A Virtue For All

Exceptional works have been drafted, bound, re-written, corrupted, etc. However, they all found their way to the right audiences and built a reputation in the world of literature. Jordan Peterson deserves credit for giving birth to an art form integral to the protection of thought and art. To be articulate, to read and write one’s thoughts, almost similar to a journal or diary insert, is the growth of oneself. To be able to express yourself properly is a key resource for Emperors, Rulers, and other dignitaries.

Writing

All experts, celebrities, and politicians, have at one point or another sponsored works on their personal magnificence of outsourced analysts to write on their decisions. Some even kept personal historians alongside them, Islamic Icons, the Great Akbar, and Kubalai Khan, all had their chroniclers with them to record history.

These recordings have then excelled in the world of literature, guiding individuals to personal growth in leadership positions, guiding militaries in preparing young cadets for their Officer careers, and politicians to understand how to evaluate their constituencies and make the right decisions. These writings have been passed on for centuries, taken for granted, that will allow you to relive historical moments, the emotions of even the staunch rulers, and the reality of being human.

It is the most positive virtue to be able to write well. Again to extend credit to Jordan Peterson, who rightfully says that one must be able to write and articulate oneself extraordinarily. Good writers will always have a place in this world. Writing is truly the art necessary for the protection of and spreading of culture.

From religious scriptures, and policies, to academic writing, the art of writing is integral for maintaining society. Any nation with weak writers rarely makes its mark on the global stage of literature and academics. In reference to scriptures, Christians and Muslims should learn the most important rule, that reading and writing is the first rule of belief. To read and write is the integrity of religion, if the Saints and companions did not write on the daily words and habits of their Prophets, then where would the billions of their followers be today?

The lesser debate is that now more art forms exist, so why write? A TV show is a script, written. A song is filled with lyrics, written. A musical piece is written, either into a program or in its own language.
Therefore, it is simple to say that writing is the backbone of all there is in society today. The soul-grabbing writers should constantly work on their penmanship, for it will be the greatest writers that inherit the world.

A famous Persian saying goes, “if you wish to write well, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing”.

Reading

Academic writers will provide information one will most certainly require for the development of works and projects. Fictional writers create the escapes we all seek from our daily evening television shows, most of which are actually derived from books. Non-fictional writing allows us to learn from others anything we believe might be missing in ourselves.

Reading goes hand in hand with writing, for if you do not read quality works your writing will suffer from the lack of expression it deserves. To read is to grow, there are no counter-debates to this discussion.
However, we have lost our will to read quality works. Machiavelli in his final chapters of The Prince reminds the Princes of Italy that the reason for their failure in maintaining Princedoms was due to their lack of reflection of good times and their bad times. Reflection consists of two elements, the first writing of the incidents and decisions one takes in different moments, then one needs to read those decisions and their analysis to be able to make new decisions derived from previous results. The works of Machiavelli, written in the 14th Century to this day have proven to be virtuous and enlightening for all the champions of the world, the good and the bad. Military men lean towards reading Machiavelli to prepare themselves for any derived ideology of their enemies and how to protect their own states.
Reading is the greatest defense in any situation, whether you sit in the barracks and remember the lessons of Machiavelli, Patton, and Sun Tzu, or whether you sit in your office, reading Peterson, Burke, and Russell, to be able to provide results for their constituents.

In addition to this one must know that there are horrible sources of literature, i.e. Self Help books. Fictional writers have been successful in creating characters that we resonate with, and that we follow. These characters are the superhumans in their stories, however when they are faced with trials and tribulations and how they overcome each one of those tests, that is the greatest form of a self-help book.
If one wishes to know how to beat oneself when one believes their intellect has defeated them, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes will show you how he combats his addictions and still continues to beat his vices to outshine his enemies. If you believe the combats of life have defeated you, then Homers’ Ilyad will show you the grit that kept Achilles going, the spirit he lived with, and the war that was running in his soul. Or Hamlet, Shakespeare showing us how when the odds are against us how those from the afterlife have a way of showing us the truth, and one must always remain with the truth.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, Peterson and Machiavelli have taught integral lessons for those who wish to ascertain some kind of success or grandeur in life. The lessons by these two masters has shown to be so applicable and utilized by legends, that it would be a tragedy to disallow those works to prosper through you.

Writers such as Robert Greene, Homer, Stephen Fry, their stories have all filled one and another with the concept of growth in a multidirectional dimension.

In a world dominated by fools and cheap entertainment, for the protection of your character and the growth of ideologies, equip yourselves with the two most powerful weapons, the book and the pen.