When decency is not decent

 

In my previous post, I shared how Socrates and Plato taught that four virtues lead to true happiness: courage, moderation, wisdom, and justice. I believe in these virtues deeply, and I know many of you do, too.

​However, I’ve come to a painful realisation: not everyone shares a soul-deep longing for a world of harmony and reciprocal respect. We cannot ignore the reality that some individuals find a dark satisfaction in destruction, exploitation, and humiliation. It is a terrifying truth to witness.

​We see this reflected even on a national scale. Looking at the actions of governments in places like Russia or Israel, we are forced to confront state-sanctioned violence. 

Some might say it is "racism" or "prejudice", but is it really? Or is it simply an honest witness to the unjustified violence happening in front of our eyes?

And we "decent nations" do not react accordingly?

​I see a different kind of crisis in the USA. How did the "decent people" fail to see the growing divide? Perhaps, in their self-satisfied "decency", they neglected a massive portion of the population that felt ignored and abandoned. This overlooked majority, driven by frustration, ended up putting their faith in a leader that now, I think also to them, will appear as a disgrace. 

Declared virtue is not always a real virtue when empathy in action is missing.