What it means to be a good person

Picture a person who knows what to say at all times, who can diffuse a tense situation, deliver tough news gracefully, a confident person without being opinionated, brave but not reckless, generous but never wasteful. This is the type of person that everyone wants to be around and wants to be like, someone who seems to have mastered the art of being a person. This may sound like an impossible fit but some believe that people like this exist and this is what we should all aspire to be, virtuous. The million-dollar question is how do I become virtuous? Well, there is no set principle, rules, or guidelines on how to go about this, instead, virtue theory in philosophy emphasizes an individual's character rather than following a set of rules. If we can just focus on being good people the right actions will follow effortlessly. So, why should you become a good person it's because of what is called EUDAIMONIA.   

This is a cool Greek word with no easy English translation; it's usually translated as happiness or welfare, but I believe a more apt translation would be human flourishing, wealth, and blessedness.  

According to Aristotle, virtue theory reflects ancient ideas that humans have a fixed existence We need to grow and be healthy and fertile But, we’re also “the rational animal” and a social animal, so adhering to that nature is the way we thrive. This was defined by Aristotle in terms of "proper functioning."  

Everything has a purpose, and a thing is good to the degree that it serves that purpose, and poor to the extent that it does not. For example, a clock has the task of telling time, so it is a bad clock to have an incorrect time. A flower is about growing and replicating so that a flora that does not grow is not a flora. And we humans are animals in the same way so all things that indicate that an animal holds properly operate.   

Our function is also to use reason and to keep up with our pack. Aristotle argued that the desire to be virtuous has been incorporated into nature and that acorns are built with the drive to become oak trees. But exactly what does virtuousness mean? Aristotle said that virtue means just doing the right thing, in the right way, to the right people, at the right time. Such sounds as Aristotle say nothing exactly. How vague could you be, I mean? But, according to Aristotle, no specifics have to be there, because you know what to do all the time if you are virtuous. You can manage yourself and get along with others. You have good judgment, you can read a room and you know what’s right and when.    

Aristotle understood virtue as a set of robust traits that would lead to good behavior once it was developed. The point between two extremities, which is called vices, can be seen as a virtue. Virtue is the right quantity, the sweet place between the extreme and the extreme. And this lovely place is called the Golden Mean.    

Let's take a look at certain virtues, beginning with courage. Let me give you an example, to take a closer look at this.  

You see a person being mugged on your way home from the movies. What are your courageous actions? Your impulse could be to say: "a courageous person would run through and stop the mugging, because courage means harming himself for a good reason, right?"   

Oh, no, no. The situation would be first assessed by a virtuous person in the Aristotelian sense. If you size up your mugger and think you could intervene safely, this is probably the brave choice. However, if you assess the situation and recognize that intervention is likely to endanger both you and the victim, the brave choice is not an intervention, but rather an appeal for help. I think the middle of cowardice and recklessness is courage. Cowardice is a lack of courage, while prudence exceeds courage, and they are both bad. You can certainly have a good thing too much. Brave does not, therefore, mean to rush headlong to risk. A brave person will evaluate the situation, know his abilities and take action in the particular situation that is right.  

This is how Virtue works. A center point between extremes is always the right move. So, in this theory, there's no everything or nothing, even honesty. In this respect, honesty is the perfect centerpiece between brutal honesty and failure to speak. Like, nobody has to be told they have a big zit on their face. The virtue of honesty is to know what is needed and how you should be silent. It also means that we know how to gracefully deliver difficult truths. How to gently break bad news, or to criticize so constructively rather than to quench your soul.    

The virtue of generosity functions in the same way. It doesn't give enough to avoid the obvious vice of stinginess. If you want that money for rent it is not generous to give drugs to the addict or buy a range of drinks for everyone in the bar. If you give it to those who need it, the right amount of générosity means giving. It can mean that you are willing to give just for the sake of it, but also that you realize that you cannot give or should not give.  

So now we can see why Aristotle's definition of virtue was vague. The Golden Mean depends on the situation. But how can you ever learn to be good if, in all situations, you need to understand which virtue is?  

I think there was a lot that you could learn from books, but how to be a good person was not one of them. . I believe that virtue is a skill, and a way of life, which can be experienced only. Virtue is a type of knowledge known as practical knowledge. You could believe it as some sort of street smart. And street smarts are something you have to learn on the street. But you don't have to do it alone, the good news is. Your nature is developed inhabitation, which eventually becomes part of your character if you do something virtuous, time and time again. But first of all, the way you know what to do is by finding someone who knows them already and emulating them. Those individuals who have virtue already are moral examples. And we are constructed with the ability to recognize them and the desire to emulate them according to this theory. So by watching and doing it, you learn virtue. It'll be hard in the beginning and perhaps it'll be wrong because you copy a better person than you are. But these actions will become a cornerstone of your character over time. it becomes that robust trait that Aristotle was talking about. It’ll just manifest every time you need it. That’s when you know you have virtue, fully realized. It becomes effortless.    

All right, but, why? What motivation is there for you? What if you don't want to be the lady who says the right thing or the man who finds the courage when needed? The theory of virtues says that you must be virtuous because you can reach the highest level of humanity if you are. You can achieve the so-called eudaimonia. But if you choose to live a eudemonic life, you never improve; you can never just coastline. New goals and the development of new muscles are constantly established. You will also be faced with disappointment and failures if you decide to live this way. For me, that's moral You will be the best person you can be, honing your strengths while working on your weaknesses. And for me, the kind of person who lives like this is the kind of person who will do good things.