Comment by lstodd
8 hours ago
At least accepting that one lacks virtue is intellectually honest and saves resources otherwise wasted on deceitful proclamations of nonexistent and imaginary virtues. It's not like anything was meant to be done either way.
Pretending to be good at least may influence/shame other people in to actually being good. When everyone is just rolling around in the muck there is no incentive to be better.
> When everyone is just rolling around in the muck there is no incentive to be better.
There have been many celebrated and uncelebrated people throughout history, known for their tremendous insight and wisdom, who all say the same thing about virtue: It's better, by far, to be a good person with fuck-all than a pos with billions.
* "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" - JC
* "The one who lives a hundred years immoral and uncontrolled is not worth as much as one who lives a single day virtuous and meditative." - Buddha
* "It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor" - Seneca
* "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself." - Marcus Aurelius
Etc. And that timeless fact doesn't change no matter where or when or who you are; or how many people are "rolling around in the muck".
It's not even an especially hidden fact. It's awful sad that grown-ass adults can look at people like Musk or Gates or Trump or the Manosphere shitlings and think, wow, those look like happy content people.