The Life Athletes Training Virtues

Virtues to acquire

These are some of the virtues or character traits found in heroic souls. They are all variations of the four big ones, namely courage, justice, temperance and prudence.

Care
Care springs from our realizing that we are in this together, and that we are in solidarity with others. To care is to express humanness. This virtue care gives us the power to overcome the inconvenience and some-time hassle involved with helping others.

Chastity
Chastity gives us the power to use our sexuality in a way that is for us and others. It helps us to see the big picture. A lack of chastity causes blindness of mind, rashness, thoughtlessness, inconstancy, inordinate self-love, hatred of God, excessive love of this world, and abhorrence or despair of a future world. An unchaste person loses the sense of right and wrong. They will even use others in order to save themselves. Not exactly a trait we like to see in our friends, is it?

Compassion
Compassion is sharing the suffering of others. It is being present for them, and listening to them with empathy. When friends are compassionate with us, it feels as though they are helping us to carry our burden. The joy of experiencing their love lessens our suffering.

Courtesy
Courtesy is having good manners, and treating people as if they were valuable, respected and important. It is infectious. Our expression of love can actually make people nicer and more agreeable. This is a virtue we can exercise daily with people we don't even know. Saying "please", "thank-you" and letting others into traffic are little ways we show love to those around us. This little virtue makes life more pleasant, and helps us to live in harmony with others.

Fidelity
Fidelity is the virtue that allows us to keep our commitments, even when it is difficult and the outcome uncertain. It perseveres courageously, in faith, and in the hope that things will work out for the best. This is a very important in relationships, especially in marriage. That is why it is important to make commitments carefully, and not rashly.

Responsibility
To be responsible is to be answerable, to be accountable. Taking responsibility for our actions is a sign of maturity. Whereas irresponsible behavior is immature behavior; it does not take ownership for what it does, and what results from it.

Generosity
Generosity is giving things of value to other people. It is the opposite of greed. Being generous increases our capacity to love. Through the proper use of things, we are able to strengthen our heart and build relationships with God and others. Gifts build relationships between people.

Graciousness
Graciousness is the virtue of remembering those who are not as "important" as us. Have you ever been ignored by somebody who thought they were better than you? A person who ignored you in order to hang out with the "cool" crowd? It feels lousy doesn't it? Not only do you feel bad, but the offender looks bad too. Being "stuck-up" is not pretty; pride always makes us look ridiculous. Whereas a gracious person gives people the respect due them as human beings. He or she does not merely calculate what others can do for them.

Humility
Humility is the virtue of seeing ourselves as we are in relation to God and to others. It is living our life according to this realistic assessment and not thinking more or less of ourselves then we ought. This is difficult because we are prone to swing toward either extreme. We become proud when we do well, and we get down on ourselves when we don't. Humility is an important virtue.

Integrity
Integrity is the virtue of being the person we claim to be. It is "walking the talk," or "practicing what we preach." We cannot say one thing and then do another and still be a person of integrity. If we think we can, we are only fooling ourselves. To be honest means to be real, genuine and authentic. This shows respect for ourselves and for others.

Some believe deceiving others is all right so long as you are not caught, or for the sake of a greater good. Although this may work some of the time, we lose ourselves in the process. Sir Thomas More (former Chancellor of England and famous for his integrity) is quoted as saying that we hold ourselves in our hands like sand; if we let go for a moment we are lost, never to regain ourselves.

Politicians who say they are opposed to abortion, but fail to exercise their authority to stop it lack integrity. So do "religious" people who do evil in hopes that some good will result. They too lack integrity, because God's Kingdom is not built by deception, manipulation or theft. While being two-faced might appear clever, avoiding basic moral obligations is a vice, and not a virtue. The ends can never justify the means. How can you relate with someone who is not what they appear to be? Honesty is absolutely necessary for friendship, especially within the Church.

Modesty
A modest person does not draw undue attention to himself. He or she is self-assured, but not self-absorbed. He or she shows a sense of privacy in their dress, speech and behavior. They know that being a person is incompatible with being an object for public consumption. People are made for love, and not to be used.

Patience
Patience is the virtue of quietly overcoming the difficulties we encounter. It helps us to keep our composure during stressful situations. It is much like the virtue of courage in that it requires strength, but patience is more subdued.

Patriotism
Patriotism pertains to our relationship with others as fellow countrymen. Like piety, which describes our relationship with our families and Church. Patriotism describes our relationship with our country. It acknowledges our country as a gift, but also as a responsibility. Countries are natural arrangements of people that protect families and the rights of persons.

We should not take our country lightly. Many have even given their lives safeguarding the rights and freedoms we enjoy today. Moreover, countries mirror important truths about its people. For example, the United States was founded upon a Constitution that embodies its values as a nation.

True patriotism has often been misunderstood and distorted by unscrupulous leaders. Governments should not manipulate its people to behave unjustly and disguise it as duty. For example, Sir Thomas More was beheaded for not obeying King Henry VIII. Although More had served his king faithfully for many years in the highest offices, he refused to break God's law. His last words were, "I die the king's good servant, but the Lord's first."