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(Last revised: October 12, 2007)

THE VIRTUES

Over time my philosophy has evolved, starting out (and perhaps remaining) as a fairly nebulous, amorphous, general "nobility" that I strive for. It began when I was perhaps thirteen or fourteen years of age.

Early on, I considered Honesty to be among the highest, but also Balance. The latter is somewhat of a special case. I consider it to be a superset of Equity and Justice, but it also applies to all of the other virtues and most aspects of daily life. All things must be balanced against one another, and some things must be taken in moderation. All of these virtues at times may even need to be bent or broken, and this requires a balanced approach.

Loyalty, Wisdom, and Awareness are probably among the most recent to be spelled out here, and other virtues and concepts may yet be added as I decide on their explicit importance (beyond the general "be good" sort of theme this whole thing has).

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - I'm still writing this and deciding on symbols, so nothing is written in stone... heck, my ideology has evolved over time anyway. It's all subject to change.

	HONESTY, Truth As the candle reveals truths from the darkness, we must all strive to illuminate truths through our honesty. Counterintuitively, one must be aware of how literal truths can mislead, and how truth can be served by misdirection at times. Honesty is one of the highest of the virtues, and is therefore first in the list. Honesty brings truth, which is necessary for knowledge. Knowledge is important for wisdom, progress, and every decision we make in our lives.
	BALANCE, Justice, Fairness, Equity Symbolized by the scales. Balance in all things. Everything in life contains it's own advantages and disadvantages. Indeed, all forms of fairness and justice can be seen as balance on a larger scale.
	UNITY of body, mind, and spirit Like the infinite moebius strip, which is internally continuous, one must seek to be internally harmonious. Without a united body, spirit, and mind, one can easily be lost. But also, seeking unity with others in the form of community can be a great source of strength, for indviduals and groups alike can be greater than the sums of their parts.
	HONOR, Dignity Symbolized by the sword, honor can be found in defending the weak, remaining true to one's word, standing for a worthy cause, and facing defeat with grace.
	COURAGE to face fear, not fearlessness Symbolized by the shield, courage protects us from succumbing to overriding fear. Like spiritual armor, it allows us to face danger and risk with strength and confidence.
	RESPECT, Courtesy
	WISDOM, Forethought Wisdom and accumulated experience guide our knowledge, and allow us to excersize forethought and intuition in our decision making.
	LOYALTY Symbolized by the hourglass, for loyalty is nothing if it does not endure.
	HUMILITY, tempered by balanced self-respect and confidence
	AWARENESS, Thoughtfulness Symbolized by the eye, we must always be aware of our environment, and those around us. Awareness allows us to respond to danger and change, and provides a means to be thoughtful with regards to such, and to other people.
	COMPASSION, Kindness
	GENEROSITY, particularly by words or deeds Symbolized by the open hand, generosity takes many forms, perhaps the highest is generosity of words, thoughts, or deeds.