I believe the holidays should make us really think, regardless of which holiday you celebrate. Virtue = Moral Excellence, Goodness, Righteousness.
I prefer the word “Goodness”- And not as the opposite of the Bad which Santa may catch you being. There is a much different connotation to Goodness than to morality, which seems rather religious in a forceful way.
I believe in goodness is respect for all creatures, kindness to others, being gentle to the earth, and generally wanting to be our best selves. Those are the things I want to teach my child and those are also what hope to help parents find as a parent consultant and educator. I feel it is my duty to help people become their best selves-whatever Goodness that looks like to them.
I was raised in a family where we didn’t particularly strive to better ourselves. We were who we were and we were fine. We didn’t strive to care for the Earth. We didn’t strive to be particularly kind, though we weren’t unkind. We didn’t strive to learn new things as a family. We didn’t strive to help the needy. We didn’t strive to fix our shortcomings or heal our interpersonal foibles. We didn’t strive to commune with or hear the messages of nature or of any God(dess). I had wonderful and loving parents who cared for me well and loved me deeply but I was longing for all of those things and I set about on a long and relentless mission to find my own sense of goodness and virtue and I thought that meant choosing the one right religion for me. But as it turns out, virtue isn’t particularly religious and maybe not even always spiritual. Plenty of atheists know and do what is right and also strive to be their best selves. It is inherent in the human heart (though sometimes hidden by neglect or abuse). That search for my best self, virtue and goodness let me into chunks of years exploring spiritualities and was included in my college studies as well.
Here are some teaching points to share with our kids on ways to teach virtue from various traditions:
Something from Judaism, my cultural heritage: Its a Mitzvah! A Mitzvah is a blessed action/ a good deed. My other favorites are Lifelong Education, Tzedakah box (giving to charity daily or weekly!), Treating all books with respect (we kiss them after we drop them), caring for animals, visiting the elderly or sick, sharing food with those less fortunate. Oh Hanukah celebrating miracles, light, gratefulness, perseverance and rebuilding. Mmm, so Good. Happy Hanukkah!
Something from Paganism: Reverence for the planet. For the living animals and humans and trees! Specifically the Oak (Mistletoe) and apple trees which are some of the only fruits still growing now. On Solstice/Yule, we rest. On the shortest day of the year with the longest dark, people rest and then light candles and fires and meditate on light to re-welcome the sun. In some places like Nova Scotia, Solstice is also Children’s day, where you pay attention to and revere the children. Ahh, so the holidays really are for the kids! The other pagan virtue is of community and neighborliness wrapped up in song! Wassailing this time of year is the precursor to the newer tradition of caroling. Going to someone’s doorstep and singing? Such Goodness.
From Buddhism: The 8-fold Path- Mindful Steps to Happiness always come up in parenting and family for me. Some of my favorites for teaching are Right/Skillful Speech (refraining from idle chatter, gossip, mean stuff, add silence!) and Right Livelihood (are we able to explain to our children how our work benefits the world and is kind work?). How can we become Goodness in every moment by living rightly? Skillfull Meditation is another one. Slow down and pay attention and pay attention to our children. Teach them the virtue of slowing down, notice, meditate, concentrate.
Something from Christianity: The virtue and teachings of Christ to not judge others, to instead judge yourself and love others as you would yourself. To forgive yourself and others. No matter the sin, we are good underneath. Many branches of Christianity do a terrible job of actually these, but I ignore that and look at the original message. And on Christmas, (regardless of whether Christ was actually born on that day), we can create a time to celebrate, follow and model such these teachings rather than consumerism and greed. Catholicism also makes a point just before Christmas, at Advent, to celebrate the Mother figure and pregnancy in Mary. We as parents can reflect on how miraculous and scary creating a child is and how miraculous and scary is it sending that child out in the world hoping they have Virtue and become Goodness.
Combined, these are the things I look forward to focusing on during the holiday season as opposed to a focus on gifts. My daughter is too small to get some of it now but I am doing my best to get into the swing of it. My first year on this path, I began focusing my holiday thoughts on virtue was the first year that I had been able to give small amounts to two charities. That was also the first year on this path that I became involved in a volunteer position helping babies get breast milk from donor moms. When our children are young sometimes it is best to model virtue and try to explain it rather than teach a concept didactically.
The next year, my hope was to take more moments to teach my child to sit and breathe and enjoy. Take a walk in the cold crisp air and be grateful for trees and stars and to go as slowly as possible. Slow is an inherant virtue of Winter. Many families decide to pair up with a family in need and buy them warm clothes. Some families with older children serve meals to the homeless.
Is goodness, virtue or righteousness subjective? Or is it concrete? Does it feel most like kindness? Justice? Service? Whatever Goodness feels like to you this season, take some time to model or teach it to your children.
What do you think? Is goodness, virtue or rightness subjective? Or is it concrete? Is it kindness or justice? What is goodness to you, in regard to your own spirituality?
Love,
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I converted, specificallyfrom Christianity (my father is is C of E priest) to Judaism. All of what you talk of is found for me in Judaism but I can appreciate how anyone can find those precious parts of being human in many different religions or philosophies.
To me, spirituality is something that is striven for throughout ones life and is influenced by ones experiences. That necesssarily means that the culture (immediate and general) that one grows up in has an influence, whether one is conscious or unaware of it. If you are conscious, you have a choice, if not, then you are accepting of whatever is immediately around you without question.
For me, spirituality is amorphous but virtue is concrete. For instance, one cannot measure spirituality because it is within you, where-as virtue has an outer consequence. Of course, the outer show of virtue could be just show, and only inspired by a person being worried about how they seem to “the neighbours”. In that case I would argue that the good done is the same and it is worth it because the good is the same whether it is inspired by spiritual values or not. I would hope that one would come to appreciate the good one had done, even if the motive had been less that perfect, later, if that was the case.
Personally, I strive for spiritual connection with God. I don’t care what anyone else wants to label that because I have chosen to accept a label that to me describes the universe, the ineffable, the unknown and unknowing. I also choose to accept that God is loving, creative, immanent and involved but not capricious.
Thank you for making me think about this and put it into words.
Anna xxxx
I was surprised to see that the virtues listed in the section Something from Judaism seemed to suit me best.
I think you’ve done a lovely job of distilling the virtues of several sects (for want of a better word) into effective summaries, btw.
Moorea,
I loved this! A ecumenical banquet of virtues! Thanks for this.
Love, Nerissa
December 25 was chosen and approved by a Pope as the Birth of Day of Jesus Christ.
I’d like to share this FREE Christmas App – Jolly Jingle. It is design for kids to promote and spread the Christmas Spirit. http://www.jollyjingleapp.com