Virtue feels a bit out of place these days. Like a ninth grade student who has wandered into a party and isn’t sure if they’re in the right house, Virtue is a bit gangly and awkward, and surrounded by a bunch of people who are just trying to “seize the day.”
Their master Impulse would prefer it if Virtue just turned around and left.
The word itself means “moral excellence.” That sounds like a good thing. But today, people often use it as a sneer. ‘So-and-so is so virtuous.’ The tone suggests that being virtuous is like being judgmental, or acting as if you are better than someone else. And we certainly don’t want that.
Hmm, a conundrum. What’s to be done?
Well, the truth helps.