Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean
Aristotle’s doctrine of the mean helps to analyze human behaviors based on their excesses and deficiencies. Self-control is one of my behavior, and it involves the ability to govern myself in such areas as temper, appetite, and passion for pursuing the right course instead of doing the wrong things. Self-control enables one to overcome temptations and control desires in achieving specific goals. In different situations have applied the virtue of self-control to avoid a negative outcome. Temper is a feeling that anybody can have given different circumstances. I can recall a case when I applied my abilities of self-control to prevent fighting with a classmate who was nagging and kept on talking ill of me to other members of the class. Whereas many people can engage in unnecessary fights, I was able to prevent such a situation from occurring.
Self-control can be a virtue available in almost all people but is affected by other factors such as feelings and behaviors. In my case, self-control is something within me, and the frequency is high. Irrespective of day and circumstances, the rate with which I control myself always remains high. Also, the duration with which I can manage my temper and desires is long. Hence, I cannot easily fall into temptations and fight with others. I’m the type of person that easily forgives and forgets, thus releasing all the feeling faster. Not everything can be provoking, given my abilities of self-control. Personal issues such as abuse on any or all of my family members can limit my ability to self-control. However, minor problems such as nagging friends cannot interfere with my feelings and temper.
The second virtue I have is love. It refers to the ability and willingness to sacrifice my time, desires, and needs for the sake of others. Love is an essential virtue for human development as it entails all the characteristics of compassion, empathy, service, loyalty, generosity, kindness, and passion for the right course. Since my childhood, I have been engaged in activities that show love for humanity. I have visited and provided food for the seek people in hospitals and the needy children in foster homes. An example of when I showed love was to a fellow student who had just been admitted and was totally new to the school. I had to help him in allocating the lecture rooms and also processing his accommodation in the hostel. All these I did without the need for any payment as most of the students will prefer to be paid for the services offered.
My positioning on the virtue line can be described through the frequency of love, duration of love, and the people to whom I express my love. Based on the frequency, I have always shown love for people irrespective of situations. My love for others is unconditional, and it happens throughout irrespective of time. The duration of love for others depends on the kind of relationship we have. Differences due to unavoidable circumstances can shorten my love for others. However, most of the people that I know I’ve had a long relationship with them. For instance, I still maintain a good relationship and love with my childhood friends. I also show my love to anyone without discriminating.