Humanity had very early understood that ‘virtue’ is not singular. It is specific to utility for humanity in general. Some things are good and useful when ‘fresh’ and upgraded whereas, some other things had virtues in their antiquities. Preservation and antiquitization was not new to humanity, even before philosophy and spiritualism could define and prescribe their own ideas over ‘ultimate utilities’ for humanity.
Humanity’s values, its choice for virtuosity and relevance has always been subjective, like culture. Humanity fixes its value and utility in different entities in different ways. Divinity, traditions, rituals, faith, mysticism etc are like wines and paintings. They have larger values and utility in their antiquity perception. Bread and milk must be fresh but cheese tastes good even when old and having gone through dated process.
The notions of ‘value’ and ‘utility’, which fixes virtues and relevance to an idea or action, are also very subjective, often, colored by the cultural mind and its archetypal instinctive preferences.
At the end of the day, wisdom is never singular; it probably cannot be ever. It is highly subjective to individual or group choices and value summation. Some love them and wish to stay as ‘dated’, some would want them ‘outdated’, and others may ascribe it being ‘undated’ as priority. We may think, we all love latest versions of mobile phone but many would love to stick with their old phones. It is a choice of mind.
No need to set up a jury, no judgment should ever be instituted. Every singular choice out of the human inventory of plurality has its pleasure and pain, good and bad, benefits and losses. What one chooses, sets up his life and living journey of pain and pleasure. The worldview one opts, decides his journey, sojourns, path-mates and destination.
Human ingenuity has almost always helped humanity evolve and grow but, where and when one applies his or her ingenuity is however individual’s subjective choice. Every human has his or her own different destinies as choices make them this way.
Every single choice has its set of pains and pleasures, therefore, at the end of life, we can say, nobody is better off and nobody is worse off as the average attainments of all choices look similar, if not same.
It also seems a clear fact that most of us shall always have this regret about the choice or choices we made or did not make as we all have this innate urge to count pains and not count pleasures. It is tough to know when and where human ingenuity would work and where not as, it is a choice that is more on subconscious being than in conscious one. Probably, this is why they call it ‘maya’ (asymmetrical juxtaposition of subconscious value summation).
Repeated surveys have suggested that, most people, when they are on deathbed, regret that they could not spend as much quality and leisurely time with near and dear ones. One would be bound to accept that probably, the virtue is in being with our own people and not in personal struggles for individual glory.
This is not right and true. The fact remains that ‘regret’ has its own mechanism. The mind consciousness would always primarily count those ‘missing’ aspects, which should have been there to make a ‘perfect’ picture. If someone has worked day and night all life and build a fortune for himself and his family; at the end of life, he shall regret about not spending enough time with family and friends. The core idea is – can he possibly regret something, which he has already in plenty? Some may, but most would not.
On the other hand, someone, who always spent quality time with family and loved them well, shall probably regret at the end of life that he could not work enough to give more money and facilities to his family and friend. It is natural. He too cannot probably regret, what he already has or had in plenty.
We regret what we do not have or what we could not do. Once we understand the mechanism of the emotion of ‘regret’, we shall have the holistic and assimilative idea of life and living realisms. Our mechanism is designed for ‘whole’. However, in our lives, what we attain is the success, utility and fruition of the ‘part’. Naturally, the subconscious mind shall generate the emotion of this ‘imbalance’ and this shall be expressed in the feeling of ‘regret’.
Understanding the mechanism of all such vital issues of life, which makes life a ‘maya’ and mystical realism, we can land in a state of mind-consciousness, which is referred to as ‘leela’ positioning.
The ultimate ingenuity is making it a conscious process to see and accept all such cardinal issues of life like, conflict, regret, joy, pain, love, fear, anger, etc, as it reveals the duality of the choices and value summations. Then it becomes easy to master them. This is one single thing where both religion and modern objective wisdom are one in opinion and virtuosity of choice.