Quendalon/Session24LiInterlude

“Virtue is strength.”

It is common for men without virtue to mock and ridicule the virtuous. “Why do you act this way?” they ask. “Why hobble oneself with restrictive behavior? Act as you would and be free.” But this is a false thought. The inherent value of virtue lies not in freedom but in strength. It is easy to give in to one’s urges and base desires. It is easy to be seduced by luxury, by fine foods and by beautiful flesh. It is easy to indulge in bloodlust or anger or hatred. But that which is easy to attain has little value. Jade is the most precious thing within the cities of men but jade is not easy to obtain. Jade is rare. Jade is difficult to mine. Jade is soft yet brittle and requires great skill to work. Likewise, virtue is rare, difficult to cultivate and brittle as unworked jade. Like jade, it is also beautiful and precious, in part because of these things but mainly for its own sake.

All things in Creation are transient, therefore their value ultimately diminishes and disappears. Forego the trappings of luxury and eschew excess. It is the nature of that which is excessive to diminish and that which is lacking to increase. To obtain stability and order, walk the middle path and thereby avoid the swinging of fate’s pendulum. By living simply and maintaining one’s solemn word, one’s path can become constant amidst the ever-shifting tides of Creation. The Way is found herein.

Though it can be difficult to do what is right, rather than what is convenient, to act virtuously is to cultivate one’s strength. No one ever says, “He has done what everyone can do, therefore he is a hero.”