It takes courage to challenge, and courage to implement, courage to speak, courage to act. Sometimes it’s courage not to act, courage to disobey, but always courage to do what’s right. Having the ‘courage of our convictions’ will mean that… Read more ›
Trust is very important to us. It figures large in our thinking. We want to feel able to trust others. We feel disappointed and hurt if we feel they have let us down. It’s a very common feeling. Being trustworthy… Read more ›
Forgiveness is a gift generated by generosity. It is generosity of spirit. It is an element of a shared spirituality. Socially, it is an expression of Richard Titmuss’s ‘gift relationship’. Forgiveness recognises the existence of wrong, of imperfection, and seeks… Read more ›
Mercy is the option to gratuitously limit a cost, penalty, payment, or harm we are legitimately entitled to impose on another person. It can also be the option to freely give care to someone, regardless of whether the other person… Read more ›
Respect is a strong concept in our consciousness. It incorporates politeness and courtesy, but is more foundational. It might be clearer to say that respect generates politeness and courtesy. To respect someone is to accord them value. Its opposite is… Read more ›
The idea of maturity conveys mixed messages. To young people enjoying life with freedom from rules and responsibilities, maturity is a state to be avoided. Maturity is conventional and boring. On the other hand, no-one wants to be considered immature.… Read more ›
Everyone, well nearly everyone, is passionately in favour of justice. It is almost the one single core rallying virtue for humanity. It’s surprising then that justice is in fact indefinable! This is where the endless argument starts. One person’s, or… Read more ›
To most of us, friendship is valuable. It brings help and joy, endorses our identity, accepts our behaviour, shares our self back with us, and says we are OK. Or tells us when we’re not. It is a mutual mapping… Read more ›
Formerly considered a classic virtue and a hallmark of spirituality, humility gets little press these days. On the contrary, we value assertive behaviour. Self respect and self belief are important to us. We boost our confidence and promote our potential.… Read more ›
We recognise virtue, we value it, but how can we explain it? Religion explains virtue by the existence of a God who is virtue. But this is an inadequate explanation for human virtue. It simple re-labels virtue and renders it… Read more ›
