Virtue and Human Flourishing

JERUSALEM AND ATHENS FORUM ESSAY CONTEST

Charity: Standing Against the Battle Mentality

Our culture is saturated in the idea of fighting. We frame so many aspects of our day-to-day lives in terms of a battle. We “dodge a bullet” or “get up in arms” or “battle with an illness.” So much of our lives is determined by whether or not we are fighting for our spot or giving in to the pressure.

Thomas Aquinas wrote that virtues come through habit. However we train our minds to react to certain situations through repetitive action will become our reality. In this culture of everyone fighting and only looking out for themselves, we are conditioning ourselves to act in this way. We find ourselves thinking, “If I don’t fight for it, how will I get it?” We join in with everyone else in this battle mentality of life that can only hurt others and hold us back from true contentment.

Charity first and foremost is a friendship with God, Aquinas goes on to say, which gives us the ability to direct our love toward others. It is out of this friendship that we love everyone God loves. Therefore, charity is a virtue that calls us to love each and every person, standing opposed to the prevailing battle mentality that surrounds us. 1 John 4:7 speaks to this as well, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” This emphasis on pouring out God’s love for others through our relationship with him must inform the way we approach the significance of fighting in our culture. We are not to subscribe to the “every man for himself” attitude, but humbly put others above ourselves.

It is so easy for the pendulum to swing too far the other way. God tells us that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” While called to humility, we are not to consider ourselves or our needs as having less value than others.

Attempting to find the balance between only looking out for ourselves and only looking out for others is incredibly difficult in a world that is constantly pushing us to fight for our spot, even if it comes at a cost to others. Striving not to fall into this temptation while also not overreacting too far in the other direction is the challenge we all face. The only way to navigate this tightrope is to lean into a friendship with God. Fostering charity in our lives will allow us to form the habit of loving everyone around us in the way God intends while still retaining our worth that comes from him.

Libby Trudeau ’23 (English language and literature; linguistics) Honorable Mention | excerpt

Honorable Mention | excerpt

The Ethos of our Forefathers

We are learning that virtue lies in holding our core principles: the principles of purpose, courageous love and unity that nurtures a flourishing community—a community that was neglected and abandoned during the 100 days of ethnic cleansing . . . Like a proverbial phoenix, we have chosen to rise from the ashes of our tragic past. We are revitalizing courageous love . . .

Joan Ndekezi ’23 (economics)

The Quietness of Virtue

These virtues are practiced not as an end to themselves but with the goal of promoting the goodwill of the individuals in a community. In this way, human flourishing does not consist of achieving moral perfection privately, but with the integration of virtue in a society for the good of its members.

Grace Sullivan ’23 (history)

Full versions of these abridged and excerpted essays are available at www.gordon.edu/jafessay