Create Anyway · 10:08pm Sep 25th, 2014
vector art by Thorwaldsen92
Much as with my blog The One in the Arena, I wanted to share something inspirational that a fan of mine recently shared with me (albeit this time less directly). The verses below are likely familiar to many of you. They are a revision of a composition by Kent Keith called "The Paradoxical Commandments", this version being attributed to Mother Teresa who reportedly had the words written on the wall of her room in her home for children in Calcutta, India. But even if you have known these versus forever, they bear continued reflection.
I have been currently enjoying the good fortune of re-watching my favorite television show, Babylon 5, with several friends who have never seen it before. My favorite character in the show in Londo Mollari.
Londo definitely becomes the villain of the piece. But he is a principled villain, a character with strong virtue. (This is highlighted, in fact, in the next episode we will be watching, "A Voice in the Wilderness".)
Earlier this week, someone asked me why virtue was important. The question was in the context of the Fallout: Equestria tabletop roleplaying game, whose character sheet has a prominent space for the character's virtue. Virtue, after all, grants no mechanical bonuses, so why define it? (I have heard the question asked several times before... and nearly always, it is by a player who does not wish to shackle their character by having a defined redeeming characteristic. 
)
Much the same, we remind ourselves that "virtue is its own reward" because the world does not hand out gifts for being a good person. People enjoy holding grudges; they have fun tearing things down. It's easier to be selfish and mean, more profitable to lie. Being good requires effort and often sacrifice... and usually the only reward is the reward of having been good. In Fallout: Equestria, virtue is what allows you to weather the spiritual erosion of the Wasteland. In Friendship is Magic, it is the fuel for the most powerful magics of salvation, defense and positive change. These things can be said of virtue in the real world as well. But ultimately, virtue is important because virtue is important.
Good people recognize the inherent value of virtue. For many bronies, the show's handling of virtue was a major draw and laid the foundation of our fandom for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. We should remind ourselves daily of the show's call to practice virtue, even if it is not pragmatic or easy or the fastest way to personal gain. Practice virtue because we want to be better people than the people we would be if we didn't.
art by Brisineo
One particular verse in Mother Teresa's version sticks out to me:
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
The reasons are obvious, as it speaks to the hearts of many of us here. Create anyway. I could say volumes about this, but Mother Teresa has condensed all I would say into two sentences that deliver the message better than I could.
However, speaking to other authors on FIMfiction, let me take it a step farther. Don't forget virtue when writing your story. Remember that virtue is core to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. For those writing within the setting I created, remember that virtue is core to Fallout: Equestria. Let virtue have a place in your works as well.
Do good, be well, create anyway.
art by Nukechaser24
While I like the message, especially as it's relevant to fan writing, I still feel like kicking something when I hear about Mother Teresa. She was by no measure a good or virtuous person. (There are quite a number of other accounts of this kind by now.) I would go as far as to say that she doesn't deserve the credit or mention given here, especially since the same message is found in the original by Keith.
I also think there's a small thing missing here. That is:
Create anyway. Why?
And I think the answer is that the best reason to create is for yourself, and for your creation. Criticism can help polish it, but ultimately (tying back in to what you were saying), it's not between you and them (whoever "they" may be). It's about you and your work.
2483485
I think so.
Yay! Londo is my favorite character too. Are your friends enjoying Babylon 5?
Yay, Babylon 5!
Vampire: the Masquerade had a pretty neat system for virtues and vices. Each player picks a virtue and a vice that is appropriate for their character concept, and is expected to play those qualities (or the GM may change them for you). Once per scene, if you play your vice in spite of potential hardship, you may regain a spent willpower point. Once per game session, if you play your virtue particularly well and in spite of potential hardship, you may regain all of your spent willpower. Vices are quicker and easier, but chances are you're doing something "bad." Virtues are harder to hold to, but the personal reward is greater.
And playing your virtue in the face of continued hardship can be justification for other character improvements - like raising your willpower stat.
I think it's a pretty neat system.
2483563
I can't say I'd heard of that system before, but as you describe it, it actually sounds pretty interesting.
2483563 Hold on, I think you're mistaking that with Vampire: The Requiem. The New World of Darkness system uses the Vice and Virtue system. And to be fair, as far as I believe with the nWoD rules, the morality system in it if not applied to vampires can be very broken. It's why I tend to prefer old World of Darkness much more, not just rule wise, but also lore wise since, well, let's face it, nWoD is pretty much a watered down oWoD created to sell more books and try to make things more 'simple'.
I enjoy showcasing challenging concepts as virtues.
Wrath, Greed, and Pride have been the easiest.
Greed: I protect and care for what's mine. Make it all mine.
Wrath: " Oh, I feel very angry a lot of the time, but I just put it away somewhere until I can do something useful with it."
Pride: "What are my weapons? Pride. Oh, you hear them say it’s a sin; you hear them say it goes before a fall. And that can’t be true. The blacksmith prides himself on a good weld; the carter is proud that his horses are well turned out, gleaming like fresh chestnuts in the sunshine; the shepherd prides himself on keeping the wolf from the flock; the cook prides herself on her cakes. We pride ourselves on making a good history of our lives, a good story to be told.”
the six element is a compete mystery.
any thoughts for who or what that my be KKat?
Once again, you have made my day. Posts like this (and the many others you have made) have inspired me to try to be a better person in life. That had never happened before I discovered you and Fallout: Equestria. I am no longer as cynical or angry as I used to be, my relationships with my family and friends have greatly improved, and all in all, the bad things in life don't seem as bad as before. And for that, I am in your debt. Thank you so much.
This Londo Mollari guy looks a lot like a space Napoleon, doesn't he?
Hey K, Iv'e been thinking about a virtues for my FOE characters lately but haven't come up with any. I haven't even done a chapter on virtue as of yet, on either of my stories. I just don't know how to go about tackling that issue as of yet seeing as Fallout Stalliongrad is just now getting to the meat of the story, and is leading in to the epic journey of my characters. I was wandering when a good time would be to tackle virtue, and how I should go about it seeing as my story doesn't take place in Equestria should I even should tackle it at all. Seeing as my story is going to be taking place in many locations, and have so much going on is virtue even a good idea? I know you're busy, so get back to me when you can lol, no rush at all.
Beautifully thoughtful.
Even as I'm putting work into my story, developing and fleshing out ideas, I wonder if it will be successful or not. But this puts my mind more at rest as... it doesn't matter. What I mean by that is that there will always be people that will dislike the story, purely because it's yet another Fallout: Equestria side-story.
However: "Create Anyway".
That, and I keep in mind that if even one person -- even if it remains to be only that person -- enjoys my tale, then the work will have been worth it. 
Thank you for posting this~ and your advice is helping immensely, Kkat. Stay awesome.
2483616
Ah, yes.
New World of Darkness uses Virtue and Vice. Old World of Darkness uses Nature and Demeanor. We've played for so long, and gone back and forth so many times, that it can be hard to remember exactly which ruleset I'm trying to use. (And if you think that's bad, try sorting out the different editions of oWoD when it comes to order and application of some combat rolls.)
The new system is more concise, but the old had more variety. (How do you play an Autocratic Loner, anyways?!)
2483577
I think it's one of the few things New World of Darkness did over Old WoD.
Envy
Gluttony
Greed
Lust
Pride
Sloth
Wrath
versus
Charity
Faith
Fortitude
Hope
Justice
Prudence
Temperance
And in terms of getting willpower back by acting your vice/virtue in the face of hardship, it's to reward you when your character sticks to its guns when things get difficult, not when they're easy. For instance, you would not gain willpower if your vice was Greed and you kept that $100 you found on the sidewalk. But you would gain a willpower back if your vice was Greed and you successfully stole $100 out of someone's pocket when you had no need for money and there was a cop standing nearby. (Acting out your vice at your character's personal risk.) Virtues work the same way, but are generally more stringent about what you need to do to fulfill them.
Thanks, I sorta needed this today.
2483893
That is generally how I understood it. Still interesting to read in more detail, though.
2483515
Thank you for that link. Have not looked into FoEFanfics enough to have recognised more than Sacrifice, Perseverance and Innocence (And misidentified compassion as Ditzy. Oops)
Now I've got a lovely set of fics added to my 'should probably read' pile for exploration of the FoE setting.
That wallpaper is going to make me cry. It's sort of hitting me in the gut that Pip is one of many. In, like, a good way? This is an extraordinarily confusing set of emotions.
I got into Babylon 5 about five years ago. I just finish FoE just yesterday (just started Fallout: Equestria - Project Horizons today but that something totally different) You my friend have made a whole new world. And some very good-world building :pinkiehappy To tell you the truth I don't see FoE as a crossover but as a world that you made all by yourself. You started something (something good keep in mind.) I am not a HUGE fan when it come to AU/crossover Apocalyptic fanfiction . So it took me to get a change it read it) And to tell you the truth I glad I did. I really enjoy your story and I hope to read more other stories of your's in the future
2483893
Hey it's fine, we scramble up words once in awhile. But I do admit that I did like the Virtue and Vice system and a few more things in the nWoD ruleset than some rules that I didn't like, especially with the exclusion of the Golden Rule from oWoD.
My gripes with nWoD are more towards how Morality and all the other supernaturals you could play worked (though, mortal campaigns for it looked interesting). Morality pretty much works the same as Humanity did in VtM . . . but the problem I see is that there's really no penalties for loosing Morality since humans don't have a "Beast" inside them that they have to take care of. And Humanity isn't about how good you are, it's about how willing you are to commit sins. I heard that you risk gaining Derangements when loosing Morality ... but it's nothing that serious to me (having played a Malkavian before) if you can RP it well. And nobody has to know you only have 4 Morality points, so you can easily commit sins without any consequences so long as you're not caught.
A virtue often seems like something you discover, rather then something your born with. A person just isn't built and then off they go, but more like a plant and always growing and changing in mind and body.
While a virtue might not be rewarding, I think virtues do come with excellent bonuses in civilization. I'm pretty sure the 50 people in Australia that helped move a train enough to get a guy unstuck between the platform and the train is an excellent example of what people with virtues can accomplish. Of course I could be wrong.
That being thought of, I think a virtue is something we show to try to be better and a secret hope that others will try to be better too. Not for rewards sake, but a simple way to try to make the world a little bit better.
It's really great to see that the work of Straczynski still inspires people today. My parents introduced me to Bablyon 5 a few years ago and Its clever storytelling and captivating characters had me hooked from the get go.
Something I like about your story and some of the other written by others branching off your story is the aspect of how important friendship is to a virtue during difficult times.
I like how it's shown a virtue in itself isn't infallible, sometimes you need a friends to support you during tough times.
I had the good fortune of having parents who raised me to be a decent person. Although sometimes I wish they hadn't and I was psychologically capable of being an asshole (I can't even be mean on the internet), I wouldn't change it for the world. While a great many people do enjoy breaking others down and destroying their hard work, I've noticed from observation it seems to be a hollow, empty feeling, only sustainable by being meaner and crueller next time. I however being a kind, honest person (if not humble) need no kind of escalation to sustain my mental and emotional state, my daily practices are enough without any extra effort. As you said, virtue is its own reward.
hi hi
Sometimes you simply must hope for the best. Sometimes you have to expect a self-fulfilling prophecy. People make mistakes, and will continue to make mistakes, but as long as people are able to get back up and try again, or try something different, we've got the potential to grow and change for the better.
- Anne Frank, July 15, 1944
I have to admit, I have never approved of virtue ethics, at least in the classical sense. Virtues can make fine heuristics for people to make decisions when faced with complicated situations where all the different causes and outcomes are obscure, but they don't inherently inform ethical behavior, and they don't provide positive reinforcement in their own right. They are hobbled by self-referential and circular logic, at least without some other reasoning to back them up. At that point it becomes impossible to make any argument against the virtue, even if it is causing harm, because it justifies itself.
Like with Londo, many of the greatest atrocities in human history have been committed in the name of virtues. Upholding Justice, one of the four cardinal virtues for example, has been motivator in genocide. (But unlike Londo, there is not always a redemption at the end of the road.) By far the most important factors predicting whether or not people will commit atrocities is dehumanization and the related moral exclusion.
The next biggest indicator is whether or not someone has an authoritarian risk and reward system. In this case, the average person is not trusted to make decisions for themselves, and must obey and trust the authority figure unquestioningly. This detaches the root of moral action from the particulars of the situation and places it all on their relationship to the authority. If someone is only acting morally because they do not want the authority figure to punish them, they have absolutely no incentive to act morally when they think they can get away with it.
That is why it is incredibly important to know why something is a good action, even if it is not a formal theory. (Something that virtues alone cannot accomplish, although as I mentioned earlier, they can help simplify difficult situations to the point where they are manageable, when used together with other methods.)
Imagination and empathy are important. Being able to put yourself in other people's shoes, even those that are different from you, or even opposed to you, is very important.
- J.K. Rowling
Getting through hardships requires a diverse set of qualities, and sometimes requires different qualities depending on the specific nature of the hardship. Beyond ethical considerations, simply surviving at all requires a variety of qualities and skills.
Grit and Psychological Resilience are two important, trainable abilities that people have to cope with hardship.
Grit is the ability to work towards a long term goal without any positive reinforcement. Distinctly different from self-control and the ability to resist temptation, which are avoidance techniques, it is a positive drive and "craving," which is a seeking technique. It is part of why it is important to know what you want rather than just what you want to avoid. You can avoid a lot of different kinds of pain by evading everything, but that is often not very useful.
Psychological Resilience is a series of meta-cognitive techniques and cultivated circumstances that people have to cope with short term stress and adversity. It might be no surprise to some that "the primary factor in resilience is having positive relationships inside or outside one's family." (Even if they are not present, like in the notable case of Viktor Frankl.) After that is the ability to make realistic plans, and problem solving skills, a positive self-concept, and the ability to manage strong impulses.
Humility is important to simply surviving. Highly skilled but overconfident people tend to fare poorly in survival situations. Avoiding dangerous things, and knowing when to rest can win out over skill and bravery. Combat Stress Reaction, can happen to anyone, no matter how virtuous, if they don't get a chance to rest. It isn't a matter of willpower or moral fiber, but a physical inability to function caused by the depletion of neuro-chemical resources.
The world does not hand out gifts for being a good person, good people hand out gifts to the world.
You would make a vary good inspirational speaker. Well said, as always kkat
Why can't I Like or favorite this? :l
2483485 Pale green pony with different-sized ears who's virtue is hope? Most definitely!
This was a fantastic reminder of the significance of virtue in both Equestria and the wasteland. It's something I'd somewhat forgotten about and I am going to make sure to keep mindful of it. Vices, too, particularly in reference to the characters the reader will know best - the main cast.
What drew me to the MLP:FIM series at the first was its celebration of virtues. I don't know why, but the world seems to keep forgetting the lessons our ancestors learned by trial and error over the many thousands of years of history. MLP was an echo of Aesop, biblical scripture, philosophers through the ages, and even Uncle Remus: A series of morality plays presented to a world that needs to be reminded of the broader concept of morality, and how people should treat each other.
It helps that at least a portion of the MLP fandom still seems to appreciate various virtues.
A little late to this party, but I have to say I appreciate this blog because I felt that the exploration of the concept of 'virtues' in Fo:E was the part which moved me the most. I was surprised to discover Littlepip's virtue to be sacrifice. I remember thinking about how a pony's virtue was not necessarily the same thing as their "special talent" although it certainly could be if their special talent happened to also be a character trait. Even in the mane-six, we see examples of both. For some, like Fluttershy, they are the same. Others, like Rainbow Dash, are clearly very different.
Related to this, I find it very interesting that for a pony, there seems to be two moments of self-discovery here. The first being during childhood when the "special talent" produces their cutie mark and they discover what they are very skilled at. Then later probably in the early 20's the virtue is discovered and this actually relates to wielding an element of harmony. So in theory there could be any number of elements. In Fo:E, Homage had the virtue of Honesty, which was a known element. Littlepip's virtue was Sacrifice, which was not any known element, but it would make sense that there could be.
Defining your virtue as "that thing which you will never compromise on, no matter what" I felt was really profound. And yet it does not mean the character is perfect. As you said in the book, "no pony is a paragon of their virtue". I really appreciated seeing that because it applies so much to real life. After finishing the story, I had to think seriously about what my own virtue would be. It's something which I don't think I would have considered had I not read the story.
The idea of putting a strong priority on "discovering your virtue" was really well thought out. I find that discovering your virtue can give a sense of peace that can guard against things like depression and discouragement. It's a way of identifying with one's self through your strongest positive trait. I've been running with this concept as well in my own story which takes place during the great war. In thinking about this as a major story element, it made sense to assign virtues to Celestia and Luna. After some thinking, I've assigned Benevolence to Celestia and Righteousness to Luna.