Virtues [often described as “the gifts from within”] are positive human qualities and attributes (such as cheerfulness, generosity or commitment) that may be felt or displayed in various ways. For some this explanation will suffice. For those who wish to seek a deeper understanding we must consider that life (as in the life force that animates living beings) love and other phenomena cannot be adequately explained in biochemical or purely materialistic terms.
While we may never understand the essence of human reality, human qualities and attributes are easier to grasp. While the Sun may be a fusion reaction that we don’t yet fully understand, the qualities such as heat and light are easier to understand. Likewise, virtues is the name we apply to a set of (for want of a better word) essential or spiritual qualities that are present in human beings.
As integral qualities of human beings, virtues have the same attributes for all people, regardless of culture. While values, (which represent the way in which virtues are applied), may differ quite significantly, virtues do not. Just as the qualities of the Sun or any fixed star are the same, the value derived from those qualities will differ depending upon their application.
The Virtues Project has developed a comprehensive list of virtues and their definitions, which are in essence a descriptions of the essential or spiritual qualities of human beings.
https://www.virtuesproject.com/virtues-definitions-1
With respect to the Meritt system, our criteria for defining whether something is a virtue is as follows:
- Virtues displace so called “bad” qualities.
- Just as darkness is the absence of light, Virtues are those qualities that when cultivated light up the dark spaces within us. Consider that:
- Ignorance is an absence of knowledge
- Hate an absence of Love
- Cruelty and absence of kindness
- Fear is often an absence of Courage.
- Impatience an absence of Patience.
- Virtues come from an inexhaustible source. No one needs to go to the bank to borrow love or kindness. We have yet to discover the limit of them.
- Just like a smile, the more you give them away the more you get back in return.
- When practically applied to fulfil real needs, value is created.
- If you can find an example of how human beings create value that does not involve the practical application of human virtues, we would love to hear about it..
While virtues are part of our spiritual DNA, they need to be cultivated in order to produce their full effect.
Below is a list of virtues that when practically applied create value:
| Acceptance Accountability Appreciation Assertiveness Awe Beauty Caring Certitude Charity Cheerfulness Cleanliness Commitment Compassion Confidence Consideration Contentment Cooperation Courage Courtesy Creativity Decisiveness Determination Devotion Dignity Diligence Discernment Empathy Endurance Enthusiasm Excellence Fairness Faith Faithfulness | Fidelity Flexibility Forbearance Forgiveness Fortitude Friendliness Generosity Gentleness Grace Gratitude Helpfulness Honesty Honour Hope Humanity Humility Idealism Independence Initiative Integrity Joyfulness Justice Kindness Love Loyalty Mercy Mindfulness Moderation Modesty Nobility Openness Optimism Orderliness | Patience Peacefulness Perceptiveness Perseverance Prayerfulness Purity Purposefulness Reliability Resilience Respect Responsibility Reverence Righteousness Sacrifice Self-discipline Serenity Service Simplicity Sincerity Steadfastness Strength Tact Thankfulness Thoughtfulness Tolerance Trust Trustworthiness Truthfulness Understanding Unity Wisdom Wonder Zeal |
The work of identifying and defining virtues is an ongoing effort that will be refined over time.
Relationships between virtues
While each virtue has distinct qualities, they are all inter-related. Light and heat are very distinct, yet they are different expressions of the same source (energy). If you could understand light in it’s entirety you could understand heat, and vice versa. Likewise a complete knowledge of any virtue would reveal the qualities of all virtues. (Very philosophical)
It is interesting to examine the characteristics of virtues and map out the relationships between each. What we discover (Map to be inserted) is that the quality of any virtue is dependant upon truthfulness. And when put into a hierarchy the end result is trustworthiness. Just as light emerges from heat, the various virtues are emanations of each other, the main result of which is trustworthiness. From a financial perspective this is very important because trust is the foundation of credit worthiness. In fact, trust is the foundation of creditworthiness in both monetary and non-monetary terms. Hence the Meritt system is able to reward the full spectrum of human value and not just the productive capacity of a financial system. The principles of the Meritt system apply to building relationships, education and all other forms of wealth.
The practical application of virtues
Practical application is the use of bodies of knowledge – such as the sciences, trades, arts and crafts – to apply virtues. Sometimes “practical application” just means hard work. Below are some examples of how virtues, when practically applied, create value.
- Creativity: Creativity is perhaps the greatest producer of value. When mixed with a sound knowledge of architecture, or engineering, excellent designs and ultimately products can be produced. There are innumerable examples of how creativity when combined with sciences and arts (practical application) create value.
- Diligence: Defined as “Doing what needs to be done with care, concentration and single-pointed attention”: diligence when combined with “know how” (practical application) creates value.
- Love: Love is the great force of attraction that animates all of our virtues and ties them together. When love is present, great things can be achieved. The value bestowed from love is immeasurable when practically applied. In the words of Kahlil Gibran; “Work is love made visible”
- Kindness: caring and all the other immediate emanations of love are qualities that when applied with the knowledge of an educator, a Doctor etc will create lots of value.
- The list goes on and on. For each virtue it is easy to find applications that create value. In fact it is our assertion this is the only way that human beings create value. Before the point in time that virtues were practically applied – that value did not exist.
The school of the future
It is our view that if the Meritt system gains widespread adoption the school of the future will first cultivate virtues in the children, and then learn the sciences and arts so that the virtues may be practically applied in order to generate all the value and wealth needed.