Prismatic Virtue

Prismatic Virtue *** by RoarkLeSkif ___ ___ __ ___ _ _ ( _ ( _ ( / __( \/ ) ) __) /)(\__ / \/ \ (__)(_\_(_)(__\_)(_/

It can be said that the physical world around us is rather prismatic. Our world has no organic shapes or curves to it, only sharp corners and crystal clear divisions. I see no gradients in cobblestone. So why then do we not hold ourselves to

the same standard? By this I mean that in order to live in this world we should assume the world's essence of being perfectly clear cut and rigidly defined. We should be living PRISMatically. PRISM is an acronym I devised to easily remember the five

simple virtues of life in this blocky world. They are each of equal importance and are: Peace Responsibility Integrity Sympathy Maturity

In each chapter of this book we will be taking an in-depth look at these virtues and why they're important. So without further ado, let us begin with the first letter in the PRISM acronym, the virtue of Peace.

PEACE "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." -Miner Theresa Peace is defined as freedom from disturbance. This means that peace is

not only an inner state but also affected by outside forces. To attain peacefulness you need to only be at peace with yourself but also with others. Being free from disturbances is crucial in this world. We have much to focus on with building and

molding the world to our desires. To have someone come along and destroy our creation is greatly harmful to our own well-being and peace of mind. Thus, assume an attitude of peace in all that you do, so that those around you can focus on what's

important in this world. And when you declare peace towards others, it gives you more time to focus on what's really important to you.

RESPONSIBILITY "Responsibility is the price of freedom." -Elbert Hubbard To be responsible is to have a duty to someone or something. Each of us is responsible for multiple things every day, especially when

living in close proximity to others. There's responsibilities to yourself to be safe and eat each day, but there's also responsibilities to each other that are not so easily seen or understood. First, we must be responsible for our actions towards

each other. In this regard, telling the truth is always vital. If you have wronged someone you have a responsibility to answer to them for your wrongdoings. There is also the responsibility to help your neighbor. This means not only doing

no harm towards your neighbor but also actively doing good. By doing good you are improving your neighbor's life, which in turn improves your own. By improving the well-being of those around you, you improve your own situation. Finally, there is a

responsibility to not only help your neighbor but also listen to their opinion. A community which cannot listen to each other cannot grow together. Everyone must have a fair say, and their voice cannot be allowed to be drowned out by those more powerful

or influential than they are. This ensures a thriving community in which the minority still gets heard, and if the minority happens to be correct about some subject or other, than the truth shall find its way into the mind of society as a whole.

INTEGRITY "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." -Ralph Waldo Emerstone Integrity not only means being honest and having strong moral principles, it also is a state of

being whole and undivided. It is in this manner with which I use Integrity. Be undivided in your beliefs like the squares of stone are undivided in the walls of your home. Do not allow cognitive dissonance to find a root inside your mind.

This is not to say that you should close yourself off from accepting new beliefs, but merely to say that you must come up with a coherent world view that does not allow for conflict. Do not believe one thing and do another. As always there will

be new opinions that may change your worldview or cause your beliefs to shift. That is okay. What is not okay is lying to yourself that you have the world figured out when in fact your own beliefs are not even in accordance with each other. If

your beliefs cannot agree with each other, then they also cannot agree with the world.

SYMPATHY "The more sympathy you give, the less you need." -Malcolm Forbes Most people think of sympathy as pity but it also means an understanding between people, or a common feeling. Sympathy

gives us the ability to put ourselves in another's shoes and come to understand their viewpoint. In turn this allows us to also better see our own viewpoints through the glass of someone else's eyes. Always be sympathetic towards other's viewpoints.

Give each other the benefit of the doubt when in a disagreement. Even if you think that they must be crazy, try and see where they're coming from. You don't have to give in to their viewpoint or compromise, but rather make an effort to fully

understand their position. Then if you still think that you are in the right you can go about trying to change their viewpoint, this time in a much more effective way than before. By seeing where they're coming from you may also happen to see where

they are making an error in judgment and hopefully by showing them this they will be sympathetic and listen to your reasoning. Both parties can make it out better than one if they remain sympathetic towards each other.

MATURITY "Maturity is knowing when to be immature." -Randall Hall Maturity means more than being fully developed physically, it's also synonymous with being sensible, levelheaded, and even reliable. We're called

to be mature in our interactions with each other and to not let emotions get the better of us. By letting our rationality take charge in our interactions we can protect each other from mental or emotional harm. By turning away from name-calling and

focusing on more important and intelligent methods of debate we can get to the heart of the matter faster. Being mature greases the wheels of society to allow it to move at an accelerated rate. Being mature is not a death centence to fun. We are, after

all, only in this world to have fun. But fun should not be had at another's expense. It is more desirable to share fun with others than to push people down so that you can have a little bit of it. And there's also oppurtune moments to be immature, and the

important thing is knowing when those moments are. Being mature is not asking you to remove your emotions from your being. It's merely asking you to keep them subdued when dealing with others, especially those you may not care for. Maturity is a virtue

that can be difficult to understand and use properly, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying to do so. Being mature can give you more benefits than being immature, and by being mature you will know when it's okay to let loose and have a little fun.

In conclusion, I ask you to consider these five virtues and their application in your life. If every man woman and child abided by these virtues I feel we would all be much better off than we are today. The PRISMatic virtues are for everyone, for the

benefit of everyone, so go and live the way this prismatic world asks us to. As always, thanks for reading. :) -RoarkLeSkif