adventure; such that one has “motivation in challenging...
What Are The Cardinal Virtues? The cardinal virtues unite the intellectual element and the affective. Much has been said recently of heart going beyond intellect in virtue; but the cardinal virtues, while concerned with the appetitive or affective parts, place prudence as the judge over all. Those who recite the Divine Office find constantly recurring what...
Ahimsa in Jainism Ahimsa (Ahinsā, ‘ahinsa’, अहिंसा, ahinsā, avihinsā) in Jainism is a fundamental principle forming the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. The term ahinsa means nonviolence, non-injury and absence of desire to harm any life forms. Vegetarianism and other nonviolent practices and rituals of Jains flow from the principle of ahimsa. The...
Virtues Are Good Habits Remember virtues are good habits developed out of love for others. When you begin growing in one virtue, you’ll end up growing in many of them simultaneously! Everyone has heard of virtues and most of us have some understanding of what virtues are. It’s easy to...
Continence Continence may be defined as abstinence from even the licit gratifications of marriage. It is a form of the virtue of temperance, though Aristotle did not accord it this high character since it involved a conflict with wrong desires–an element, in the mind of the philosopher, foreign to the content of a...
The Virtue Of Generosity The Virtue of Generosity inspires gratitude, and gratitude inspires generosity. God is generous to us and our generosity, as St. Paul tells us, gives proof of our gratitude towards God (2 Cor. 9:11). In gratitude we are human; in generosity we are divine: “You received without...
The Virtue Of Unselfishness The story is told of a Chinese hero who acted with remarkable unselfishness during an earthquake. From the vantage of his hilltop farm, he noticed the ocean swiftly withdraw, like some prodigious animal crouching before a leap. He knew that the leap soon to take place...
Evangelical Counsels The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty (or perfect charity), and obedience. As Jesus of Nazareth stated in the Canonical gospels, they are counsels for those who desire to become “perfect”. The Catholic Church interprets this to mean that they are not binding upon all and hence...
