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 A new blog to contain answers to prompts |
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas "  became overfilled, here's a new one. This new blog item will continue answering prompts, the same as the old one. Cool water cascading to low ground
To spread good will and hope all around.  |
| Prompt: “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” ― Nelson Mandela Your thoughts? -------- Well...Who wouldn't want to have all that! Unfortunately, we are humans and we lack a lot of stuff to be such a special, almost perfect person. But then, I figure we can fake it just like some do, don't they! And such people can fool some of the people some of the time, but not always. Politically speaking, I could name names here, but I won't do that. Surely, politics aside, as a philosophical challenge, this combination in the quote is a whole symphony of virtues. It isn't just the mere talent that Nelson Mandela is talking about but a near-perfect human being with intellect, empathy, and profound expression. Well, I'm not going to get cynical about it, since I haven't met all the human beings who ever lived and are living. I guess, it is possible to be that good, and I certainly hope so. Since I so like taking things apart, I'll unpack this Mandela quote and look separately at its parts. A "good head" hints at not just intelligence, but also wisdom. What is wisdom, then? The way I look at it, wisdom is the ability to analyze, to pick out truth from falsehood, to make sound judgments, and to understand complex systems. In short, it is the clarity of thought. A "good heart" is an ethical guide. It could mean empathy, compassion, integrity, and moral courage. In a sense, it may have something to do with real love. Also, it favors fairness, right action, kindness and putting the well-being of others before one's own self. Come to think of it, this putting the well-being of others before one's own self would really irritate at least some of the Stoics. But I digressed, here, somewhat. Getting back to the virtues, a "literate tongue or pen" suggests eloquence to me. So, I would describe eloquence as the ability to put thoughts into words precisely and with passion. It would mean the capacity to put complex ideas and emotions into words. The aim of it would be to inspire, to comfort, and/or to connect deeply through words. Be that as it may, to master any one of these virtues perfectly is a big achievement. Yet their power is not in their separate existences, but in their teamwork. For example, a good head without a good heart can mean a lack of ethics, or behavior serving only self-interest. Then, a good heart without a good head can end up in weird, useless actions. In short, theoretically speaking, I believe it is possible for all these virtues to show in one person, but not as a state of flawlessness. Maybe, such virtues can exist all together, in a developing sort of way, because we humans are meant to evolve continuously. |
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