Quoting from eastern philosopher: “he enter the forest, no trace leave by him, he drink the water from lake but no waves made”. What a peculiar way of sayings, what it means “..becomes the forest”? For the first 2 phase of man evolution we have been known before took me about 10 years since the age of 15 where this is where divine guidance were bestowed upon me (read prologue).

My basis of reasoning of mainly used to be influenced by Islamic scholar which why I have been stuck with my ‘experiencing’ until the man of faith which famously explored by many scholars such as from Imam Ghazali on Ihya Ulumuddin translations and summary books about it which my favourite of reading when I was in secondary school. Since I was a school librarian and head of school librarian at final year give me more time and opportunity to spend my most school period at library after classroom. In fact, I used to skip classes such as mathematics modern subject since I always got A and let my math teacher to focus slow-witted student in class learning while . Even though sometimes the teacher was sulk about my behavior without knowing my real intention.

Back to the concept of virtue, based on english dictionary, virtue means a behavior of highest moral standards. Which brings the man of virtue meant a human being with behavior of high moral standards. But to talk about virtue is difficult without a representation which humanity could understand and took example on it. Hence the concept of prophet and messenger of Truth give foundation on semitic culture on show to be virtuous man. Nietzsche have similar perspective with mine in book “thus wo spoke zarathustra” where he took a prophet and his messsage as foundation to his concept except I was using Muhammad SAW as preferred role model back in secondary even before I aware on Nietzsche at age 25(last year). One thing I realizes, trying to be Muhammad is impossible because he is unique and nobody could become him but instead, he shows me on what it is to become a virtuous man.

However, nobody could become one.

It is not a role where we could be working hard or smartly to be one like we treated it as some kind of occupation or position like to become a prime minister, president, nor a scholar. Quoting from Lao Tzu:

82. A man of the highest virtue does not keep to be virtuos and that is why he has virtue. A man of the lowest virtue never strays from being virtuos and that is why he is without virtue.

Virtue man is the man who could see “GOD” and moves like “GOD” wanted him to be. He is like a leaf flowing on the stream of river. Normal people could only see the leaf, but the man who have virtue in him could see the streams, the power, the truth, the love, the way!

Which is why a prophet a perfect example, they are free from sins since they acted exactly on ALLH’s path. You might say they are the chosen ones, who us compared to them. But if you are thinker, you will acknowledge ALLH don’t choose them as example if He knows the rest would never to become like them. We could.

These men comes with many names across the culture but I preferred to use “Muhsin” and “Mukhlasin” which rarely discussed among islamic preacher since not all of them is one of them. Muhsin is the man who have Ihsan and Mukhlasin is the man who have Sincerity without forcing to be sincere. Ihsan is worshiping God as if they see Him, and although they cannot see him, or they undoubtedly believe that He is constantly watching over them and the first key to it is full submission, or in Chinese way of speaking is fully let go ourselves to the way (Tao).

The man who have virtue have unworldly of generosity and sincere. In fact their attitude toward life is sincere, they work sincerely, they fight sincerely, they love sincerely. The word sincerity have been a big question mark since it was difficult to gain sincerity. Actually it is not, at least not what I had seen and fallen to it. But if you ask me what it is and describe it in words, I can’t and it never will. Hence we used generosity as an expression of sincerity and I found nothing could compare to Taoist philosophy on the man who have highest generosity in them:

“The way nourishes to the left as well as right. It accomplish its task yet lays claim to no merit.”

If in Islamic concept the highest sincerity, they are the one who lives their life lillahitaala. The path of virtue, is the sacred path, the path for excellence. Only the one who have light in his heart without acquiring other’s light could be one. They are the one who realize who he is, the one who had digging the well until he found the Source which enlightened his heart and mind with Love and Truth. Full and gushes out from the well and nourishes the one who closes to them like how ZamZam wells nourishes the desert of Mecca.

Alhamdulillah.

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