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Fortitude: Firmness of the Mind

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This is Part 3 of a series of 4 talk outlines on the cardinal virtues 'I will take the Ring,' he said, 'though I do not know the way.'   Elrond raised his eyes and looked at him, and Frodo felt his heart pierced by the sudden keenness of the glance. 'If I understand alright all that I have heard,' he said, 'I think this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will.'   - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring Introduction Society has always admired and exalted people who have overcome great difficulties to achieve an ideal or goal Roselle Ambubuyug, blind student who graduated BS Math  summa cum laude  in Ateneo de Manila University Filipina pilot without hands Manny Pacquiao Martyrs Frodo and the quest to destroy the One Ring These are examples of the virtue of fortitude. What is Fortitude? Fortitude is the capacity to pursue an ideal despite the difficulties Fortitude st

Order, Self-mastery, Virility, and Beauty in Temperance

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This is Part 2 of a series of 4 talk outlines on the cardinal virtues  'Puzzle' by Olga Shevchenko* First impression and misconceptions about the virtue Usually it is associated with control, restrain, resistance.  This is not incorrect.  However, this is not the most important thing about this virtue.  It is only an aspect, or we could even say, a consequence of the deeper meaning of the virtue. Worse is the virtue’s being associated with prohibition, ban, prevention,   bawal(Tagalog) ,   guinadili (Bisaya) . This is one of the reasons why this virtue may seem unpopular to some people. People could even look at this virtue as unmanly. Definition Temperance is the order and integration of the appetites   to the person Temperance is the proper integration of the bodily appetites to the person. In Latin, temperance means having to dispose various parts into one unified and ordered whole. Thus tempe

Prudence: Doing what is right

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This is Part 1 of a series of 4 talk outlines on the cardinal virtues. Photo credit: justice_SRB 2 by SRBichara in freeimages.com   I. WHAT IS PRUDENCE Review of Human Virtues Man has body and soul Body has faculties of senses and passions. They are blind to what is true and good. Soul has faculties of intellect and will. These are able to know what is true and good. Human virtues enable a man to train the faculties of his soul to govern the faculties of the body so that man can direct himself freely (i.e., without obstacles) towards his ultimate goal, which is Infinite Truth, Good and Beauty, that many people identify with a Supreme Being or God. The Cardinal Virtues There is a group of virtues, that, due to their significance, are called cardinal virtues. "Cardinal" comes from  cardo , which is Latin for hinge.  The belief is that, the perfect man lives his life around these cardinal virtues. There are 4 cardinal virtues: prudence, ju

4 Cs of Leadership Part 2: Creed and Charm

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This is meant to be a talk outline instead of a developed article. Read part 1 here: Character and Competence . Photo credit: "Light through the forest" by honti at freeimages.com 3rd C: Creed The 3 rd C of Leadership is Creed (belief or faith) Man is body and soul Not just body Sex is not just a biological action (for animals, yes, but not for men) Man has a soul Everything that we talked about so far concerns the philosophical perfection of a  man, i.e., man from a natural point of view But man has a soul, and thus have a spiritual aspect We saw this when we discussed the asymptotes: infinite longing for Truth, Beauty and Goodness Nothing this world has to offer could fully satisfy us Why? Answer comes from St.Teresa “Nada te turbe, nada te espante; Quien a Dios tiene nada la falta: solo Dios basta.” “Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten