I made a mistake, I will freely admit; I said 7 Virtues but found that there are different lists of Virtues. Some include faith others exclude it, I chose to include it and will now offer up as a kind of set Patience & Kindness. Patience to my mind is synonymous in a lot of ways with Diligence, and Kindness is truly the most important of virtues in some ways but I feel compelled to write about both here.
It has been said that a man who is a pacifist is a ‘harmless’ man, by a great many (notably Jordan Peterson who has gone astray from his original beliefs in recent years), and while I do understand this point of view. I must confess to while I do not know if I am a pacifist, I do not know if making oneself a savage lion is the way. Kindness seems in this context to be portrayed or hinted at as a great philosophical weakness when in reality it is only through Kindness that we’ve reached this point in our history.
Despite all the criticism lobbed at it, Kindness is the bedrock alongside Diligence of Christianity, which is itself at the heart of all the different civilisations in the West. Our notions of it stem from two quotes in the Bible and they are very important; ‘Thou shalt not murder’, which means that you shalt not do evil and wickedness unto another.
In the story of Musashi by the brilliant Yoshikawa Eiji, the teenage Takezo is accused of having with his acts of murder robbed his victims of all they had. That the men he had murdered had had dreams, children, wives, dogs and that murder in itself is the act of robbing someone of all the good they could potentially have performed in the future. Takezo was as a lion, or rather he is compared to a lone wolf who sets out to devour his pack-mates, but the truth is the only one he has harmed is himself for the lone wolf dies alone. Simply put he who lives by the murderous sword dies by it, and this is why all murder is evil. And it is for this reason that Musashi is the best version of Takezo, for though he kills Musashi at no point murders. He is also above himself, he has elevated himself from lone-wolf to leader of the pack, to a kind of lead sheepdog who guides those around him with the promise of sharing his wisdom. He has become kind by the end of the story and speaks gently to those he loves, and menacingly to those who might threaten them.
The other important line in the Bible is that of ‘Love one another; as I have loved you’ this is Jesus’s Eleventh Commandment. This one is one that mankind has struggled with for nigh on two millennia, and it is an important rule. It means to show kindness to all those around oneself, now Jesus also taught to love one’s enemies. This does not mean to roll over for them but rather to offer them the chance for redemption. Should they come in peace and brotherhood, forgiveness must be offered and Kindness shown with the utmost sincerity regardless of the wounds they have in the past inflicted upon you.
Forgiveness and Kindness go hand in hand, and are bound to one another. The greatest embodiment of this virtue in French history was Jehanne D’Arc who showed pity to those around her, and treated all with kindness, and never murdered a single man. She was pure, and was devout and even offered to the English that an alliance and friendship could be born between the English and French should they depart France. They refused, so she carried the war forward against them, and though she died before its conclusion they were utterly defeated in the end. It was kindness and mercy that motivated her, not hatred.
The Kindness of which the Lord spoke is difficult to emulate. It is hard work to cool one’s temper and keep from being nasty, from being rude, or being unforgiving when difficulty arises. But the ultimate testament of one’s character is to prove oneself kind and merciful, though these terms are often taken advantage of and regarded as weaknesses.
Those of a more woke persuasion are convinced that these are weaknesses to be taken advantage of, and through which all those who practice the Eleventh Commandment may be destroyed. Those who believe men should be cruel, harsh and merciless would have us believe pity ought to be despised and scorned.
This is not so. The kindest thing one can do with regards to these teachings is to prove them false, and to protect others around oneself from these false beliefs. Kindness must reject these views, and disprove them through the usage of culture, of intelligence and reason. If one argues that men must be as lions, ask why? Then point out to them that the lone lion may have a harem but his position is precarious, for he is slave to the wants and desires of the lionesses and is a figure of sloth, who may well have his line snuffed out by a rival lion. Whereas the wolf, belongs to a large pack one where the men strive and fight all their lives and are masters of their own destiny, even as they live in a kind of brotherhood together. Or one may use the example of the sheep-dog who rarely if ever work alone, and are part of a pack.
Remember that if one says that you are ‘harmless’ as a man, the truly wise and clever man shall say nothing, or otherwise keep up the illusion. Illusions are all that such men believe in, and all they wish to and it is why they will fail, and stumble when they stand before God. The kind man uplifts those around him, and will be in turn uplifted, for kindness is its own regard and need not be a sword but a buckler. Kindness means being wise as a the ‘Sword-Saint’, gentle as the Pucelle de France, fierce and zealous in one’s beliefs as J.R.R. Tolkien and polite as Robert E. Howard or a Peter Cushing, even as one is proud and dignified as Christopher Lee or Christopher Tolkien.
Make these your models for kindness and you shan’t fail or falter, and remember that ferocity, logic and honesty in the face of falseness are all a kindness. The cultural and spiritual war that plagues the whole of the Modern world is the true enemy, and the kindest thing one can do is to tear apart untruths, strategise and otherwise cut asunder at the correct time in the correct manner, with the most respectful of words the delusions of modernity.
Yes, poor Jordan Peterson got the Winston Smith treatment....
It is hard to know what to do regarding those that sodomise, control, torture and kill others. For that is often what has happened to them.
We are dealing with this at the moment at the most powerful and the least powerful ends of society. The middle class has generally been purposefully insulated from this horror.
I read an article about a woman that forgave her son's murdered in the courtroom, then when he had done his time in jail, she heard that he couldn't find a place to live. So she found him a job and a place to live in a flat next to her.
My point is that when you have committed heinous crimes or not, when you are at the bottom, if no one offers your any possibility of redemption, you will either give up or continue with what you know.
The paradox is that we need to trust the untrustworthy, and that is a display of kindness that may end badly, but does it matter if you are being true to your higher self?
Another perspective that helped me tie the generational incestuous powerful controlling families in the world with powerless people that commit horrible act as on others was this guy-
https://open.substack.com/pub/indamidle/p/real-evil
"There is no cure. Rehabilitation only applies to good people who circumstantially did evil things. No matter your resolve, how much psychology you apply, or how genuine your motivations are, toast can never be turned back into bread. That's why you must fight evil. That's why you must set aside your misgivings and focus entirely on its destruction wherever you encounter it. It's a zero sum game and the sympathy you feel is not shared by your enemy. Any “evil acts” you may employ against evil men do not make you evil yourself. You'll suffer because you're good and that fortitude to do what must be done will spare others. Because you use the law, it being your means of justice, make certain those laws are the kind that settle the problem."
And this one, if you can stomach it-
https://indamidle.substack.com/p/whats-her-name
My "kindness" ends at disrespect. People can "agree to disagree" amicably. Or not. Once the gauntlet of personal attack is thrown, i respond in kind. Whether it be a straight block or written (verbal?) retaliation, it will be done.
Present your argument. Disagree, respectfully, or receive the consequences.