Cynics and Virtue.

An old professor who I haven't seen in about 2 years got me thinking the other day (and that's the sign of a good teacher) about the meaning of certain words. He used to call me a Cynic, and he explained why, but it wasn't until recently that I really wondered why. According to Merriam-Webster it's just someone who believes in virtue, self-control, and independence are the key. Whatever, the actual etymology of the word is a bit harsh, but the modern version of the undercase cynic is someone who simply doesn't believe in much, except that everyone is out to get everyone else. So, independence and self-reliance, these are two key values that America has always seemed to have and cherished. But what about virtue, now there's a word. When I was suffering through Latin classes, I remember trying to translate this word. There were only about 7 different meanings to the word. Merriam-Webster has a few different meanings, with (in my so unhumble opinion) somewhat contradictory meanings. The first definition, a conformity to a standard of right. Does America seem to have this, sure. A later definition however states that virtue is "manly strength or courage." So those that are right are strong? Or those that are strong are right? Wow, a question that's been asked in too many philosophy classes I'm sure, and I never paid attention to those classes. I also found it odd that another definition was "a capacity to act" with the synonym being potency, with another definition being "chastity." That discussion is better left to a feminism lecture. So what does this all mean? Nothing. We chose to live by these values that we have assigned names and definitions too, but we're not always sure what they truly mean. In fact, we, Americans are sometimes confused about what we stand for. Maybe it's time to settle on better definitions.