The Imperative to Virtue Gap
The Imperative to Virtue Gap
Section titled “The Imperative to Virtue Gap”
Metadata
Section titled “Metadata”- Author: Richard Beck
- Full Title: The Imperative to Virtue Gap
- Category: #articles
- URL: https://richardbeck.substack.com/p/the-imperative-to-virtue-gap
Highlights
Section titled “Highlights”- But as you know, when you lack the capacities for a particular virtue—from kindness to staying calm—it’s pretty impossible to obey the commands. We’re expecting performance where there is no skill. We are demanding results where there has been no practice and training.
- This is why spiritual practice, formation, training, and discipline are critical. Virtues are habits we acquire, not choices we make at the point of a command. Trouble is, we tend to get stuck on the commands. We tell people how they should think, feel or behave but never get around to the practices that turn these imperatives into virtues.