When we put together this week’s video, I had the next generation in mind. The message fits nicely with the launch of The Chrysalis Project, a community and course for men under 30. (Stay tuned for the ad at the end.) You see, all the evidence says young men are struggling, whether drowning in digital currents or falling behind in their lives and careers. Thanks to my co-founder James Harrigan's inspiration, we decided to do something about it. If you know a promising man under 30 who is ready to become a gentleman of the twenty-first century—committed to virtue, excellence, and freedom—share The Chrysalis Project with him. If you’re a man over 30, you can sponsor a man under 30 and join free.
A lot of people are saying, “It feels like society is coming apart.” Or, “something’s definitely wrong.” When you press them on why, they’ll say we’re more politically polarized, that gas and eggs cost more, that social media is scrambling our brains, or that the politically powerful are taking advantage of us.
They’re not wrong.
But I want to argue that we’ve lost something deeper—something that great civilizations depend on: Virtue. Specifically, the practice of virtue.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote that ‘there is a natural Aristocracy among men; the grounds of which are Virtue and Talents.’ With all this change, we’re going to need each other. So, we’d better become more virtuous.
Here are the seven virtues we should all start practicing right now.
I. NON-VIOLENCE. First, never threaten or do harm to innocent people, whether in their bodies or property. I mean, this is pretty basic. Most of the world’s wisdom traditions include some variation on this, such as the Golden Rule. But a virtue is not JUST a rule. It’s a practice, which means we have to keep doing it until we get good at it, like music or martial arts. And that means we have to practice it every day in thought, word, and deed. (And that means no violent protests or political assassinations.)
II. INTEGRITY. Start with the idea of structural integrity. We know that the more weak joints or foundation cracks there are in a building, the more likely it is to collapse. Society is no different. The more people in society lack integrity, the more likely society will come apart. Of course, practicing integrity means being completely honest with yourself and others, honoring your commitments, and keeping your promises. In short, do what you know is right. Seek the truth. And live in truth. And practice integrity even if you think no one is watching. (Yeah, I know. It seems like politicians are disqualified.)
III. COMPASSION. The practice of compassion isn’t throwing some group a pity party. Nor is it voting for more government programs. It means actively looking out for the people around you. Are they suffering? Can you reasonably help? And what is the right way to help? Some people confuse compassion with throwing money at someone’s problems, with taxpayer money or their own. But compassionate community members know that, sometimes, the best help comes from connecting people with opportunities or sharing wisdom they can use. (You know, like: Teach a man to fish or Quit drinking like a fish.)
IV. TOLERATION. Look, we have to acknowledge that people are different from one to the next. If we were all exactly the same, life would be boring, and we wouldn’t get much of anything done. (I mean, I can write a decent sentence, but you don’t want me fixing your car.) We also want to live different lives in different kinds of communities. Call this the fact of pluralism. When we practice toleration, we orient ourselves respectfully towards others, even if they’re different. That doesn’t mean we have to tolerate threats, calls for violence, or lies and deception. But we have to find the right boundaries and respect others within those boundaries, whether they practice a different religion or associate with different people. As long as we don’t threaten each other, mutual toleration makes for social coherence. (And no, that does not mean we have to put up with Sharia Law in the West.)
V. STEWARDSHIP. This one’s easy. Stewardship is just the practice of leaving any property or offices you have better than you found them. In other words, take care of your stuff. Take care of your employees. Take care of your responsibilities. People will know whether you’re a good steward by what you leave for the next person. Members of Congress are not good stewards because they are leaving $39 trillion in debt for our kids to pay for with higher taxes and inflation.
VI. RATIONALITY. Rationality is the steady method of truth-seeking. It means training your mind to follow evidence wherever it leads, rather than feelings, tribal loyalties, or convenient narratives. A rational person questions her own assumptions, updates her beliefs with better data, and admits logical errors or fallacies when they’re exposed. This virtue is essential because without it, everybody just engages in deception or narrative arms races. In an age of media spin and echo chambers, rationality acts as civilization’s intellectual immune system—disciplining thought, word, and deed toward what is actually true.
VII. JUSTICE. Real justice requires protecting individual rights, honoring contracts, and applying impartial rules and standards under the law. Lady Justice is blind because she doesn’t see color, creed, or group favoritism. So, justice includes fairness as proportionality, not fairness as equal outcomes. Rewards or punishments should align with actions, merit, and responsibility. Forcing equal outcomes means treating people unequally and unfairly. And that breeds resentment. Practicing justice means holding ourselves and others accountable within a framework of equal freedom and the rule of law. “Social justice,” as commonly used, is no justice at all, because it substitutes group-rights for equal treatment. Imagine a game where the best players had to hop on one leg, and the worst players got free points and played by different rules. Yeah. That’s why social justice is no justice at all.
Now, there are more virtues out there to practice. But if every person could master these seven, society would improve by leaps and bounds. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that if everyone lived according to these seven, positive transformations would flow. The civilization of tomorrow could be built on foundational practices that start within each of us.
E pluribus unum. Ex uno plures.
Be good, and thanks for listening.
