Can a bad man have fortitude?  Can we attribute the virtue of courage to a Nazi soldier willing to risk his life for the cause of exterminating the Jews?  Or to an Al-Qaeda terrorist who blows himself up in order to kill scores of Americans whom he hates?  Or to a criminal at trial who risks a perjury conviction by lying on the stand, only to get his co-conspirator off the hook?  Are those examples of bravery, of courage, of fortitude?  I think not.

Josef Pieper has written that “[i]f the specific character of fortitude consists in suffering injuries in the battle for the realization of the good, then the brave man must first know what the good is, and he must be brave for the sake of the good.”  That is, fortitude is not and cannot be the first of the virtues.  “For neither difficulty nor effort causes virtue, but the good alone,” says Pieper.

That means your bravery must be prudent, not reckless; it must be for the sake of justice, not personal gain or gratuitous destruction; it must be in service of the truth, not a lie.  Plenty of people in history have had the strength and will to withstand danger and difficulty for bad ends—but only those who have displayed courage in pursuit of what is good have real fortitude.

Now, for the Friday Funnies:

Four men are in the hospital waiting room because their wives are having babies. A nurse goes up to the first guy and says, “Congratulations! You’re the father of twins.”

“That’s odd,” answers the man. “I work for the Minnesota Twins!”

Another nurse says to the second guy, “Congratulations! You’re the father of triplets!”

“That’s weird,” answers the second man. “I work for the 3M company!”

A nurse tells the third man, “Congratulations! You’re the father of quadruplets!”

“That’s strange,” he answers. “I work for the Four Seasons hotel!”

A few minutes later, another nurse comes into the waiting room.  The last man is groaning and banging his head against the wall. “What’s wrong?” the others ask.

“I work for the Big 10!”

Have a wonderful weekend.