Human Excellence - Section 4
Excellence and Human Nature

Excellence and Human Habits

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You and I assemble and create the world around us without much thought or effort.

 

From the moment of our conception,

when our first cell interacts with our mother’s womb,

until the final moment when every cell in our body dies,

we are assembling and creating the universe.

 

The Biological World

 

The first cell that was you,

knows how to take the proper nutrients from the external world,

process them

and then reproduce itself.

 

This form of knowledge and the resulting action is called life, nature or instinct.

 

All living things have a form of this natural instinct,

by the very nature of their being alive.

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Your first cell passed this instinct on to your second cell.

Those two cells passed this knowledge on to your third and fourth cells, and so on.

 

The instinctive knowledge in your first cell

not only included the knowledge of how to take nutrients in,

but how to construct different cells,

 

In that first cell was the knowledge of how to build you

from the hairs on your head to your toenails,

and every part of you in-between.

 

Your first cell also had the knowledge of how to attach to your mother’s body,

and construct a system to interconnect to her system,

in order for you to survive and grow.

Your mother’s cells, from the first one, to the ones in her womb at your conception,

 had within them the knowledge of how to construct the connection to your body,

so that the two of you could interact together.

 

What is in your cells, within every part of your body, is knowledge. 

It is more than simple information coded into your first cell,

as if it were something written on a piece of paper.

 

It I knowledge about when and how to act.

 

Your cells know how to split,

how to come apart and then come together again

connecting to create every part of your body, and make you.

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Your cells know when they should split,

and which parts of your body need to be built

before other parts of your body.

 

Your cells know how to change, 

and grow into the various cells of specific parts of your body,

exactly what construction material (nutrients) are needed,

as well as when and where they are needed,

and how they are to be assembled.  

 

Humans, throughout history, have constructed some amazing things.

In the modern world, we have figured out how to build massive buildings,

airplanes, rockets, submarines,

and all variety of equipment.

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These modern wonders require teams of experts,

people who have studied, experimented

and learned from those who went before them,

and developed systems and methods.

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Yet the human body, and the bodies of all living things,

build themselves from within,

with a knowledge we call nature, natural or instinctive,

using a system we call life.

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The instinctive, actionable knowledge of life

is contained within every living creation.

It is not just in the brain, or nervous system.

It is in every part of your body.

 

It is the very basis of life,

and is still a mystery.

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How is it that matter and energy can come to life?

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In animals this knowledge of survival, growth and reproduction,

and the related action are called instinct.

Animals just know what to do, how to reproduce, eat, survive and multiply.

 

But the same can be said for a single cell, and more specifically,

the single cell, which is the beginning of every animal,

including you.

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Instinctive Behavior

 

Stop and think for a moment, of the many things you do which are instinctive. 

 

It started when you were a baby, with cries when you were hungry,

and continues throughout your whole life.

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What is different about humans is that

we are able to create some of our own instinctive knowledge and actions.

 

This ability to create instinctive behavior is built into you,

in every cell in your body.

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When you develop an instinctive behavior,

you call it a habit.

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But human instinctive behavior is more than just habits,

and includes many skills which humans develop,

in areas such as sports, music, dance, singing,

and many more.

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It is by developing this natural ability which you have

to create habits, that you become excellent.

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Many of these areas of human instinct development

were created by people.

Consider the history of the various sports or musical genres,

or the various forms of arts.

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Through repeated practice and training,

an athlete or musician can reach a very high level of skill

in a specific area.

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The Moral World

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Humans have created the moral world.

You and I create the moral world every day.

 

We have the natural ability to create and develop

instincts, or habits, which help us survive and flourish.

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You can develop your moral abilities to

achieve a very high level of human moral excellence.

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Habit and effort

 

All human beings have habits.

Humans develop habits over time.

Developing habits is a deeply ingrained part of human nature.

 

As a person gets older, and repeats the same habits over time,

the habits become more deeply rooted.

and they become harder to change.

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An Excellent Human Being is one who repeatedly tries to do the right moral thing,

in situations presented to them,

based on their specific circumstances.

 

In other words,

it is a person who develops the habit of trying to do the right moral thing.

 

The habit of trying to do the right moral thing is called a virtue.

 

These moral habits, or virtues, are grouped into different categories.

 

For example, honesty is the habit, or virtue, of trying to tell the truth,

appropriate to the circumstances.

 

The categories of virtue are general

and can apply to different moral situations.

 

For example, honesty also can apply to property rights,

and the prohibition of an action,

such as not taking something which does not belong to you.

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Morality refers to a wide variety of areas of human life

which deal with right and wrong.

 

While there are many different areas of morality,

virtue, or good habits of moral behaviors

apply to every area of morality.

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Sometimes it is thought that to be morally excellent,

you need to have developed all of a specific collection of virtues.

 

However, situations may present themselves more often to one person than others.

Therefore, a person may, or may not, have the opportunity

to develop a habit, or virtue, related to that specific area.

 

Certain people may have the opportunity to develop a virtue in a specific area.

For example, a person serving in the military

may develop the virtue, or habit, of courage,

or a person in a financial career,

the virtue of honesty.

 

An Excellent Human Being is a person who tries to do the right thing

in each moral situation presented to them.

 

The excellence is found in your effort

to do the right moral thing,

given your circumstances,

at a specific point in your life. 

 

You can become an Excellent Human Being, as can I

or any person who puts forth the effort.

 

There never have been, nor are there, or will there ever be, any perfect human beings. 

It is the striving to do the right thing in any moral situation you find yourself in,

that constitutes the excellence.

 

Being virtuous, achieving excellence, is in the effort.

All you need to do is regularly try to do the right thing.

 

Virtue of Human Excellence and the Golden Mean

 

An Excellent Human Being is a moral virtuoso.

 

 

An Excellent Human Being is someone who

strives to make the best moral decisions

given their circumstances and the situation.

 

An Excellent Human Being

is a person who is in the habit of being good.

They are constantly developing the virtue of goodness.

 

 

To be an Excellent Human Being, a virtuous person,

you need to develop the habit, or virtue,

of trying to do the right moral thing,

You need to always try to be good.

 

You can become a virtuoso human being.

You have everything it takes,

and this ability to become virtuous is built into your nature.

 

Habits, Abilities and Skills

 

Habits can be developed for a wide variety of human activities.

When habits become deeply ingrained, through practice over time,

they become instinctive, built into you,

things you can do without thinking.

 

Children learn so many basic things,

such as walking, putting on articles of clothing, riding a bike, eating,

which over time humans do without thought. 

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Many of your habits become instinctive,

as part of your survival and thriving as a human being.

 

Developing good moral habits, virtues, is critical happiness

and to human survival and flourishing.

 

Good moral habits are called virtues.

These two words, virtue and virtuoso,

come together in the Excellent Human Being.

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A virtuoso is a skillful performer.  

A virtuoso performance is a great one, considered the best.

 

It takes a great deal of practice to become a virtuoso performer,

and to give a great performance.

 

Generally speaking, a great musician started life with some natural talent.

They then start to learn music by learning to read musical notes and rhythm,

for an instrument or to singing,

and then practicing, repeatedly doing the same thing over and over again,

until it becomes habitual or instinctive.

 

When a great, virtuoso musician is on stage performing,

they are not thinking about each note or the specific rhythm,

they are playing from the natural ability they started with

and the natural, instinctive ability they have developed through practice.

 

Watch a great musician play,

someone like Carlos Santana, one of my favorites.

He doesn’t think, he just plays. 

He is a musician.  It has become a part of his nature.

 

He still must work at it, practice and learn new music.

But when he performs, when he plays on stage,

he just plays.

 

A similar analogy can be made to many other human skills.

An athlete is another good example.

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A person who attains the highest level in their sport,

such as a gold medal athlete,

usually starts with some built-in ability.

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Through repeated training and practice,

the things they must do,

such as a series of gymnastic maneuvers,

are taught and practiced over and over,

until they become instinctive.

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When they are performing,

they are not thinking about each little nuance of the activity,

they just perform the routine out of habit.

 

A great basketball, football, soccer, baseball player, golfer, or other athlete,

does not think of all the details required to make the great play,

they just take the shot, or instinctively strike the ball exactly the correct way.

 

As with a musician, the athlete must continue to develop their skills.

But so much of what they do is built into them,

and becomes a part of their nature.

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This analogy can go across all human activity,

ranging from things like cooking or teaching,

to medical and engineering skills,

dance or other arts, etc.

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However, different people have different natural abilities,

Some are born with athletic or musical abilities,

which can be developed to the level of an excellent athlete or musician.

 

Some people are born with other natural abilities,

such as dance, art, or medicine.

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Yet, every human has the built-in,

natural ability, to do the right moral thing,

to become an Excellent Human Being.

 

This natural ability to be good, to do the right thing

is deeply ingrained in our animal and human nature.

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It can be seen in the natural instinct to cry out for nourishment,

which comes from the survival instinct of an infant.

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Our natural ability to be good

can be seen in the instinctive need to flourish,

exhibited in the sounds and body language of a newborn

when being held in the mother's warm, nurturing arms.

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Like the eagle’s eyesight or the lion’s hunting abilities,

the human animal has a survival instinct from the moment of conception.

 

Like other social, or pack, animals,

a critical part of this survival instinct is for others.

This other related, or social instinct   

is also a part of the built-in instinct for the survival of the species.

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You have survival instinct built into you. 

A key part of your survival instinct

is the natural desire for happiness or flourishing,

individually and socially.

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Things which are good for you,

food, water, shelter, etc.,

help you to survive,

and they make you happy.

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As adults, survival and happiness appear more complex.

 

However, it is much easier to observe in a baby

who cries when hungry.

 

As with many other animals,

there is the natural instinctive drive for nurture and care built into humans,

as part of the instinct for survival of the species.

 

This nurturing includes care given and care received.

 

Every human being has this natural, instinct built into them,

and can build on it through practice and training

to become an excellent moral human being.

 

Care and Virtue

 

Remember, all I know with absolute certainty is that I am,

and I am quite certain that you are.

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If you do not exist, there is no universe, nor morality.

Your experience of the world around you is what makes the world exist.

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If I do not exist, there is no universe, nor morality.

My experience of the world around me is what makes the world exist.

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Every moral action must carry within it

care and concern for the survival and flourishing

of you individually,

of me

and

of every other me in existence.

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It is as simple as that. 

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Every moral theory, principle, rule, law or other approach to moral behavior

has this fact and principle of care built into it as an integral part of it.

It is the core.

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Care is the force and matter of the moral world we create.

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It could be said that we put the care there,

that a person should care about survival and flourishing. 

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However, that is like saying that we put gravity in the universe

that gravity should be there

because we perceive it

and need it to survive on the planet.

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Gravity exists as a force in the universe,

just as the other forces and matter exist in the universe.

That is the way the universe is!

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Human care exists in the same way.

 

The universe exists because you exist, you are (I am)

You exist because you care for your survival and flourishing.

Care is a fundamental force of the human universe.

 

We human beings exist in the universe,

we are the matter of the moral world,

completely certain of our own existence,

and very certain of the existence of others.

That is the way the universe is!

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Without care for survival and flourishing,

the universe does not exist,

because neither you nor I, nor anyone else exists.

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Just as without gravity the earth does not exist,

nor without the other forces in the universe,

it does not exist.

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Care is the fundamental building block and force of life.

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Tools for Morality and Care

 

There are several ways to approach what is good and right.

You must decide what is good, or the right thing to do.

 

To do this well requires looking at morality from several different points of view.

 

As we will examine different approaches,

the notions related to virtue

give you a way to combine them, or balance the different approaches,

to make the right moral choice whenever necessary

and to constantly improve as you move through life.   

 

Good moral decisions start with the basics,

both biological, such as food,

and social, such as nurturing.

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A person who is great at being good,

is an excellent human being, a virtuous person.

Through practice,

being good becomes a part of your nature,

like an instinct.

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You are a virtuous person if you excel at being morally good.

You are like a talented musician or athlete. 

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You have the built-in natural ability to be good,

just like the great athlete or musician starts with some natural ability. 

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If you practice,

try to make the correct moral decision each time you are presented with one,

you can develop this natural ability into the habit being good,

so that it becomes a part of your nature.

 

However, you will still need to think about it your whole life,

as new situations arise,

and continue to practice and further develop your ability.

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But when you have to act, you start to just do the right moral thing.

Just like the concert for the musician, or the game for the athlete,

over time doing the right moral thing will just instinctively come to you.

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Learning Virtue or Instinctive Good Actions and Words

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The musician or athlete have teachers and trainers.

So too, in morality, you need to be taught.

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The goal of teaching and training in morality

is for you and I, all of us,

to become virtuous.

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Like the great accomplished musician, athlete, writer, actor or doctor,

you can learn to be a very moral person,

through teaching and practice.

 

You have the ability built into you.

With enough practice you won’t have to think about a moral decision,

but rather, like playing music, you will just make the right decision.

You will be a moral person, a virtuoso human being,

an Excellent Human Being!

 

Because you are unique in your experiences and perspective, 

the right moral decision at any given time,

in any given situation for you

comes from a notion or technique called

the Golden Mean.

 

 

Golden Mean

 

Moral decision making, like life, is made up of individual moments

connected in the continuous stream of time.

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Moral decisions present themselves to you and I at specific points in our lives.

 

While we generally think of moral decisions as involving a rule or law,

rarely is it that simple.

 

Most rules and laws are categorized under principles, or virtues. 

 

Many of the virtues are also principles around which humans try to govern themselves,

or ideals with which governments have been formed around.

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There are many principles and virtues, which are related to general areas of morality,

which can be categorizing in a variety of different ways, such as;

 

Self-control (temperance): Controlling your appetite, emotions, physical desires, etc.

Courage: Enduring hardship, knowing what to fear and what not to fear, etc.

Wisdom: To think rationally and logically about things, use your experience to make

                 decisions, etc.

Justice: Treating others fairly, properly, equally, etc.

 

It is important in morality to know what to do and then to act,

and we usually call on rules or principles for guidance.

 

There are two extremes in moral decision making, relativism and absolutism. 

 

The one extreme, relativism,

is that there is no right or wrong,

but rather, whatever you or I or any person decides in a moral situation,

is the morally right thing to do.

It is the belief that there is nothing common across all of humanity

which can guide you in your moral decision making,

or no objective measures to compare our decisions to.

 

The opposite extreme, absolutism,

is that there is one, and only one, correct thing to do in a situation,

and the morally right thing to do can be found in following a rule,

or some objective principle,

which applies to everyone in that situation.

It is the belief that some moral expert

can tell you exactly what to do,

so that in every and any situation you encounter,

you simply need to follow their principle, rule, or other steps.

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Excellence in morality falls between the two extremes

relativism                                                                                 absolutism

 

You must make the moral decision relative to your circumstances

and

there are objective universal moral principles which apply to your decision.

 

There is an exact, best decision you can make,

which is based on the universal moral principles,

which you apply in the circumstances of your individual life

at the specific point of your moral decision.

 

The Golden Mean is a phrase used to describe

the best moral decision which you could make,

in a specific situation,

given the circumstances in your life at that moment

and applying the universal objective principles

which exist in the moral world we create.

 

On the one hand,

in every moral situation there is a principle, or several principles, which apply.

Your decision is never purely relative, without any consideration

given to universal ethical principles.

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On the other hand,

you, and only you, can and must

make every moral decision in situations which occur in your life

based on knowledge and experience,

which you alone possess.

No one knows your complete story or circumstances.

 

While every moral decision must be based on a principle.

principles require interpretation, thought and consideration,

in order to be applied to a specific situation or action.

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You must interpret and apply moral principles

to your specific moral situations

based on your experience and knowledge. 

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Every moral decision falls between the two extremes.

 

Relativism                                                                                     Absolutism

Golden Mean

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Your decision is relativistic,

because it is yours alone,

and absolute,

because there are universal moral principles which apply to all human beings.

 

It is important to note,

that the Golden Mean is NOT exactly in the middle,

but rather,

at that exact place between the two extremes

that is appropriate for your situation.

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Sometimes things unique to your situation pull the decision point

closer to a relativistic situation, or to your special needs,

and

sometimes your situation pulls the decision point

closer to applying the principle

as it would be done in a universal situation, or to everyone in that situation.

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Ultimately, you must make every moral decision for yourself,

but every moral decision must be based on moral principles.

 

The best decision is called ‘Golden’ because it is on the moral continuum

between the extremes of relativism and absolutism,

and it is the best, good, moral decision you can make,

at that point in your life.

 

It is yours alone

because no one can ever know all the events of your life,

everything which you have experienced or learned,

nor your abilities and outlook on the world.

So, it is impossible for anyone to objectively evaluate your decision

and tell you what to do.

 

Yet there is a correct, best decision based on universal principles.

You need to have made your best effort

to apply a universal principle, or group of principles,

to the specific circumstances of the decision you must make,

and to try to do the morally right thing.

 

The Golden Mean of Principles

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The next section is devoted to helping you understand

how to make Golden moral decisions

in general circumstances

which you can then apply to your situations.

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For example, in a dangerous situation, you will need courage. 

 

On one extreme of dangerous, or fearful situations

is the notion of cowardly action,

and on the other extreme

is the notion of foolhardy action.

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Cowardice                                                                                     Foolhardy

Golden Mean

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Courage

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The golden mean falls between these two extremes

and can be at any point on the courage continuum.

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In the next section, we discuss how to use this idea of the Golden Mean

to train to become an Excellent Human Being

who instinctively makes the right moral decision,

the Golden Moral Decision.

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