The life project would be centered around how our values, principles and judgment influence our actions towards the future, our outlook on the future and how we can become masters of ourselves using reason to promote stability of community and good in control of ourselves. The virtues that are shown in my character affect my values and judgement. For instance, if I had more of a courageous, wisdom, and positive centered viewpoint on life that may affect the people I choose to seek friendship with and how I perceive their character not only on minor traits such as politeness or playfulness as well the moral values, beliefs, and rules that a person maintains in their life on the job and personally to decipher and confirm right from wrong. Our values and principles influence a variety of aspects besides who we make friends with such as what and who we listen to and take advice from which can be our guardians or other people we view as mentors, what type of job or good we will be for in the future and how will it impact the community in a good way and what hobbies we will partake in.
The values and principles influence the choices a person makes and the way a person spends their time on those choices will shape the life they are going to lead. The idea is to lead a good life instead of one such as unexamined life that is not worth living which is a life that repeats in dullness and lacks reflection in character that our values input in us. Living a good human life means seeking to know the world and the demands of good for the world, yourself and governing yourself through your aims and values and whether the value of that life is molded or controlled by the spirit of that life or by other people, a person should live in a way that is working towards goals you care about of objectives one wishes to obtain. A person can choose to give meaning to what they do, if they so feel inclined to imbue it with power. My life project would a plan in which my moral values, principles and judgments would shape and help my life achieve future goals. My values and principles in being for society help shape my goals.
For instance, one of my goals is to help my community through healthcare which is shaped by my values for providing help and care to my community which is a way for being for the good. Exhibiting virtues such as courage, humility, compassion, benevolence, wisdom and others would be good additions to a good moral character which would influence my choices and aims towards one that promotes goodness and stability not only for myself but for my community. My objective is to promote good and happiness which is an objective for a person of virtuous behavior and in order to be successful I would follow my values, beliefs, principles and judgment so I can go down the right path, end up accomplishing my goal, working towards the excellence in being for the good and increasing the happiness and pleasure of others in my community. The life project seems to involve the concept of living a good life by putting meaning into our values and principles, so our choices influenced by what we value, and follow will lead us in the right direction. One can reflect on how their values and virtue influence their character in the concept of human flourishing because there would be an improvement in their moral character. In twenty years I imagine I would have grown in all aspects of my being such as character would change. I would be nearing my forties which means that my values and principles would change because character development does not end at the start of adulthood and the experiences I will undergo will change the choices I make and my perspective on topics and concepts, for instance, in culture and politics.
I feel that I will be more mature because besides more experiences under my belt, I would have more people around me who I would listen to advice such as friends, a significant other, and family. There would be an improvement towards my character such as more understanding, compassion, honest, courage, wisdom, and respecting other people’s viewpoints, beliefs and ways of life because of the concept on that a person gets wiser as life passes on and myself in twenty years would better exhibit and understand virtuous character. There would be more motivational and structural virtues that would motivate me to do good for society because in twenty years, I feel that good moral work will be important towards my community. There might be some manifestation of self-love in the aspect of desiring good for myself by doing good for my community. I feel that virtues and traits in my character would become more integrated with my values and principles. I would imagine that all my virtues, principles and beliefs would be applicable to all situations that are encountered being that it would be best not to demonstrate inconsistency or hypocrisy. I want to have good character that is not questioned by vices in character.
In regard to my life I would imagine that in twenty years, I would have graduated from university, taken the MCAT, graduated from medical school and be finished with residency. I would possibly relocate to another state such as Washington or a country such as Canada in which I would live with a spouse, children and my parents. I would be working as a pediatrician that has hopefully had a good impact on the community and spend my leisure time free writing and volunteering in places like food banks and charity to benefit the community. I want to be working towards improvement of the good I can do for others. I want future-me to be an extension of myself but with improvements in all the deficiencies and exhibit virtuous character that other people would want to emulate.
Despite well-rounded virtuous people being rare, I want to be virtuous in every area besides the one of moral significance as well as reach a point where I can voice my opinion and dispute an idea or concept which is not likeminded to other’s outlook but come to a middle ground where I can respect their opinions because there will we places regarding the medical field in which doctors or nurses differ in ways to treat a patient or developing a diagnosis and in educational, political, cultural or societal aspects which are all grounds for subjective views as Adams says “ we have reason to think it for education to take place in a context of diversity that encourages critical thinking about one’s society and culture” (Adams p. 213). In order to fulfill my goals regarding the improvement of virtuous character and successions in future jobs and being for the good of the community, I would need to attain virtues such as humility and honesty. Humility is when one has the capability to ward off one’s own feelings of self-importance but not to the point of ignominy or indignity. Humbleness represents a huge amount in a person’s character because the virtue shows that a person still remembers their beginnings even if they happen to simple or poor and still cares for those who influenced them. A person with humility tends to listen to others instead of themselves, acknowledge their wrongness, commend others and add values and goods to others rather than themselves.
One aspect of virtuous behavior and good moral character is being for the excellence of goods for others rather than the desire of one’s own goods and being humble is about putting other’s needs before your own which is a core in being virtuous. My goal regarding a career needs humility because the very job is about caring for others and doing all that you can to save the life of a patient. Honesty is about stating the plain and stark truth without beating around the bush or sparing a person’s feelings.
Despite the wounds honesty can cause it is an important virtue because the lack of honesty can put one in terrible situations and a lack of honesty does not look good on any person’s character. Lying in being for the good shows a lapse of excellence and one cannot exemplify good moral character with a lack of honesty. Lack of honesty is a form of deception which is in no way for the good and being for truthfulness is a way for being for the good. Courage is a structural virtue that is a matter of how a person can govern their behavior and choices in agreement with their central aims and values. Courage is the act of being able to withstand fear without being reckless or cowardice but is not necessarily fearlessness. Courage is important because it is a strength that adds to virtues which will motivate me in being for the good. The right amount of courage shows that one may value their own health and longevity as much others, embrace positivity, will not compare themselves to others and will not be afraid of taking risk or failure. Courageous people rise through adversity, follow their beliefs and are good leaders in being for the good.
Courage is an important aspect in one’s character and being that I tend to lack courage, courage would allow me to value my principles and stand up for them and courage is applicable to multiple areas. Wisdom is a structural virtue that is connected with virtue and is important because virtue is a knowledge and one must be wise in actions and attitude to have good moral character. In an example of a dangerous situation, one must be wise in their judgment and beliefs to go upon their actions which is where wisdom is connected to courage because wisdom goes into the thought process of how to respond to the danger without being reckless and excessive.
Attaining wisdom can be considered a way of being for the good because the wise actions and wise attitudes that are influenced by one’s principles can be used for the good of society and helping others. Temperance is virtue that represents moderation or restraint and control in a person’s ability to indulge in what they find pleasurable and shows the lack of selfishness because with temperance, one has the ability to control themselves from the temptation doing what is wrong and for one to work in accordance to other’s goods and pleasures. Temperance is a core of virtuous behavior because like humility, one would work for the good and pleasures of others rather than themselves and enables one to not have a deficiency in doing what is right which is somewhat similar to the virtue of integrity. Integrity is about a person going by their word and practicing and being immersed in their moral values and principles in which they believe to be right. One with integrity respects, recognizes, understands, and accepts the principles they choose to abide by.
Without integrity, there comes a freedom that causes lawlessness which is not a part of virtuous behavior and it go against being for the good.
