Saturday, February 16, 2008

Magnanimity

Aristotle coined the term "magnanimity." It is a combination of the word "magnus" which means "great" with the word "anima" which means "soul." To be magnanimous is to be great souled.

Aristotle also coined the term "pusillanimity" which means "mean spirited." Reflecting on this, I realized that I was pusillanimous. I have a mean spirit.

I am mean to people who deserve it. The only problem is that it seems that everybody deserves it, and I am becoming more and more like the people I despise. I have sunk to their level. I have done damage to myself because I feel that being magnanimous is weakness. It isn't. Being mean is being weak.

To highlight the difference between pusillanimity and magnanimity, consider the choice that Anakin Skywalker made in Revenge of the Sith concerning Count Dooku. Dooku had whipped his ass and taken his arm in Attack of the Clones. Now, the tables turned, Anakin has Dooku beaten and finishes him off out of pure meanness. This act pushes him further down the slope to the Dark Side.

Fast forward to Return of the Jedi, when Luke faces a similar choice with Vader. What does Luke do? He is magnanimous. He spares Vader and foils the Emperor's attempt to turn him to the Dark Side. Vader redeems himself by a similar magnanimous action and kills the Emperor.



Now, this is ancient philosophy and sci fi movies. Who cares? But consider the US treatment of terror suspects or the prisoners at Gitmo. The US has abandoned the Geneva Conventions to do this. Those conventions exist because of the belief in magnanimity. Even Irwin Rommel, a German Field Marshal during World War II, recognized and practiced magnanimity and is accorded honor despite being on the wrong side of history. He treated prisoners of war with dignity and humanity.

Noah Webster defined magnanimity this way:

MAGNANIM'ITY, n. [L. magnanimitas; magnus, great, and animus, mind.] Greatness of mind; that elevation or dignity of soul, which encounters danger and trouble with tranquillity and firmness, which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence, which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishment of useful and noble objects.

We treat others well not for their sake but for our sake. We are to refrain from mistreating bad people even though they probably deserve it. Why? Because it is out of character for a good person to engage in cruel acts even to those who engage in them themselves. This is what makes us better than people like Osama bin Laden. This has been lost.

The end cannot justify the means. From this day forward, I will be compassionate even to those who have no compassion. I will be honorable even to those without honor. I will never justify bad actions because I am being "truthful" or "right."

This has been a long time coming for me. I have a lifetime of hurt and anger to flush down the toilet. People always tell me I am "negative," and I never really understood what that meant. Now, I do. I am pusillanimous. I am MEAN.

I have hurt my former girlfriend on this blog along with the one before her. Whatever my issues, I was a bastard for treating them the way I did. Women have done me wrong countless times, but I am above all of that. And even Greta hasn't done me wrong. I simply got mad at her and let her have it. That was a dumb move and one I sorely regret now.

As with all habits, this will take time to develop. I am trying to refrain from profanity because I see it as pusillanimity. I am trying to quit running people down all the time or making fun of people. And I am trying to resolve my customer complaints with a certain degree of tact. Last night, the sushi chef saw me not being served and enduring it with as much dignity as I could muster. He fixed that server for me, and I tipped her generously though she had not earned it.

I must also give credit to my partner Travis who I work with everyday. He is a magnanimous fellow especially compared to me. He has shown me that you don't have to be either a doormat for others or a jerk. Deal with bad people but don't sink to their level.

As for my blog, it is one pusillanimous tirade after another. But I leave it all here--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Today, you have seen the good. I'm hoping it will stay that way.

I close with Aristole:

We live in deeds, not years: In thoughts not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart throbs. He most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best.

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