Musings on Virtue - Thoughts of an Idealist: A Free-Flowing Narrative

Isn’t it ironical that for most of the timeless tales and the great epics of literature that people read, most reads glorify the importance of the supremacy of virtue as the backbone of human civilisation? Ironical, because once you stop manoeuvring the vintage-brown pages to close the book, and step out in the real world, suddenly the often-quoted verses from ageless memoirs vanish. ‘Real reality’ and ‘efficient pragmatism’ suddenly take over glorious ideals.

The Argument 

Someone comments, “To survive the ways of the world, it’s normal to unlearn ‘bookish’ ideals and learn the ‘practical’ ways of living.”

Isn’t it surprising that suddenly upholding virtue, not because someone’s looking, but simply because you want to be a good human being, becomes a threat to survival? Of course, a singular definition of a “good human” is debatable (in my opinion, it doesn't exist; each one has their individual ideas that guide behaviour - products of the mind's experiments; it exists because we want it to; ideas like these connect us to the greater unifying idea of humanity). But why don’t we confront each other in debates and battles like these? A singular definition is debatable not because a cohesive idea of what it means to be virtuous doesn’t exist but because there lies diversity. And this time, diversity is less about differences in political affiliation, multiple languages that only theoretically unite people – while surging the rise of ‘language wars’, many a culture – where the youngest of children know how to love and protect their own culture but not their neighbour’s, and so forth. Rather, diversity in idea and thought about what it truly means to be a human, a human who takes pride in being one. 

A Critique

In the era of technological advancement, I highly doubt humanity’s active participation in advancing itself. We find ourselves so tangled in the mess of outer advancement that, we are left with no excuses but one, the one excuse that has stood the tests of time and weathered all tempests like no other – “I have no time!”. It greatly impresses me, when I not only witness but also actively bear the fruit of the rise in Artificial Intelligence. But no force can stop me from juxtaposing my worry of the parallel rise in Natural Stupidity. An age has come when most have begun treating natural thinking, questioning, and intelligence as a luxury, something whose benefit may be afforded once a decade. And the other ordinary days of a year might as well be spent following the herd, to sound more 21st century ‘cool’, by following trends. Watch as many shows and series you want on replay-mode, imbibe the demonstration of the 21st century skill – the virtue of ‘justified’ violence. Or violence justified? Oh, that’s a debate for some other day. And to just balm the inflicted wounds of criticism, let me tell you, my dear, it’s not your fault. You imbibe what you see. Simple. Who’s going to take the trouble of confronting popular media, and try convincing them that portraying thematic violence, unnecessary aggression, rampant bullying of the so-called ‘innocent’ torchbearers of peace as weaklings of the past, may be very real and relatable themes; but there’s more to the world, there’s more that ought to be mined from the dark unexplored caves of human Ethos. I feel torn when people are labelled “fake” for adopting polite, kind and generous mannerisms. But I also can’t help but pity our state because such behaviour has become so uncommon, so uncommon that they are deemed “fake”. It’s much like calling an animatronic, a fake dinosaur – an intimidating creature of the past. The media succeeds in capturing clips of protests and strikes only however, it fails to capture the passionate idealism of those rare souls, who dare to change the ‘normal’. What sets them apart is, of course, their large-hearted empathy and sane logic in a world that mostly undermines their worth. However it is also their quite inner flame of belief that easy money and power are not the only pillars of existence, and that there’s more to being human by strategising greater good. Success is not just about money, fame, power, prestige ‘coming in’ but also about how these ‘flow out’ in the world to make each human – socially – stand at par with each other.

What We Can Do

Why not start the portrayal of virtue, as not something that stands in opposition to the ‘pragmatic ways of the world’, but a very essential part of being human? Why don’t we start encouraging humankind to take pride in righteous behaviour and not deem it uncool? Why don’t we also start questioning what it means to be truly righteous, defining and redefining, inventing and re-inventing our understanding – little by little – as we journey ahead on this white path to collective progress?

Let’s make the globe our moral science class, where the study of real humanity’s stories becomes our syllabus. Let’s lay down our ethos for ourselves in the global laboratory. Virtue isn’t inherently bookish, we have made it to be. 

Let’s not practise morality out of the fear of getting reprimanded for not doing as ordered, but let’s open ourselves to the inner conscience that’s shouting within, yet goes unheard in the noise of the stigmas and the unwritten taboos we surround ourselves with.

Let’s remind ourselves that staying true to empathy and synergy is not dreamy idealism but a grounding force that ought to help us steer closer to individual and collective good – a lasting testimony to holistic growth.

And do I have to lay down easy-to-follow practical principles for others to take in? Do influencers and global leaders really need to come to the foreground to inspire change? I don’t believe so. Each one is free to practise what speaks to their soul and contribute a precious droplet of water in the ocean of compassion-driven humanity. Yes, what we only have to do, is open our ears to the soft voice within. Let’s march to our envisioned future; a future nearer than we expect it to be. 

Gaurav Chandra Tuli