Alo and De Begin #110
(PD) Alo and De Lake on Land.
Copyright ©2019 January 10, 2019
Emma: The elders have determined our general goal for a community, to be what we now refer to as 'walk-virtue'. The general governing guidelines have been written, and we now have a good general idea of what needs to be done next, but, after a long discussion, all of the elders agreed that none of us have a solid idea of where to begin. It is absurd to simply tell people 'be virtuous' when not a single one of us can describe what virtue is.
Morning Dove: Emma's point is very important. I believe that all of us know what 'virtue' means to each of us individually, but none of us can describe virtue with words, nor describe how virtue came into existence. If we cannot give directions to other people, then how can we expect anyone to find the destination?
Yan: I used to believe that I knew what virtue is, but then I discovered more... now, virtue means something far more important to me, and I also would have a hard time trying to explain...
Alo: I can describe my own personal process of attaining a degree of virtue, but... since few people can describe what virtue means to themselves, then there is not a scale to judge whether a thing is, or is not, virtuous. For myself, I might say to first care about all people, and to simultaneously be cautious to always be honest, but... all people, begin life, and begin virtue, while using different ingredients... not possible to have an exact map for everyone... nevertheless, first, choose what virtue is not, and then recognize what is to be aimed for... perhaps then, we can adapt the map to fit each individual one at a time.
Emma: Dishonesty is not virtuous. Lying, cheating, deceit, all forms of dishonesty are not ingredients of virtue.
Morning Dove: Rudeness... coldness, callous, selfishness, those are the things that come to mind first as not being a portion of virtue.
Tom: My list is similar... lying, deceit, rudeness, aloofness, vainglory, laziness, disregard for other people's feelings... the list is longer, but those are the ones that come to mind first.
Alo: All within the lists, appear to parallel my own... plus, any lack of heart-warmth towards other people... if, no heart, then no virtue... if, no heart, then outward expressions are lies... and, using the lists given, then the begin might best consider the two... care for other people, and, always speak honest...
Emma: Caring for other people... would that not also require first having heart?
Alo: Yes, but different degrees for each individual... some individuals, have no useful life experience to have acquired a warm heart, but still the individuals can care... it, is, like, a soft heart, not yet warm, but still able to feel for other people. Also, if a person's mind and heart are not connected, then, always cold. But, the focus of mentally caring for other people, the idea is for an individual to give conscious attention to the world around them... continuous awareness, continuous study of what is seen, continuous analyses of what is seen, continuous analyses of how one's own self is relative to what is seen, continuous choosing one's own behavior relative to what is seen... the list is long, but the ingredients all point to the act of the person thinking their own thoughts... if a person cannot think, then how can be virtuous? How can choose honesty? How can choose politeness?
Yan: Continuous thinking, enables strength of mind, increases intelligence, gives the mind more information to choose better choices, opens the mind to enable cyclic thought... the act of caring about other people is, like, building muscles... the more that a person cares, the stronger the mind... for many individuals, enabling the mind to become conscious, can also enable the heart to be freed from animal desires...
Alo: I agree with Yan... and also add, the self-principle of honesty... to always be accurate in one's thoughts, and to always be accurate in one's perceptions... the whole goal of the begin, is to obtain consciousness that is flavored with the self-standard of accuracy... need both... attempting to care for other people, while not caring to be honest, would result in the person inventing imaginations of what the person wants to see... then might put blame on innocent people... injustice... virtue would not birth...
Yan: I agree... I spent years, searching for a good way... my early mistake, was to keep expecting to find answers outside of myself, but, eventually, I discovered that the answers were within me already... requires, self-effort to find the answers...
Alo: Yes... make the choice... choose, be determined, choose, aim for self-learn, choose... first choose to care for other people... also choose, to be accurate... all comes from the inside, none comes from the outside.
De: Like what we spoke of before... 'great learning, it way involved-in understanding, understanding morals involved-in oneself'... all good teachings, similar...
Alo: Precisely... any teaching, that excludes the person's own 'involved-in oneself', is a false teaching... external knowledge cannot possibly make a mind conscious, nor, warm a cold heart...
De: Heart... virtue... like, a song... cold, notes, cannot make warm song... need, awareness... need, thinking... need, patience... need, accuracy... need, self-effort... then, need, the hard things...
Alo: De is correct... caring for other people, and honesty, are the easy ingredients... the hard ingredients, come later... each in their sequence...
Yan: Yes... perhaps it would be beneficial if we wrote each step, then, edit the writings, to include details... explain, directions of awareness... explain, distances of from where awareness aims... there is not a simple on-off of 'do this do that'...
Alo: Precisely... and those are among the ingredients of the begin... very, basic, but, necessary... no magical instant awareness of thinking ability... requires firsthand participation in one's own life...
Emma: If a person were to achieve a degree of walk-virtue, how would they then know if they have achieved enough, or, if they are still missing some ingredients?
Tom: That, I believe I have a partial answer for. For years I have given close attention to how different people respond to other people. Not once in my life did I ever witness any person expressing any depth of caring for another person, not until I saw three individuals who literally cried tears for my wife's pain. To me, that was proof positive that the individuals are what I deem to be virtuous. Now I know what real virtue really is.
Morning Dove: Good example. I have seen similar, of some individuals who cry with happiness for other people's happiness. To me, that is evidence of a good heart, a virtuous heart... harmonious.
Emma: Then that might be a thing to give attention to, to use examples to speak of, as well as to expose an individual to good people... let the individual see what is possible... let the individual judge themselves.
Alo: The writing De had spoken of, it also has the idea of 'stop, and after have decide-order'... the idea points to how there is no set path, and, only after the thing named 'virtue' is obtained, can the person then self-observe which path was walked, and the person can then 'decide the order' of obtaining their own flavor of virtue...
Yan: Agreed, plus, as each vegetable plant grows at different speeds, so also do individuals acquire virtue at different durations of life... the goal, nevertheless, is to produce fruit, whether a month, or year... each person will also be different... it took me, maybe, almost twenty years... some people, can do it within one...
Emma: Thank you everyone for helping. This gives us something to start with, and to fill-in the blanks as we progress further. But, can you give me an example of a hard ingredient?
Jun: Loneliness... heartache... hard lessons, but necessary, to learn appreciation...
De: Missing one's love... again, learn appreciation, of when, he first arrives... also, to cry, for another's life...
Yan: Emptiness, of having no purpose... yearning for what is not yet known... learn, appreciation and happiness of purpose... appreciation, of yearning being fulfilled...
Alo: Injustice... to be aware of the world around one's self, then, endure man's injustice... again, also, more appreciation, and love, for what is virtuous...
De: Song, of heart... tears of appreciation... anxious, to be good... self-taught, soft...