The Physics of Virtue

Well, that is the question isn't it? How do we keep virtue in our thoughts unceasingly? The secret comes from two simple laws I learned in physics.

An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. There you have it. If you keep those rules in mind, you will realize the truth.

"Let me esplain. No, there is no time. Let me sum up." Why do I say those two rules explain everything? Because they do. Let's think of the object as your mind. Motion is virtue. Rest is vice. Action is your choice of thoughts. The outside force of the first sentence is evil or Satan. The outside force of the second is righteousness or God. So, now let's rewrite those laws of spiritual physics accordingly.

A mind in virtue will stay in virtue unless choosing to think evil. A mind in vice will stay in vice unless choosing to think of righteousness. Get it? It's that easy. No really, it is. We believe that children are born pure and innocent right? Erego, a mind in virtue. Parents are responsible for teaching morals (i.e. that there is righteousness and evil, how to choose between them, and why we must). Once you have virtue in your mind, it will stay there unless you choose otherwise. And that's the trick. It's YOUR choice.

Now, this is not meant to bash on any of us or discourage us or make us feel like less. Just the opposite in fact, it's meant to give us hope. WE have the power. No one else. WE choose. Remember, Richard Lovelace 1618 - 1657? "Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage; Minds innocent and quiet take That for an hermitage; If I have freedom in my love, And in my soul am free, Angels alone that soar above Enjoy such liberty." Why is a soul free? Because it isn't bound by sin, by evil, by vice. Those are heavy burdens. Hard to soar when you are weighed down like that.

Again, WE were given a gift: the ability to choose. And someone is always trying to take that away from us by telling us that we not only aren't responsible for our thoughts or life, but can't be. And that means this: you can't change. It means there is no hope. It means that there isn't really anything you can do unless you get lucky. And that's a LIE. Think about it from a historical perspective for a moment. Remember the Holocaust? Remember the concentration camps? Remember how some of the prisoners maintained love and charity and patience throughout? Guess what? Those people chose to do that. Each and every one. (See Victor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning.) And guess what? That means virtue isn't a commodity owned only by a few. It's like air. Everyone can have it. They just have to let themselves.

So there you are, praying for virtue and then, bam! You get tested (because we are here to prove ourselves and that means we'll be tested) by a really rude person who yells at you, maybe shoves you or spits on you. Now stop. Right there in that second before you react. Take out the reaction. Put in action. You choose. There is always a second before where you make a choice. Remember those in the concentration camp? They chose to share bread. You choose not to yell back. There you are watching tv or laying in bed or driving your car and you see something or someone who is incredibly attractive or a situation that starts to get you thinking down a certain path. Stop right there. Take out the reaction. Put in the action. You choose to turn off the tv, look away, get out of bed, say a prayer and stay on your knees or keep praying until the situation is past. And then you keep your mind that way. Just like GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) so too VIVO (virtue in, virtue out). And, interestingly for those of you who don't speak Spanish. VIVO means "I live." (from vivir: to live) And that's the point. LIVE. Choose to live, to take action, to change your thoughts. And once you have that virtue, it's like a stone rolling down a mountain that just keeps going. Unless you allow vice to insert itself, it won't. And the more you reinsert virtue, the harder it is for vice to get in. There's only so much room in the car people, even if you feel like your mind is a clown car.

When you find yourself in GIGO land, well, remember an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. That outside force is you choosing virtue. So, there you are, already thinking impatiently, jealously, lustily, angrily, etc. or you are taking action gossiping, lying, reading/viewing/thinking pornography. Remember, it's your choice. The problem is that we have someone who is actively telling us that there is no choice, that its reaction time not action time. (Remember, there is no devil, for I am none? LIE.) And then, of course, we tell ourselves another lie. I was tired. It was a bad day. I couldn't help it. That is the exact opposite of the concept of self-reliance or the ability to choose our destiny. You can help it. Even when you are tired, frustrated, unjustly accused.

Hearing that might make us angry or frustrated. And that is an indication of just how much we've come to believe the lie. Because truthfully, it should inspire us. 'Oh, that's right. I have the choice. And I can ask for help. There is always hope. I just have to choose and start. Go and do.'

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." He suffered all temptation. He descended below all things. Never once did he falter. Never once did he choose vice. Why? Because He never forgot the truth. He never listened to the lies. He cast such from Him and so can we. Remember the truth. Remember who you are. Remember the gift you were given. Make the choice. For the next few days, let's consciously work at remembering the laws of virtue and see if that makes it easier to live with virtue in your thoughts and keep them there.

VIVO.