Image from the ceiling from the Sistine Chapel. Painting by Michelangelo
A Program For You, Your Children and Grandchildren — Learn It Yourself — Teach It To Them
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Finding flaws matter. After all, your strengths get you hired, your weaknesses get you fired. Yet most people would not know how many flaws they have let alone whether they have a fatal flaw.
There is nothing worse then finding out you can't advance due to factors you control.
Those who wish to lead and live an ethical life understand the importance of building habits known as virtues to counteract the tendency for us do bad things. It's like an ethical vaccine preventing descent into the abyss of bad habits, negative emotions and unproductive states.
Those with the moral authority to lead, have virtues followers identify with. More importantly, they Take Action to practice and install these in day-to-day activities that make up work and life. After all, it’s a poor sort of ethical system if you can't use it to guide daily decisions and actions.
By taking this class you will learn:
Why humans are good and bad: but you can choose the good
how to reveal your flaws and search for the elusive fatal flaw
A powerful way to evolve yourself by defining your virtues
About installing your virtues —it’s about making yourself better
Module 1: You’re Good and You’re Bad: The Paradox of Your Mind
"Everybody has good and bad forces working with them, against them, and within them.” ― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
“The insufferable arrogance of human beings to think that Nature was made solely for their benefit, as if it was conceivable that the sun had been set afire merely to ripen men's apples and head their cabbages.” — Cyrano De Bergerac
Antonio Canova (1757–1822) Justice. Image by: Fondazione Cariplo
Module Description The Ego, as the primary part of the mind that deals with realty, also has some characteristics that prevent it from achieving happiness. This session looks at a number of these limitations.
Freud was the first Western psychologist to point out the Ego was wrapped in a cocoon of largely unconscious mechanisms that protect—the way a blanket protects a baby. However, in adults, these Ego defense mechanisms filter and distort realty in ways that prevent the Ego from dealing with anxiety and dangerous truths. And so the Ego stays immature--often entering a state of arrested development.
Learning Objectives Level I: Knowledge and Understanding
Understand the major flaws associated with human nature.
Know the common model used in Western psychology for the nature of of your mind.
Level II: Skills Development
Develop the insight to discover your flaws and search for the Fatal Flaw
Document your flaws as they exist.
Develop the insight to know what will make you virtuous
Develop the self-discipline to be able to develop a virtue.
Key Concepts
Morality and Ethics
The Ego and The Unconscious
Jung" Shadow
Karma
Postive
Negative
Self-deception and Cognitive bias
Ego (Neurotic) Ego Defense Mechanisms
“A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.” ― George Bernard Shaw
Hieronymus Bosch- The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things
Module Description If each of us that the potential to do good and bad, we should understand the nature of the bad in hopes that we can prevent this from occurring. In other words, assuming free will (a big assumption), you will choose what path you travel down. Just as important, is your ability to recognize pathologies in others. In this case, we are going to focus on traits and behaviors, the kind of thing you can observe in yourself and see in others.
In this module, you will do what very few people do — document your flaws. For example, if you ask the average person what their top ten weaknesses are, they would look confused, the offended before going into denial that they have any flaws at all. Or perhaps they will give you a fake one—the kind of thing that you would do if you were in an interview.
The search for the fatal flaw is a characteristics that will cause you no end of grief if you do not take care of it.
"Power Corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." — Lord Acton. Said in 1887, these words still ring true today. But you should also understand that, money corrupts just as much as power.
Learning Objectives Level I: Knowledge and Understanding
Identify the definitions of the seven deadly sins.
Understand how Allport defined the different category of personality traits.
Discover the Big Five personality traits
Level II: Skill Development
Capture your "bad" personality traits..
Document your top sins and explain why these are a problem.
Document insights into emotions/states of mind that are considered to be weaknesses.
Key Concepts
The Seven Deadly Sins
Negative emotions
Harmful states of mind
Personality Traits
Cardinal
Central
Secondary
The Fatal Flaw
“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues.” ― Elizabeth Taylor
“Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” ― George Washington
Module Description Most people, that vast majority I belief, never ask themselves what they should be, what they should become by the time they check out of life. Sure, everyone focus on money and having lots of it, but very few focus on this issues of the character. Do you want be kind? Or is this unimportant. How about creative? Or resilient? or Optimistic? It seems strange that we would spend more time on our taxes in a year than we would what kind of person we should be. In this section, you will put together a profile for your "Ideal Self."
Learning Objectives Level I: Knowledge and Understanding
Understand the nature of the ideal self.
Know the nature of moral virtues as defined by the Catholic Church
Know that there are competitive traits helpful in sports
Identify traits commonly associated with great leadership
Level II: Skill Development
Define a set of future roles you would like to play on the stage of life.
Evaluate what set of virtues will help you to play your next to rooms.
“Virtues are too difficult,” I told him, shaking my head. “Look how old you are and you’ve hardly made a dent in them. I’ll admit, you seem to have zeal nailed, as well as faith and temperance. Self control? I’ve got my doubts based on your recent actions. I’m not seeing the kindness, love or generosity, either. That humility thing seems to be pretty far beyond your reach, too. Really, really far. I’m sorry to tell you this, but from what I can see, the sin of pride is a major component of your character. Dude, you’re old. You should have these things pretty well ticked off your shopping list by now. I’m seriously disappointed. Seriously.”
― Debra Dunbar, A Demon Bound
"We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor, 121-180 AD.
Image taken by: Murray Johannsen
“Where we stand in times of controversy is a measure of our character,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, an Apple shareholder who attended the meeting. “Some leaders only follow opinion polls. Others stand up for their principles, refuse to compromise, and mold opinion. We have such a leader of Apple, Tim Cook.” Benner, (2016) Appl e Shareholders Show Their Support for Tim Cook, Ne w York Times, Feb 25. .
Module Description Once you know your starting point and your destinatio n, you still have to get from here to there. And this frankly, is the hard part. It's easy to come up with the map, it's hard to walk down the path. For what you are striving to do is reduce your bad behaviors, flaws and sins and substitute a better set of behaviors which we call the virtues.
Unfortunately, this is not like taking a class, which you will only due once. You will have to practice many times. And you will find that sometimes you take a step forward, you will take a step back and it seems like you are standing in place. Don't worry about it.
Learning Objectives Level I: Knowledge and Understanding
Understand the nature of procrastination
Understand why few have strong self-control and will-power to resist temptations
Discover how Ben Franklin was able to develop his virtues
Level II: Skills Development
Practice using the same technique as Ben Franklin Technique to develop your virtues.
Develop a combination of techniques to mentally practice developing one virtue that is not being used.
Other Skills To Develop
Reflection
Insight
Self-Control
“Don't make another's pain the source of your own happiness.” ― Mark Frost, The Paladin Prophecy
