Virtue: an attempt to synthesize

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1. Justice / Giving Good Judgement
Justice presumes that first, one is carefully attempting to discern the facts of a situation, its nature, and second, that one's decisions proceed in an equitable manner so that actions are in accord with the situation. Justice means that one's best judgement is not compromised by wishful thinking, personal gain, or false evidence. To do justice is to embrace wisdom in thought and action, to allow no bias to interfere with the search for truth. In Celtic lore, the rightful and best king is often known by the fitness of his judgments and the even-handedness of his justice; to be just is an important, if not the most important, element of right authority. Even in an age without kingship, we can understand the link that the right use of authority and value-based power have with justice.

2. Trustworthiness / Integrity
Honesty transcends the matter of whether or not one admits to chopping down the cherry tree; telling the truth is important, but being truthful -- literally, being full of truth -- is larger in scale and has to do with presenting an appearance that matches who one actually is. The word integrity means wholeness or cohesion, so that a person is consistent in her values, speech, action, and identity, a unified person who is herself in all situations. In the context of Irish law, the trustworthy person is one whose testimony can be believed; trustworthiness intrinsically means that a person carries the weight of truth and will not misrepresent herself.

3. Responsibility
Mindfulness of all one's duties and scrupulousness in performing them. Loyalty is the duty owed to family and friends, while piety is the duty owed to the Powers. Debts must be paid, and when others are counting on one to live up to obligations, that is exactly what must be done. To be responsible is to fulfil one's role, to do the job that has fallen to you to the best of your ability. Because the cosmos is designed to be in a state of dynamic balance, failing to hold up your own end of things not only damages yourself and others directly, but disturbs the entire balance.

4. Courtesy
Behaving with basic politeness and civility, in accordance with custom. Courteous behavior is a tangible method of expressing the respect we have for other people's needs and feelings. Mild behavior, composure, and keeping one's head are generally considered courteous, as well as extending others the benefit of the doubt in disagreements. Gratitude for the gifts and good behavior of others is courteous, and so is a basic attitude of graciousness that puts people at ease. These are generalizations; the definition of courtesy depends largely on one's environment, so in order to be courteous, one must be attentive and learn how to accommodate the unexpected, and master the art of the apology for the inevitable mis-steps that will sometimes occur. Things that have no intrinsic moral value can become moral issues by right of whether they show courtesy or discourtesy; appropriate dress for the occasion, good table manners, and not swearing in front of Grandma are ethical behaviors not because they have any immutable significance in and of themselves (and in fact, your dress, table manners, and vocabulary will can and probably should change later on, in different circumstances), but because they make people near you feel comfortable and find you pleasant to be around.

5. Compassion
If we are all connected to one another, then compassion is nothing more than the conscious and active awareness of that fact. Showing mercy and leniency for other people's failures is compassionate, and so is showing warmth and kindness when others are in difficult situations. Forgiving people's debts to you when those debts have become beyond their ability to pay is an act of practical compassion, but even without taking such a direct action, one can be compassionate simply by learning to empathize with others, by truly putting oneself in their situation and trying to understand them. We extend compassion to others to show that we see and accept them for who and what they are, and that they have intrinsic value as human beings in spite of whatever imperfections we see in them.

6. Generosity
Probably the signal Celtic virtue, the cosmological issue behind generosity is that the world is endlessly abundant, and that the right and proper state of the world is in flow, the constant giving of gifts in an eternal circle of relatedness. Nature creates expansively, and that which contracts and withers in death just contributes in a new form to the generative processes of life. Therefore, the right and proper state of a person is also open-handedness , a deep hospitality that lays out its best and sets no arbitrary limits on its giving. Generosity applies to all forms of wealth, physical and nonphysical, and at the deepest level constitutes a radical call to actively serve the land, the people, and the gods, holding nothing back and receiving bountifully in turn.

7. Honor
Honor is a social virtue, not one that can be experienced in solitude; honor is something others bestow upon you, so that a cumbersome but accurate way of describing this virtue would be "cultivating a good reputation." Earning others' respect matters, not just how you feel about yourself. It is never entirely possible to control other people's feelings about you, but our actions of course are a huge influence, and consensus tends to develop in a community about who is worthy of being looked up to. We influence people's perceptions of us by putting our best foot forward, by being conscious of our actions and attempting to be at our most admirable when others are looking to us, what's often known as "being a good role-model." The honorable person does not feign stupidity or incompetence in order to be liked. She recognizes her own failings but doesn't need to air them in front of the world on a talk show. She is not falsely modest, but she also trusts others to perceive her worth without ordering them to do so. She is mindful of her family's reputation as well and does not run them down to strangers, because honor is at least in part a commodity shared among members of a family. In a multicultural society, of course, not everyone agrees on what constitutes admirable behavior or an honorable person; one person's empowered woman is another's dirty slut, one person's great statesman is another's unindicted co-conspirator, and one person's man of sensitivity, integrity, and great courage in the face of hostile prejudice is another's screaming queen who contributes to stereotypes that harm the gay community. The best route is to view honor as reciprocal, and to work hard to be admired by those people that you in turn find most admirable, while learning not to mind the scorn of people you yourself consider without virtue or simply foolish.


SEVEN CELTIC VALUES
I do not consider these virtues, per se, because I don't consider the lack of them to be vices. In fact, it can be dangerously misleading to start thinking of the presence of these qualities as indicators that a person is virtuous. Nevertheless, they are certainly positive qualities that, if cultivated, can make it immeasurably easier to uphold the above virtues. They are honored in Celtic tradition, and I think it would serve the individual and the community well if people were to attempt to cultivate these qualities in addition to the ethical principles already discussed.

1. Eloquence
2. Courage
3. Skillfulness
4. Beauty, charisma, charm, attractiveness
5. Wit, intelligence
6. Humor, joyfulness, playfulness
7. Luck, good instincts, intuition