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Virtues or the moralities of a people are the defining characteristics of their behavior. Virtues are the essence of a strong character that a person builds. Without them, life is as messy and sloppy as the grains of sand. When things will go out of their way to control you instead, you’ll never know. Practicing virtues in our lives help people to reach their full potential and build the discipline to align themselves with the changing times. Life needs a purpose and diligently following and pursuing that purpose is taught by the virtues. When we were young we were taught about the seven virtues of life, that is, faith, hope, prudence, charity, fortitude, justice, and temperance. They define the entire aspect of human behavior. At a younger age, some of us might not have understood the practical approach to a virtuous life, but it’s better late than never, you can learn now. The best part is that virtues help you develop soft power professionally. People keep a soft corner for a person who is decent, nice, valuable, and of course, a virtuous human being. When we practice virtues and build our character muscle, we entice what may have been skipping in our life such as fulfilling relationships and accomplishment of meaningful, and significant goals. Virtues should become a human habit to formulate a personality that feels satisfying in itself.
Seven virtues of life:
Faith: We all have heard faith can move mountains. But how? By practice. When all the practical utilities fail, and we still continue with the task, we show faith, confidence, and belief in our abilities to achieve the target. We must have faith in whatever we do, whatever we commit to, we must have faith in ourselves to accomplish humongous tasks, to cross barriers, to reach and meet our destiny. Slowly and steadily with the power of faith, we can make the impossible possible. It is the faith that brought rains to the desert. The entire human race is dependent on faith in their abilities to survive the unimaginable. We live in a highly technologically advanced world today, how do you think technology would have made it here without the faith and successive failures? Faith has moved mountains and it will continue to do so. So have faith in your abilities and you will do wonders.
Hope: When everything doesn’t work in accordance with the plans, we hope for things to get better with time. Hope is influential and powerful. It is the hope that can make things we never wished for come true for us. Express your feelings in the hope to get things sorted once you address your problems. You should practice and hope to inculcate it as a habit in your life. Practice hope by cultivating optimism in your life. Optimism is the brighter side of any situation which exists because of hope. Look for hope in unexpected places. If you do this, you will be hoping to find hope, a wonderful idea, a beautiful possibility. Practice gratitude to be hopeful by putting all the things you have in a happy perspective. Find possibilities, not limitations. Possibilities are a gateway to welcome hope.
Prudence: It means to be careful and cautious of the choices we make, take some time to think before making a decision to avoid risk. High prudence will make you thoughtful of the long-term consequences of an action. It is more like practical reasoning, the ability to see the consequences of your current choices and decisions objectively. It is an amazing virtue that adds to decision-making in your professional life. You can think and plan clearly not only about long-term goals but also short-term goals to keep you aligned with the task and focused.
Charity: Charity is the most loving act of giving and sharing and coexisting. It makes you feel good by doing good for others. To be powerful enough to serve and improve the lives of others is the best example of charity. Giving makes you happier, you become generous and humble by practicing this virtue.
Fortitude: It is the inner toughness to remain upright in times of adversity. It is the mental strength that keeps you remain calm and composed in times of danger or hardship. We need a calm mind to make tough decisions in life, which may not appear pleasing initially but are beneficial in the long run. It allows us to overcome fear and remain steady and unchanged in difficult or challenging situations. We are able to decide what needs to be done, what is right, and perfect to decide what is good for all.
Justice: Justice prevails in the philosophy of life as well. When we make decisions in life without being selfish and do what is right and needs to be done, that is when we do justice to ourselves and the situation as well. To stay unbiased and balanced helps us to maintain a clean demeanor in our professional life as well. It serves well with being righteous as well.
Temperance: It is the act of abstaining from wrong activities. It is about being righteous, content, and not indulging in something that will harm us or our life by any means. For example, temperance from getting into the wrong things that would kill your time, like social media, temperance from being impolite, unjust, and unkind to others. Temperance allows us to segregate between right and wrong. Temperance helps us to make decisions that are right and harmless for us.
The seven virtues of life will help you to become a better person and keep you on the right track to serve the purpose of humanity. Ensure to keep them in mind before making any decision in any sphere of life.
Role of virtues in our lives
A satisfying and happy life is the ultimate objective of life that we all want to fulfill and virtues help us to do that. Virtues define our character, perspective, and personality in terms of values. We are the reflection of our virtues. You can’t become successful professionally and personally without following a set of ethos that can be developed by practicing virtues. It is these virtues that help us cultivate an honest, disciplined, and compassionate character.
Also read: Importance of Time
Frequently Asked Questions
Ques 1. How to develop virtues?
Ans 1. Virtues can be developed through learning and practice. Practice virtues and inculcate them in every act of your life. Forge a character by self-discipline and continue on the right track to serving the purpose of humanity.
Ques 2. How to make better decisions in life?
Ans 2. Practice virtues. They allow you to think critically and thoughtfully before making a decision.
Ques 3. Which of the following given virtues is most important in a person’s life?
Ans 3. It is not one virtue that is important, all are equally crucial to make the most out of what you have, and to become a better person altogether.
