TMI Tuesday - The 7 Virtues

These questions are not as easy as I anticipated. But very thought provoking and insightful. I'm interested in what yall have to say so. You can do it too! lol TMI Tuesday #155

1. Prudence: When do you feel it is most important to exercise prudence? When is it acceptable to throw practicality out the window?
When lack of prudence will bring about heightened scrutiny, judgment, shame, embarrassment, etc. Basically, when your decisions screw you and those around you. I'm not going to be the reason why my daughter can't be president, because of something floating on the internet 10 years before she was born. Prudence is simply caring about what happens before it happens.

2. Justice: Is a sense of justice really a virtue, or is only a tool that allows us to pass judgment on others without feeling guilty? What do you feel is the greatest injustice facing the world today?
Depends on the swing of the pendulum. There are instances where we can exact justice (where there is clear, almost universal agreement of wrongdoing). But ultimately we all have to pass that way at some point and we should remember that when we raise that gavel to sentence another for something we deem improper, immoral, orunforgiveable. Someone may think the same way about how we govern ourselves. And justice is NOT revenge, retribution, etc.

3. Temperance: All things in moderation. Should we allow ourselves a few excesses? How well do you restrain yourself when faced with your deepest desires?
Yes. I allow myself a few excesses . . . thus the size of my wardrobe. Depends on whether it will be worth it in the end. Sometimes, I restrain myself well by pushing away from the table; other times, my fingers just dial numbers out of habit. . .

4. Courage/Fortitude: How well do you confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation? Does facing the little things make you as brave as facing the big things?
I don't confront fear and uncertainty well; MUCH better than I used to but I wouldn't use the word well. I pick my battles. But I realize I'm also that type of person that won't lift my foot to take a step unless I know where that next step is or I can step back where I once was.
The little things help me to conquer the bigger ones because then I have history with overcoming and exercising fortitude. Although I may be timid and dodge the challenge at first, eventually I will get tired of running and face it head on because clearly the flight aspect didn't work.

5. Faith: Is it important to have faith? How steadfast are you in your core beliefs? Do your core beliefs equate to faith in something?
For me, it's vitally important. If I didn't have faith, I would have succumbed a long time ago. And then again. And again. And just recently. Faith is the only thing that has kept me afloat. God puts strength around me to hold on to during times of storm. That strength may come from within me or He places people of strength around me so that I can draw from their strength. Sometimes they are strong enough to pull me up and slap the mess outta me and say ENOUGH ALREADY. If I didn't have beliefs and faith, I wouldn't have been around long enough to let that happen. And faith has made me cowardly humble enough to realize I can't end what I didn't start.
My strongest core belief is: I believe who I am resides in who He is. And He is real to me. If I am to believe that I am His child, I have to believe I got some of His traits. I have my non-negotiable personal beliefs and some things fall into a more gray, situation by situation evaluation process. My personal beliefs grow stronger as I realize what I won't allow. My beliefs has allowed me to see that there is more. God in His Infinite wisdow has created a greater purpose and chose me, as wretched and unworthy as I am, to do a work in this corner of His vineyard.

6. Hope: Does having hope for the future help you deal with the present? How good are you at finding the good in the bad? What is the thing you hope for most?
I touched on that in the Faith question. Yes it does. Hoping is expecting. I expect things to be better so I will make it happen or wait for it to come my way.
I'm better at finding the good in the bad when it's not me. I'm the silver lining girl. But when it's me, I've been more intimately acquainted with the bad. I tend to screen the good through the bad. I'm working on just seeing the good.
What I hope for most is to be come the ME I'm destined to be and being okay with that. I hope to be the best wife, mother, friend, sister, teacher, lover, confidante, support, visionary, missionary . . .

7. Love/Charity: How easy is it for you to give selfless, unconditional, and voluntary loving-kindness? How easy is it for you to receive selfless, unconditional, and voluntary loving-kindness?
I give better than I get. I've been tempering that selfless and unconditional love because it was becoming self-damaging and conditional. I loved so I expected blank (conditional) and because I loved they expected blank. It's harder for me to do the latter.
It's hard for me to accept that kind of love too. Sometimes, I'm waiting for the last shoe to drop or I'm walking on eggshells because if I enjoy it too much or acknowledge it, it will disappear. I'm learning not every hug isn't attached to a hand with a dagger in it. And I'm learning that I deserve that kinda selfless, unconditional love. That's big.