Do we need to get burned to talk about fire? Do we need to have corruption cases to talk about ethics?

Now that we live in an environment where so many cases of corruption have been reported in my country, many people talk about ethics and integrity.

Think about it: how many corruption cases did you read about on the news last month?

However, it is my belief that we should stop and reflect on how we came to this situation. We should reflect on what we are doing to develop people with integrity. People with virtues.

What are virtues?

A virtue is an excellent trait of character. The concept of a virtue is the concept of something that makes its possessor good: a virtuous person is a morally good, excellent, or admirable person who acts and feels as she should. According to the oxford dictionary, virtues are behavior or attitudes that show high moral standards.

How to develop virtues?

Virtues are developed through learning and practice. As the ancient philosopher, Aristotle suggested, a person can improve his or her character by practicing self-discipline, while a good character can be corrupted by repeated self-indulgence.

I love the approach that Pablo Ferreiro, cofounder of the School of Business of the University of Piura, shared about developing virtues in others in one of his excellent lectures that I had the privileged to attend:

First, we should not prevent it. How do we prevent it? For example, when someone scoffs about the generosity of others. When we believe that being a good person is synonymous with being a fool. We also prevent it when we don't speak up when we don't question if what someone is doing is the right thing. Or when we lie.
Teaching others.
Being an example. Walking the talk.

Marcus Aurelius said that the happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

We must be aware of our thoughts and actions. But remember that being aware and wanting is not enough to make a good decision. Only those who have the virtues for doing good are capable of following their conscience. The person who, in addition to knowing what good is, has the strength to act accordingly.