The Good Life and The Other

Virtues Prudence: moral reasoning Temperance: moderation in the exercise of emotions Fortitude: courage Justice: acting well in relation to others These are known as the Cardinal Virtues

Faith: God’s self-revealing action, belief in the intangible. Hope: expectant desire in the grace of God. Charity : God’s love for us, as we share it with others. As Christians we must accept these gifts from God, and then adopt them into our lives. The 3 Theological Virtues are:

The standards of excellence of the good life Since God has created us all to be unique, there is no recipe for achievement in our lives We are called, however, to aim for and set certain standards of excellence These standards are called virtues

Temperance: taking proper care of oneself; using passions for human growth It is a love that is life-giving and selfless Intemperance: the breakdown of powers intended for self-preservation It is a destructive and selfish love

The passion for food, drink and sex are powerful because they are based on a desire for self-preservation. We must be aware that these passions can also become objects of addiction, and signs that we do not like or love ourselves.

Chastity Sex is a tangible way of expressing the face of God within marriage It is a loving union of total reciprocal fidelity, open to procreation It involves proper respect, waiting and patience

Temperance and drink: while we do not have to abstain from alcohol, we must protect our bodies from harmful substances and excessive consumption. These can be damaging to others as well as ourselves.

Food and Drink Temperance and food: we must eat to sustain life, but over-eating (indulgence) or under-eating (anorexia) is harmful as well.

The Other Silently reflect for a moment on the following questions: Think about your past and present friendships. Who are the people that invite you to live the good life? Who are the people that lead you away from the good life? What is it about these people that invites you towards or leads you away from the good life?

Answer this question in your notes: Why do we need others to be ethical?

The role of the other in attaining the good life Aristotle states that friendship is a virtue What does this mean? It is an excellence in life It must be developed We must work towards a friendship that is essential to the good life.

Activity You are applying for a job as a friend. List the characteristics and skills you have that would make you a good candidate for the position. Also include skills you would like to develop while working in this job as a friend.

A loving friendship is characterized by mutual caring between two people, usually involving loyalty, acceptance, honesty, equality, availability, etc…

Real friendship must be: Open Faithful Hopeful “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13)

Martin Buber (Jewish philosopher) – introduced these two relationships: “”“I-Thou” ~ when we treat another as a subject with an inner life (sacred quality of the relationship) “I-It” ~ when we treat another as an object or thing that can be used for whatever purpose seems desirable (him/her = an “it”)  Treating someone as a means to an end.

Friendship does not just happen automatically. It begins and is developed in moments of intimacy – that is, close association and contact that results in bonding between two people. Intimacy comes in many forms – work, emotional, intellectual, crisis, common- cause, spiritual, aesthetic, recreational, and creative.

Friendship is ultimately a gift that cannot be taken away from us as they will continue to live within us through memories.

Solicitude Definition: Anxious concern for another Take a minute and look at this picture: How does it make you feel?? What is your response to this person?

How does it make you feel?? What is your response to this person? Take a minute to look at this picture:

The “other” takes on two forms: Our experiences with friendship Our experiences with the needy We must remember that the good and ethical life is lived with and for others

Read pages Complete questions #1-6 on page 144 Just Institutions Assignment: Create a chart or diagram of yourself and the institutions that have had a positive/negative/neutral influence on your life. Why are these institutions important to who you are?