Why hinges and virtues are more connected than you think
Commentary by Janet Marugg | FāVS News
How is it that something like a hinge with multiple uses a day go unnoticed until it complains? I try to be more mindful of behind-the-scenes work, but here I am with an oil can, a rag and a promise to do better. Today’s freshly-oiled hinges remind me of Plato, his influence on Western thought, and his contribution to the canon of humanity. His work is a hinge for many works that follow, other philosophers and religious doctrines. The cardinal virtues for instance.
Plato termed cardinal virtues from the Latin “cardo” meaning hinge, or that from which all things hang. Plato’s cardinal virtues were wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. Then fourth century theologian, St. Ambrose, rewrote the cardinal virtues as prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. The Catholic church later adopted these.
Virtues are not limited to Western geography, literary canons or religious doctrines. Eastern religions and philosophies, such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, hinge humans to the virtues of compassion, wisdom, non-violence (Ahimsa), self-control, honesty and living in harmony with nature.
The humanist Ten Commitments, altruism, critical thinking, empathy, environmentalism, ethical development, global awareness, humility, peace/social justice, responsibility and service/participation swing smoothly with most religions and philosophies like a good double hinge.
‘My humble little notebooks’
Reliable hinges are known by their use, but I’m a realist and can only work on a few virtues at a time. Here’s my plan: identify a handful of virtues to work on in 2025 and keep field notes for insights, quotes, synchronicities, epiphanies, etc. I have these five field notebooks ready to go for the turn of the calendar page:
Wisdom – for notes on curiosity, perspective, critical thinking and epiphanies. Collect quotes and aphorisms. Seek solutions.
Courage – where I persist with all the honesty I can muster. What is hard to say and why? Deal with my fear of being disliked.
Humanity – for notes on how to amplify kindness. Record my acts of kindness and how people are kind to me.
Transcendence – for notes demonstrating my appreciation of beauty, art and artists. Collect and develop humor. Explore the above-ness to my day.
Justice – collect material for an anti-poverty manifesto and notes to explore and expose poverty in the public square.
Inspiration leaps from world religious doctrines, literature, philosophy and art into my humble little notebooks. For me, small notebooks force brevity and become the seeds for growth. Sprouters get a computer file, a Word or Google doc. It’s messy but necessary to show my work because inevitably someone asks me where a secular humanist gets her morals, if not from supernatural dictation.
I’d say my past notebooks demonstrate that my non-believing human mind can conceive of ways to benefit the world without supernatural dictation or religious doctrines and that humans are perfectly capable of dictating for themselves how to behave.
We are wired to do good
Neurologically, our human brains are wired to aspire and receive dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins (our internal reward system) for doing good things. It’s natural. The “feel-good” effects of doing good are linked to areas in the brain responsible for social interaction and empathy. Healthy brains deliver reliable reinforcement for positive behavior and this explains why every nonbeliever that I know recognizes that helping others is a source of great happiness.
Research shows that the human conscience and feelings of guilt come from activated areas of the brain associated with self-reflection, social cognition and empathy. Our human minds can recognize where we missed our feel-good fix without the threat of eternal damnation and suffering. Besides, threats are a bad reason for being good when there are plenty of good reasons for being good.
Sages like Plato didn’t know the neuroscience of today, but they did a lot of knowing about how to avoid tragedies and live in peace, most of which still applies. They didn’t know about matter or antimatter, but they cared deeply about how to matter. In a world of increasingly unhinged thoughts and actions, ours is a generation starved for sages like Plato. Or maybe we just need to grow up and be our own.
Freshly-oiled hinges sound agreeable to their work so I open one of my virtue notebooks to the last page and write a note to my future: “How’s your hinges?” Then I turn to the beginning and start answering.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
