Holding on to Hope

I recently had an interesting discussion with a friend. We covered a lot of topics, amongst them racism, prejudice, problems of nationalism, the objectification of women, the pursuit of privileges without accepting responsibility, and struggles with attraction shadowing all the decisions we make.

He agreed, none of it is ideal, life would be better if these were not so, but argued that there is little we can do to change these things in the world at large. And perhaps he is right. Perhaps the most that those of us who want to change all of this can do is live our life the way we want the world to be, and teach our children how to do better if they so choose. Maybe it is simply the idealist in me yearning for utopia, but my heart aches to believe that there must be more I can do. There must be things I can say to someone to help them change their life for the better, to let go of shackles they had no idea they were clinging to. There must be ways to break down these systems that people buy into that do not serve them, but enslave them. 

In Pursuit of True Modesty

I have been pondering something that has been very perplexing for me. I really value modesty. I do. I believe it is a desirable attribute.

But, if it is such a worthwhile virtue, why is it that culturally we only talk about modesty in regards to women, specifically how they dress? If it is so wonderful, why don't we talk about it as universal rather then portray it as specifically for one gender? Aren't virtues applicable to everyone?

I think that most of us have lost what the definition of modesty is. I know that if you had asked me a couple months ago I may have struggled to define it. As a teen, I would have given a dress code.

But modesty is more then just the clothes you wear. It is an attitude, a way of being. It really is a virtue, just like integrity.

I think that other contexts that "modest" is used helps to find its true definition. Someone of modest means, or someone takes a compliment modestly. The people who come to mind when these phrases are used are likely good examples to use when thinking of modesty. They recognize what respect is and how to show it.