The Role of the University in Civil Discourse
the evil of despair? Most important, did he have any awareness of what it is to love a neighbor as you love yourself, or even a bit more, as exemplified by the Tucson heroes who sacrificed themselves for the sake of others? We still have heroes who are defined by their actions in pursuit of the virtuous life.
Education in the virtuous life does not guarantee a life worth living, but it is the essential basis for a meaningful life. If we believe that the virtuous life is only a matter of opinion, however, we will never understand the critical importance of civility. If virtue is a matter of opinion, there is no vice. If morality is a matter of opinion, there is no truth, because truth becomes a matter of opinion. It is, therefore, impossible to agree on any definition of “civility” since civility necessarily becomes a matter of opinion. Civility then exists only in the eye of the beholder and will cater to the beholder’s felt needs, including perverted needs as perceived by someone like Jared Lee Loughner. Our forefathers did not view the virtuous life as a matter of opinion. They were adamant in their belief that the success or failure of this noble experiment in democracy which we now call the United States of America depends entirely upon a virtuous citizenry. That dimension of our national origin is the ultimate inconvenient truth that has been continuously ignored.
As we contemplate economic and international crises and pursue efforts to meet these challenges, the most insidious challenge is not being addressed. We need an educated and virtuous citizenry to assure civility and success for ourselves and our children.
Civility is not a matter of opinion. Its presence or absence is manifested in our language and in our actions toward others. Civility requires a basic understanding of justice, prudence, hope and love.
Education in civility begins in the family, but discussion of the virtuous life must continue in education from kindergarten through the highest levels of education. That discussion must be a pervasive part of our culture.
We can recognize manifest injustice when we see it. We can distinguish hope from despair. We can recognize love and the absence of love in hate.
The virtuous life is not a matter of opinion. It is recognizable and it is essential. If we have virtuous and educated citizens, we will not only survive, we will prevail—not through violence, but as exemplars who prove that serving others and carrying their burdens is the only life worth living.
Copyright, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, January 18, 2011. Reprinted with permission.
37