Aristotle was a philosopher who wrote a lot about happiness – which he often describes as living a virtuous life. But virtue is often the middle point between two extremes. So for example, courage isn’t the absence of fear, or being overcome by fear; it’s the proper relationship to fear – something we might think of as a bad thing. As we consider positive psychology in light of traditional Christian practices, what do we do with negative emotions? We make a mistake if we think that all emotions we might consider “negative” are useless or bad. How can we have a right relationship to such things as suffering and death – things Jesus taught we are to expect if we are to follow him?
The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Vamos
October 28, 2018
