Human Excellence - Section 6
The Virtuoso Person

The Virtuoso Person

 

There is a real, core morality,

a right decision for you in each situation you may face,

a decision which is the Golden Mean,

falling between the extremes of possibilities,

or sometimes maybe occurring at the Golden Intersection

of several core moral principles.

 

There is a right decision for you to make.

 

Music offers a great way of thinking about what you can become,

and the world you and I, all of us

in our unique individuality,

together can create.

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There are a tremendous variety of musical genres,

each of which appeals to different people.

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However, there is a core collection of musical notes and rhythms

which are consistent across the musical spectrum,

and which can be played on many different instruments,

often together in a band or orchestra. 

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A note that is off key, or a lack of rhythm,

can be problematic in any musical category.

It is equally problematic if a member of a band or orchestra

is not in sync with the rest of the group. 

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Music has a structure

within which there is tremendous room for individual expression.

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Bad music, off key, out of tone or with no rhythm,

can be painful, troubling, or caustic.

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Good music not only makes a person happy and feel good,

but there is something about music

that just seems to go to your soul,

and can give you an emotional lift.

 

There is something in our nature, something about us,

which enables music to touch our soul,

our core nature, which cannot be explained,

but for music to be good music

it must fall within the structure of the notes and rhythm.

 

Within that structure, there is an almost infinite range,

which can appeal to a very wide variety of individual tastes,

or to put it another way,

can make a wide variety of people happy.

 

A great song, something you love, seems to go somewhere inside you,

it touches your soul.

It can make you happy or sad, want to dance

or in some way it just moves you

and it seems beyond words or thought.

Yet it requires structure.

 

The same can be said for a great book, poem, play, movie, sporting event,

or any other of the wide variety of human action in various arenas of life.

All these areas require structure,

but also allow for an almost limitless variety of individual expression.

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Great music, stories, sporting events, poems, etc.,

reach the same place in us

that good and bad or right and wrong touch.

They reach our soul or spirit. 

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Acts of kindness, courage or honesty move us

and make us feel good and happy.

Whereas acts of abuse, cruelty, or cowardice

have a caustic effect on us.  

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Moral decisions can never be relativistic

because it goes against the nature of the real universe

and human nature,

as well as the survival and flourishing of the individual and species.

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Like music, morality has a structure.

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Moral decisions can never be absolute

because every human life is individual, unique,

and all the variables which surround a moral decision you,

or any individual, must make

can never be known by another individual.

 

Only you have experienced the universe as you have experienced it!

 

We create the beauty, harmony and rhythm of the moral universe.

We make the world good.

 

You can become a virtuoso player in the band or orchestra

which is the world.

 

You have the ability to create habits, and natural moral ability,

which you need to develop into instinctive moral decision-making virtues.

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You can be an excellent human being,

a virtuoso person,

in your own way of creating the moral structure of the universe,

expressed from your own situation.

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Excellence is in the Effort

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Get into the habit of trying to do the right thing.

 

Sometimes it will work out perfectly,

just like in sports,

sometimes you hit the perfect shot, or make an excellent play,

or in music, where you play the song just right,

or in any area

in which you are developing yourself and trying to improve.

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Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t make it work,

you have a bad day, you are just off key, or can’t get any rhythm.

You are out of sorts, not your best self or somehow off.

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The same will be true in moral decision making,

and trying to do the right thing.  

Sometimes you will get it right,

feel good about your decision and everything turns out right,

those you were helping were grateful,

you believe you made the right decision,

you saw everything clearly

and were on the same page with those around you.  

You were excellent, the best in that moment.

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Sometimes you have trouble deciding what to do and how to do it,

there are too many variables,

you feel over-concerned with yourself,

there are conflicting principles,

and the future is unclear.  

What if you make a mistake,

you hurt rather than help,

or there are some unseen consequences which pop up.  

How do you balance your interest,

the concern you have for others

and the greater good?

You will not always get it right.

 
Sometimes, others will not always appreciate what you tried to do.

Sometimes you won’t feel good about it.

 

No one is perfect.  For the Virtuoso Person:

 

Excellence is in the effort,

the trying to do the right thing,

and then learning from what happened,

and trying to be better the next time.  

 

Moral excellence is a lifetime quest,

which begins the moment you are able to be responsible for your actions,

until you leave this earth.

 

Excellence is part of the journey that is life,

your life,

which is synonymous with the life of the universe.  

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Love and Care

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Throughout this section we have discussed care,

caring about your and my survival and flourishing.

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Love is a better word than care

in discussing morality and virtue.

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The world is complex, and life can be hard.

It is at times difficult to know what is the right thing to say or do,

and even more difficult at times to then do what is right or moral.

 

There is one very simple idea or principle to keep in mind,

one thing the check yourself with,

and to make sure is behind every virtue, principle or rule you are following

and applying to a moral decision you must make.

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Love God, and out of that love

love your neighbor

as you love yourself.

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This is the highest order principle found in the Judeo-Christian faith,

but versions of it are also found in many other religions.

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For those who struggle with their belief in God, 

you simply need to consider the greater good of all humanity,

which is found in love and concern for every "I am",

every individual person and in life itself,

a love for being.

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You must love and care for yourself,

because you cannot give something to another

which you do not possess.

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You must love and care for every other person,

each of whom is equal to you 

and to each of whom you owe your very existence.

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Love of God or the greater good is an expression of the love of life itself,

not just the survival instinct,

but the love of fully flourishing as an individual

and collectively as a species. 

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Imagine a world full of people striving for Human Excellence,

a world where we all try to do the right thing

a world full of Moral Virtuosos.

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