1.2.3 – Principal Virtue: Humanitas – Kindness and Courtesy

Humanitas – kindness, courtesy; humanity, human nature
Kindness – charitable behavior
Courtesy – polite behavior; willingness or generosity in providing something needed

Wiktionary: Humanitas, Kindness, and Courtesy

What is Humanitas?

Humanitas means courtesy, or kindness. Cicero invented the term “to describe a good human.” The attributes of humanitas fall in line with the mos maiorum, the unwritten social code of Rome, by incorporating Greek philanthrôpía (love of humanity) and paideia (holistic education) with benevolentia (benevolence). (<Insert “It’s-all-Greek-to-me” joke here.>) Paideia fits with the other Greek terms because it specifically emphasizes socialization of the educated in addition to the reading-writing-arithmetic curriculum.

Basically, while humanitas was used as a catch-all for desired social behavior, it connotes acting benevolently toward others out of the dignity of personhood. In other words, we as human beings have intrinsic dignity, and we ought to treat each other with the dignity we deserve.

Digression: Kindness Inherent to Human Nature – Language and Science Geek-Out

The jury’s still hotly debating this, but humanitas indicates a oneness between kindness and human nature. By human standards, courtesy seems intricately connected with our humanity. The English language contributes to this unconscious recognition: when something is “cruel, sadistic, or barbaric,” it is inhuman (or inhumane). Some very intelligent people believe people are not fundamentally good because the second law of thermodynamics insists on progression toward chaos. Ancient linguists either pre-emptively attacked this theory or built a mechanism to slow the decline of humanity by building a contrapositive proof into our speech.

Aside: I love language, and I love science, and I love when these two topics come together.

My opinion: entropy is real, but our existence proves it isn’t the strongest force in the universe. If it were, our species would have died out long ago from entropic decline – and that’s assuming organisms would have developed into multi-cellular structures in the first place. The fact that we, complicated organisms with complicated organs performing complicated functions, exist insists chaos does not overwhelm our nature. Thus, humans can be innately good: we are innately good creatures who learn to be lesser as life progresses typically by chasing some goal that diminishes us as we approach it.

Analogy: we come out of the factory as brand new, flawless cars. We drive our perfect little vehicles around, maybe leveling up with new rims and other upgrades. Eventually, regardless of our model, we need to pause for an oil change and other maintenance. This isn’t because the factory messed up; rather, it’s because we’re wearing the vehicle down with proper use. And what’s the point of having a car but letting it rot in a garage to stave off maintenance?

Kindness and Courtesy

Kindness – the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate; a kind act
Courtesy – the showing of politeness in one’s attitude and behaviour towards others; considerate remark or action

Oxford dictionary, Kindness and Courtesy

Regardless of how natural or unnatural kindness and courtesy may be, these are traits virtue calls on us to lean on, particularly when we’re feeling a little downtrodden.

Being kind helps the kind person – often more than it helps the one we are being kind to. Have you ever been in a bad place mentally, be it an awful mood or stuck thinking about the current obstacles in your path, and opted to do something kind for someone else? It does wonders for your mental placement.

Kindness Impacts Life: A Relevant Story

I had a day recently where I felt paralyzed from mounting pressures, expectations, and fears. It’s rare for me to wake up in such a state, but it happened – and on a day I was pre-determined to attend daily Mass. I woke up hours early, tossing and turning in bed well before my alarm, trying to go back to sleep, to ignore the day; I didn’t want anything to do with anyone, and I certainly didn’t feel worthy to attend Mass. (Who am I, anyway, to witness Jesus in His crucifixion and triumph?) But it was nagging at me: I promised to go today, worthy or not. Finally, I crankily (and defeatedly) rolled out of bed, got ready, and went to the chapel with a set plan to keep my eyes on the floor.

There’s a gentleman who holds the door for everyone entering the chapel for Mass. I say thank you and keep on my way, but I always make eye contact as it seems rude to not make eye contact when saying thank you. It was such a simple courtesy that it doesn’t even seem like a kindness, but he took it as a kindness; that felt as though he pulled me up a few rungs on the ladder so I could see out of my hole. I wasn’t out of it, but I could see the path forward.

Jesus never said it would be easy, but He said it would be worth it!
(“The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.“)

Scripture Truth via Twitter referencing
Jesus in Matthew 7:14

This interaction – not his holding the door, but my courteous response to his kindness (and realizing that he noticed I scrounged the energy to look up) – dragged me over the lip of the pit when originally I couldn’t find the wall to even start climbing. It was still a difficult day, but witnessing that I managed decency – as battered, broken, and defeated as I was – gave me a glimpse of hope because it certainly wasn’t me who pulled that off.

If anybody’s wondering how I can know God exists, it’s instances like this: I didn’t have it in me to be decent, but decency came out of me anyway. Jesus acted decently through me when I didn’t have the wherewithal to do it myself. The simple fact that He used me as an instrument, even in a small way… I found it shocking because He used such a degenerate tool to good ends: why didn’t He use a shiny, well-polished one instead?

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I am again reminded of Judges 7: Gideon had gathered an army to march against the Midianites (the oppressors of Israel) and God repeatedly sent soldiers home because the army was too strong. (First, 32,000 was too many; then, 10,000 was too many; finally, 300 was just perfect… to defeat 135,000 Midianite soldiers!) God wasn’t interested in smashing the enemy with the greatest numbers because then the people Israel would not have had reason to recognize God’s handiwork.

Likewise, when I’m having a string of great, 32,000-power days, I think it’s all me being awesome, conquering all 135,000 problems on my own. On my good days, why would I think I need help from any external power? When the bad, 300-power days hit, though… Seriously, if I’m even remotely kind, I know in my heart that it’s God working through me because 300-power isn’t enough to bother opening my eyes by myself.

Summary: Humanitas, Kindness, and Courtesy

Humanitas, kindness, and courtesy boil down to treating each other with dignity simply because people inherently have dignity. We should treat others well not because we want to be treated well; rather, we should treat people well because it is right to treat them well.

What do you think of when asked about kindness and courtesy? Did the Romans get it right? What are your thoughts about the dignity of people and how we should treat others? Let us know in the comments!