Arete (Virtue)

Arete can be defined as excellence or virtue and is indeed a character trait that most of us try to embody. It is important to distinguish between a person who is habitually honest because someone told her/him to do so (mindless) and a person who is honest because it is within him/her to do so or because they chose to do so on their own (mindful). Only the latter can truly be viewed as embodying virtue. Those who mindlessly do virtuous acts have a “single-track” disposition to do “good” actions for certain reasons and are characterized as self-righteous; they do good to be good versus do good because it is the thing to do. They are selfish in their intent! They also often end up begrudging the choice and hold resentment regarding the action, whether they are aware of it or not. Mindfully virtuous people have a “multi-track” disposition and are concerned with various aspects that influence and are connected to their actions (i.e. emotions, emotional reactions, desires, values, perceptions, attitudes, interests, expectations and sensibilities). In essence, mindfully virtuous people strive to aligne their emotional state with their reasons for doing something. I must point out that this is far easier said than done, and requires gentle courage and determination. That’s where I come in, being the sounding board for more overall clarity. Thus, a fully virtuous person has a high level of practical wisdom (phronesis).

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