Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Bartholomew]

---

For Whom The Virtue Tolls

There are those who claim the Virtues are the exclusive right of the human race. They say that only those of pure Human bloodline may attain ultimate Virtue. By this, they condemn all other races to be inferior and incapable of Virtue. Even further, they condemn those of mixed racial backgrounds to have lesser capabilities and to be further removed from Virtue. But are such beliefs in accordance with the Virtues themselves? To answer this I spent much time in research of both the Virtues and the history of the Virtues becoming the guidance of our society. Here is what I discovered and the conclusions I reached.

One claim is that only the human race is capable of realizing the Virtues and the other than human races are simply incapable of acting with Virtue. They claim that only the human race is capable of Compassion yet we see compassion shown by many in the animal world, let alone amongst sentient beings that make up the non-human races. The same argument is made for Sacrifice notwithstanding that even a mother bird will tempt a predator to safeguard her nest. Would anyone beg to say that the non-human races are lesser being than birds? I would hope not. Many of these claims of the Virtues being the sole propriety of humankind is out of fear and suspicion of those who are different than themselves. The root of this is fear and superstition which stems from many things; general and often mutual mistrust, cloaking of each race in their own shroud of secrecy, difference of appearance, distinctive histories, varied religious practices, unique preferences, unfamiliar views, different rituals, misunderstood tribal lore, just generally troubling differences in all areas of life. All of these misgivings show lack of the Virtues and lack of effort to implement the Virtues. Honesty between the races will foster understanding. From this understanding we can proceed to Honor our differences while building bridges to join us together. On the way to joining together, all sides will be called upon to make Sacrifice to assuage perceived inequities. Finding the path that leads through these inequities will require Justice to be served to preserve the just Spirituality that is the basis for much Valor on each side. To respect our differences will require the Humility to admit that ours is not necessarily the sole option for progress. And lastly, the driving force to achieve a harmonious unity in our society is Compassion, an unbridled, uncompromising, all encompassing Compassion.

Now, there are those who will claim that Lord British intended the Virtues solely for humans. Their evidence supporting this claim is the lack of non-humans accorded positions in his Court and amongst his ministers and other positions of influence. The problem in this logic is two-fold. First, during the reign of Lord British the lands were solely inhabited by humankind. The non-human influx came subsequent to Lord British’s rule and introduction of the Virtues as the basis of our society. When the Virtues were first implemented, they were applied and intended for all in our society, from Lord British himself to the lowliest of those inhabiting our lands. This implies that the Virtues were and are intended for all inhabiting our lands, which now also includes non-humans. Second, the Virtues are obviously the centerpiece for an entire society. The entire society is inclusive of all inhabiting the lands, not solely the Humankind inhabiting the lands. To do otherwise would be to tear at the fabric of our society by relegating a large portion of our peoples as less worthy than those of a chosen exalted subgroup; in this case it places humans over non-humans. Lord British never intended for our society to be bipolar, he intended, stood for, and fought for a united society of total acceptance and inclusion.

Others simply claim that humans are the pinnacle of evolution. They claim that humans stand above the other races. They add that due to this superiority, only humans are capable of achieving the Virtues. They believe that the other races would inherently be unable to use the light of Virtues to find the true path of Virtue. This view originates in a despising of those different than oneself. It additionally wrongly ignores the abilities of those different than oneself. So this argument roots itself with the central point being Despise and Wrong, the antitheses of Compassion and Justice.

Still others claim that the Virtues belong to humans because a human conceived them. It is figured that obviously humans, and only humans, were meant to understand and live by the Virtues. They hold with greed to the Virtues refusing to share them with the other races. This is Covetous behavior, the opposite extreme from Sacrifice.

Another byproduct of those choosing to reserve the Virtues solely for Humankind, thus denying the Virtues to those of mixed or non-human blood, would be to turn our society into two opposing camps. In time such division will lead to strife, conflict, distrust, friction, and eventually to civil war. This is hopefully not the intent of those supporting the misguided notion of a bipolar society; one of the Virtues and one denied the Virtues. A society divided cannot stand and is inheritably weaker. Just as Lord British intended, we should strive for the most united and strongest society possible. In such a society the Virtues are the common thread, not just for some, but universally for all. To assume different is Arrogance, the diametric opposite of Humility.
_________________
Bartholomew; Celebrant of Virtue {HCV}