7
A prime number of great symbolic significance that we most closely associate with gambling.
Prior to this annexation, the number seven was more commonly associated with religion, mythology, and various superstitions, often in ways that are compelling, regardless of whether we believe or not. We value stories, and they may be meta-true, even if they are not true in a literal sense.
Among these conceptualizations are the seven capital vices (also known as deadly sins) and their oppositional virtues. It is believed that we are all susceptible to the careless whispers of vice, and that humanity is defined in a sense by a struggle between the two. Traditionally, it is thought that the virtues were inaccessible to us without the assistance of God, hence the need for guidance from an orientation towards a transcendent object. The virtues are remedies for our tendency towards sin.
Whether we believe this or not, there is something to be acknowledged about the human proclivity to fall prey to self-destructive conduct that we rationalize and justify as normative. Even if we doubt the validity of the aspirational virtues, or if we believe them attainable irrespective of God, recognizing their value as countervailing precepts is a worthwhile endeavour. The seven vices and virtues are a meaningful attempt to articulate the Aristotelian position on happiness using religious ideals. This a perfectly valid approach because the substance of the claim, if we consider it worthwhile, remains fundamentally intact. It is a matter of debate whether we can achieve a state of virtuous embodiment, but this is unnecessary for the story to be meaningful. They need only compel pause by inviting an alternative to wayward conduct so that a balance may be struck.
The vices and virtues have historically undergone some changes, but the most commonly circulated list in modern times are as follows:
Lust – An intense desire for something, most often associated with sex.
Gluttony – The over-indulgence and over-consumption of things.
Greed – An uncontrolled longing for an increase in the acquisition or use of material gain.
Sloth – The habitual disinclination to work.
Envy – Lacking another’s quality, skill, possession, or position and desires it, or wishing the other lacked it.
Wrath – An uncontrolled anger in response to perceived provocation or harm.
Pride – The quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s own importance.
It is interesting to see how many of these are not only prevalent in the modern technological era, but that they are actively encouraged, even celebrated. The celebration of pride in particular makes room for the others. We are pushed to engage in an unrestrained state of existence because we deserve it, apparently, because YOLO.
We appear to view limiting our indulgences as anathema to a good life at exactly the same time we are experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health disorders. All the crises of identity, self-harm and suicide must be caused by something else, and not by our completely unhinged, boundless, and obsessional self-perceptions. Surely.
All of these converge around a general theme: an absence of purposeful discipline. We do not need to be religious to respect the value of discipline, which is often misconstrued as obedience. Obedience is an occupied state where we follow rules because an authority deems it prudent, discipline is a regulated state that we impose upon ourselves to restrain our humanity because we respect the harm it can cause ourselves and others. Discipline drives individual adaptation.
The often-unexamined remedial virtues are:
Chastity – A demonstration of sexual restraint.
Temperance – moderation or voluntary self-restraint.
Charity – the love for another as we may love ourselves.
Diligence – carefulness and persistence in effort.
Kindness – acts of generosity and concern towards others without praise or reward.
Patience – the ability to endure difficult situations; to persevere.
Humility – a sense of unworthiness that recognizes the value of others above our own, freedom from pride and arrogance.
These are rarely discussed in modernity, and when they are, they are made POLITICAL. Each of these acts in direct opposition to special interests that demand hedonistic liberation without restraint. Many of these do not come naturally to us, but what were previously considered measures of voluntary discipline are now described as tools of oppression.
A more concise explanation for their lack of popularity in modernity is that people who embody these virtues are unfriendly to markets. If we control our sexual urges, if we temper our need for social acceptance, if we give more to others than we give to ourselves, if we control our impulses during difficult times and build resiliency, and if we do not perceive ourselves as worthy of everything without earning it, then industries make less money. They want us as undisciplined as possible so we will give them our attention and throw our money at them in hopes that they will make the pain go away. They encourage maladaptive behaviour by exploiting the vulnerabilities in our humanity. Governments dabble in this as well.
We need not believe in a God or gods to find value in a story about balance and equilibrium. Our struggle appears to be recognizing where we are on the spectrum.
In assessing our position relative to virtue and vice, if we have doubts, we need only look inside ourselves and ask: do my actions make me feel comfortable, stable, and in control of my happiness?
If not, then reduce excesses and increase discipline.
Moderation is adaptive, excesses are not.
See: INTELLECTUALS, PRIDE
Posted: 18 Mar 2023
