The Noble Lie of the Individual

The other person is lucky to be my friend, and it is their loss if they choose not to be my friend. Truth or lie? The essential goodness of the human being is undeniable, and each of us is created in the image of God. But some souls are more beautiful than others, and it is difficult to be rejected by one who in your eyes surpasses you in virtue. If you are concerned about virtue, then your judgment that they are more virtuous than you is I think more than likely true. If the person is virtuous, doesn't it mean he will accept you and not reject you? Is being negatively influenced and shaped by your environment a valid concern for the virtuous? I think of Plato's Laws and the decision not to purge the city of the wicked, but rather devise laws which will bring the virtuous and wicked to peace and harmony. Does not this involve compromise on the part of the virtuous? Can the virtuous remain so in spite of his or her society? Loving and liking yourself is the defense against being negatively influenced. On what basis should one love and even like themselves? That they are unimaginably loved by God? Perhaps this person must be brought to greater consciousness of this truth.Yet we are such the product of our environment! Oh Light, enlighten our minds and touch our hearts, I am in need of great faith. The thought that our environment is stronger a force than your grace makes one despair, yet it seems so. St. Joseph, pray for me, for us. (written Spring 2013)