Virtue - Piety

Piety is defined as the humble devotion to a high ideal.

A pious person believes in something greater than themselves.  Weather that is a deity, a specific way of living, or a noble goal it matters not.  While Piety is often understood as the constant devotion to a deity, this is not a persons only venue to being pious.  Let's look at the words "high ideal".  Now in the first sense gods and goddesses represent our highest ideal of the spirit.  We strive through ritual, through worship, and through imitation to reach the sides of our gods, to be like them.  The idea here is that as spiritual beings having a human experience we need to nurture the connection our spirit has to the divine, in whatever form we believe that to be.

The next "high ideal" could be achieved by choosing a specific way of living our lives.  This may or may not coincide with devotion to the gods.  People who choose to live "green" lives devote themselves to conservation of the planet and a healthier more natural way to live.  They humble themselves before their ideal of the right life every single day.  Their devotion becomes their sustenance and they are pious to their high ideal.

The third act of Piety can be achieved by having and journeying towards a noble goal.  A noble goal is one in which we believe that by attaining it we will have served others and become a better person because of it.  A great example of this is the Peace Corps.  When someone joins the Peace Corps they are setting themselves on the noble path of service and devoting their time and energy to helping others.  This humble devotion to service enriches their lives and they become pious in their cause.

Piety is the pure state of our hearts.  It is humble, it is selfless, and it hard yet rewarding work.  One does not gain Piety by sitting around on their butt thinking, I love my god.  One becomes pious by acting on their high ideals.  You must do more than feel you must also move and take action.  Only through active devotion and service can our heart, minds, and spirits lift us to a place of peace and love.  If you believe in something so wonderful and great then don't go out proclaim it's greatness, just live it.

Piety

I will keep close to me my high ideals

I will act upon my noble goals

I will devote my live to the service of others

I will serve my gods by my actions

Virtue - Honor

Honor is the virtue that most distinctly defines our individual character.

Honor is a complex virtue that has many implications.  Honor is best defined by how a person acts in accordance to their own moral code.  A person with Honor is considered fair, honest, and reliable.  Honor reflects a persons true nature.  Whether we are born inherently with a sense of Honor or we learn it from the world around us, it defines us deeply to others and ourselves.  The Honorable person always tries to be unbiased in any situation and gives their thoughts and opinions honestly regardless of the popularity of those thoughts and opinions.  You also can also always count on the Honorable person, their word is their bond, and this makes them invaluable in all of our lives.

For those who truly carry Honor as one of their virtues they can find themselves set slightly apart from the crowd.  They are needed and well liked and can be counted on to give fair account.  This impartiality means that what they have to say will not always be well received, but for the most part will be respected.  The Honorable person also gives credit where it is fairly due and never takes more than their share.

Another very important aspect of Honor is to accept responsibility for your actions.  Modestly and honestly acknowledging both your triumphs and your failures and making the attempt to correct those failures.  When practiced Honor becomes your personal worth.  Are you a person who can be trusted?  Are you a person who speaks your mind without judgement and bias?  Do you strive to be reliable and show the strength of character that other people can depend on?  I think that these are very worthy traits for any person to have, and I hope someday to have them as well, as I strive to be an Honorable person.

Honor

I will be true to my virtues

I will strive to always be fair and honest

I will own my faults and modestly accept my triumphs

I will strive for this my whole life

Virtue - Service

Service is the virtue that defines a community.

The word Service comes from the word "servitude" and means to "serve".  Historically this was applied to slaves or those who were in some way in Service to another.  Throughout history Service has been applied in both negative and positive ways, slaves served their masters but priests and kings served their people.  So if we were to extract a general definition of Service I would posit that it would be "to aid or help others".  Granted this could be willing or unwilling but the definition is good and generally accepted in our society.

So what does Service as a virtue mean?  Well it means to aid and help others, willingly.  We should always be available to serve the needs and wants of others, within reason of course.  To make yourself available and willing to help others, to serve them, not only shows compassion but is the foundation that brings a community together.  When we help those who need our time, our understanding, and our resources within the best of our abilities it creates within us a feeling of being needed and appreciated.  When we feel good about who and what we are and what we do we emanate those positive feelings from our very being.  We share our happiness and contentment unknowingly with those around us.

In Service we must not forget to serve ourselves, not selfishly but within a healthy understanding of our needs and desires.  We must take care of ourselves to be able to take care of others.  If our basic needs are not met then we are not able to honestly meet the needs of others.  We can try to serve others but when we take too much from ourselves we diminish the value of our Service as well as our own much needed health and happiness.  First and foremost take care of yourself.  Keep to your virtues, keep to your health and home peace and manageability.  For in this care your Service to others will become a byproduct of your life.  It is easier to give what you already have than to search for what you yourself desire to attain.  

As a community, if we all look to care for our own happiness and contentment and then willingly and actively go out and serve those who needs us, we will be stronger.  A people who works for the happiness and comfort of all is a strong and powerful people.  A people who can accomplish any goal they set before them.  I want to be apart of this community, so I will serve.

Service

I will care for my own home and happiness

I will serve my interests in a healthy and productive manner

I will give of myself to those in need of me

I will serve my community to make it stronger