The best version of yourself
Excellence
At least once a year, usually more, I have a conversation in my language classes that goes like this:
“Have I given you my little spiel on the meaning of virtus / arete? No? Okay, here goes…”
Both of these words are often translated into English as ‘virtue’. But what sort of virtue? And what does that mean anyway? That’s why my students get a little lecturette. Because if you’re reading something archaic, like some Homer or some Latin epic poetry, then ‘virtue’ is, well, it’s what is the prime virtue for a male in those societies at that time - prowess on the battlefield. It’s built into the construction of virtus, because vir is man, it’s very much the quality of being a man. And being a man in archaic times is indeed all about bravely killing people on the battlefield.
A shift takes place, in both Latin and Greek, as cities become more ‘civilized’. Or, at least, more political. Where the city-state takes precedence over the individual, and being a good citizen, carrying out one’s civic duties, becomes more prized. So that virtus and arete have more to do with civic excellence, political contribution, serving the state and the commonwealth. Military service is still part of that, but now the ideal of excellence is subsumed as serving the community (as a member of the leading class, still).
Finally, the philosophers get hold of these words, and transform them into something more like the ongoing meaning of ‘virtue’, that is “moral excellence”. But virtue gets all caught up in piety and purity, and we’re left with a word that evades us.
Which is why “excellence” is a good choice, and why I enjoy Jo Walton’s choice in her speculative fiction novel, The Just City to keep talking about being one’s “best selves”, which admittedly could sound a bit motivational-instagram-influencer talk of “be your best you in 2024”, but it could also just be a much more profound way about talking about excellence.
Because what is excellence apart from being the best self, the best version of yourself, the you who you could be, should be, ought to be. The question, of course, is what shapes our idealised portrait of what that better self is. Because for the shallow internet influencer, the best version of yourself is all about wish-fulfilment of a bunch of fundamentally ego-driven desires. Which is a bundle of wants that the world of marketing (which includes influencers) has told you is a better you: thinner, thicker, smarter, richer, with better accessories, better friends, better location, better passive income, more likes, more followers, and so on. But it’s not just external accoutrements, it’s also more peaceful, less busy, more in tune, perfect work-life balance, and so on. The accomplishments one has to add-up for the perfect life aren’t just external, they are all the consumer items that are making you a ‘better’ person, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
Which is at its core just capitalism cannablising the non-material world.
What excellence needs, what one needs to become one’s best self, is an image of the best self to grow into. And for Christians that is Christ. Just as he is both image and likeness of God, we are made in God’s image, and grow into God’s likeness. Our best self is our best self in Christ, and the shape of excellence is that shape. It’s that which preserves us from just wish-fulfilling every desire of the sinful nature. And so, yes, pursuing self-improvement is a good thing, seeking to become our best selves is good. Yet what is your best self except your truest self in the truest one?
But the answer ‘Jesus’ is both too much and too little. On the one hand there is so much that is particular about the 1st century Jew, that you can never imitate, even if you wanted to; and much that you simply shouldn’t. There is no special virtue in becoming a carpenter, speaking Aramaic, or eating an ancient Mediterranean diet. Presumably, too, Jesus had a certain personality, certain traits, certain features, all of which are accidental and incidental, not prescriptive for being a perfect human being.
On the other hand, there can be a vagueness to universality. What does it even mean to be pure, holy, blameless, upright? Are our particularities subsumed into his universality? That won’t do either.
Which is why ‘best version of yourself’ preserves something of the particularity of the you that is you, the combination of nature and nature, the storied characterisation of your existence, and yet the striving towards a particular manifestation of an idealised and universal good - “Excellence”.