Sermons of Virtue III
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Title: Sermon of Virtue III
Author: Loki
I further feel that rather than have the statement of fealty being left to each guild to express how and what they will pledge to the Regency, we need to have an actual Oath of Fealty that stands as the basis for those wishing to swear their allegiance to the Regency. This oath will be how all are judged for their purity of purpose and support of both the Regency and the Virtues. An oath, that if broken, would lead to dissolution of their ties to the Regency and the fleshing out to the community as a whole of their breach of loyalty to the Virtues. And from this beginning we could establish a Regency of Virtue, one that unites us in Virtue and not divide us due to lacking Virtues. So let us begin to renew and refresh our Regency and reestablish our alliances through the Virtues to each other, our community, and the new Regency of Virtue. Let us bring light where there is darkness, truth where there is deception, compassion where there is cold indifference, and most of all, Virtue to our governing body, our reborn Regency of Virtue.
We all seek meaning and worth in our lives. To attain these goals we must rely on our motivations as our rudder to guide our actions. These motivations that we choose to be our rudder are what determine both our success in achieving our goals and the type of person we become. If our motivations are ordered, we will lead lives of sanity and structure while those choosing chaotic roots lead lives of discord and lacking harmony. If we choose to root ourselves from honest motivations we lead lives filled with truth and meaning, but choose falsehood and live a life of lies, treachery, and fraud. Anchor yourself in courage and lead a life of honor and valor, anchor yourself in cowardice and your life is filled with weakness and fear. Derive your motivations from love and lead a life filled with devotion and loyalty, choose hatred and live a life that is spiteful and steeped in loathing.
The real question is finding a root essence on which to anchor our lives. Where preferably all of us, hopefully at least most of us, would choose paths of order over chaos, truth over falsehood, courage over cowardice, and love over hatred; is there a single rooting that leads to simplify these choices? Fortunately there is a rooting that once chosen simplifies our lives and leads to the desired worthy life. Choose to follow the Virtues and your life will be filled with the Principles, the Principles of Love, Truth, and Courage.
It was believed by Lord British that leading such a life would further lead to a life of order. Thusly, Virtue gives us the strength of the Principles, and the Principles lead to a life of order and inner calm. Further, a society of people rooted in Virtue is a stronger society, one of harmony, peace, strength, caring, affection, and goodness. This is the society Lord British wished for his people, and it is the society of which I wish for us to be a part. A society of mutual support, reciprocated love, communal respect, shared responsibility, cooperative efforts, and inclusive acceptance. A community of oneness with the Virtues.
A Challenge We follow the Virtues to have our goals rooted in the same firm base. We follow the Virtues to lead lives that are in harmony with each other. With our lives rooted in the same firm base and us living in harmony all through the Virtues, then why is there so much strife between the peoples of Virtue? I can see why we have different Guilds of the Virtues. First, there are Eight Virtues, which would give rise to many differing ways to base a guild in the Virtues. This is beneficial in some ways as having guilds which stress different Virtues leads to a sum whole that will better be in balance within the Virtues.
We also have town councils from both the eight towns of Virtues and from the other towns that are not represented originally in the Virtues. All of these groups also help to strengthen our resolve in the Virtues. Now we also see alliances that are binding some of the guilds of Virtue together same as has been done through town councils. So what we have is a quilt woven by the intermingling of the peoples of Virtue through their different associations. So this should make our groups stronger in the Virtues, and to some extent this is the truth, but there is a problem, a trouble with our quilt.
This quilt is strong, but only in the center. This is not true of the periphery where the quilt is tattered and coming undone. And due to this disruption at the edges, the seems are weakened and therefore more easily torn asunder. Our tenuous grasp of the Virtues is only as strong as the weakest among us. This is part of the reason for Guilds, town councils, alliances and other groups where like-minded interests of the people can be united to tread the path of Virtue. But what is there to hold these different groups together to an even higher degree? Where is the one true body of Virtue that unites all the groups of Virtue together, to preserve each other, to preserve the Virtues and to seek balance for the Virtues?
Once there was such a body, one that held the respect of almost all the peoples of Virtue. This body was known as the Regency and it held respect as it followed the Virtues and upheld the Principles of Lord British. Many say it has lost view of the truth, of the origin of the founding of the Regency. Many have turned away from the Regency, as they have perceived it has turned from them. Upon leaving they formed their own Alliances and Councils as substitutes for the leadership that became lacking. This was meant to strengthen the Virtues in our society but instead has weakened our stand with the Virtues. We need to regain our unity and find a pure body of the Virtues. We need to take back our Regency or replace it with a new Body of Virtuous Unity.
I would recommend putting our questions aside and renewing our fealty to the Regency and mold it into what we all know it can and should become again. This is not my choice to make, nor is it the choice of the Holy Church of the Virtue. All I can do, or that the Holy Church of the Virtues can do, is to point out the obvious. Sometimes the obvious is so large we all miss seeing the truth. But the simple truth is we are stronger united as one and for Virtue to triumph we need all the strength and unity we can muster. So to that end I leave the rest to you, the righteous people of Virtue. We here at the Holy Church of the Virtues offer any assistance we are able, but in reality it is your quest to make this become a reality. So meet with your guilds, councils, alliances, and other organizations. Get your leaders together and decide; for the time is now, not later. As I have said before, we are at the crossroads and do not have the luxury of time. Please accept this challenge in the spirit it is intended, the thrown gauntlet to unite in Virtue and stop the tearing at the edges thus weakening the seams of our quilt. This is your society to save, and through the Virtues, we can unite and save much more than we can imagine. Thank you.