How to Be a Better Person

In Great Books, we’ve been reading Meditations on the Soul, a collection of letters written by Marsilio Ficino, a philosopher during the Renaissance. He wrote these letters to various leaders of his time to discuss the problems that his society was facing and to edify these people in positions of power. The issues that he stresses in his letters are very similar to the problems we face today, which shows the consistency of human nature.

In one of his letters to Antonio Calderini, Ficinio warns why disunity is detrimental and why we should strive towards being unified. He says, “Surely the power of virtue lies in unity rather than in division… unity belonged to the good, diversity to evil.” (P. 5) He says that in order to be virtuous, you have to be unified. You cannot accomplish anything if you are constantly fighting with your brother.

As Christians, an overarching theme in our faith is unity. Paul emphasizes this unity in Ephesians 4 and encourages the church in Ephesus and, by extension, Christians around the world to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) He goes on to explain that unity is a part of the foundation of Christianity because there is only one God and one salvation that is available to all of us equally. We cannot be strong Christians without unity because it requires you to humble yourself and put the needs of others above your own, which was how Christ lived while on Earth.
Unification is so important because it is necessary for virtue. Ficino defines virtue as “a quality of the soul which leads a man by discrimination to bliss.” (P. 5) It determines how you see the world and allows you to make the decisions that will lead you to bliss, or God. Ficino also explains to Calderini that there are two kinds of virtue: reflective and moral. Reflective virtues are intellectual, and they are called reflective “because they are developed in reflection and are used for this purpose.” (P. 5) They allow you to look at things logically and clearly. This includes wisdom, prudence, and art, which Ficino says “is the true measure in accomplishing any work.” (p. 5) Reflective virtue determines how you think.

Moral virtues, however, dictate the heart. They are called moral virtues “because they are acquired by practice and custom and, once acquired, are based on moral conducts and useful works.” These virtues determine your actions. This includes justice, courage, and temperance. It’s important to have moral virtues because these will help you make decisions that align with reflective virtues. Being morally virtuous allows you to act as a servant.

Ficino explains that it is necessary to have one virtue in order to have the other. “Reflective virtue is simply an acquired clarity of the intellect, and moral virtue is a constant warmth of heart kindled by that clarity.” (P. 5) So, in order to have moral virtue, you must have reflective virtue because the reflective virtues allow you to develop moral virtues. You need to have a sound mind in order to make sound decisions.

The core of both of these virtues though is God. Ficino reminds his friend that “God is indeed the beginning and end of all things, we are born not for ourselves but for God.” The purpose of life is to live for God. The apostle Paul agrees with this sentiment when he says in Philippians 1:21 that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Because God is the ultimate source of good, it is impossible to have a good life without Him. The whole point of virtue is to point us back to Him. Without God, virtues would be nonexistent, and the ultimate reward of living virtuously is to one day reach Heaven. Regardless of what you do with your life, “consider God for His own sake, and everything for the sake of God.” (P. 7) If you live your life dedicated to God’s work, you can have faith that regardless of what comes your way, it is God’s will and that if He brings you to it, He can bring you through it.

Regardless of what the world may say, being virtuous doesn’t mean being “old-fashioned” or “boring.” Ficino shows us that developing virtues is important in order to be good people. Being a good person allows you to make a bigger, positive impact on the world around you, which allows you to share the Gospel with more people and makes them more willing to listen to you.