“Consistency is the foundation of virtue.”
Sir Francis Bacon
Some people, such as Aldous Huxley, is of the opinion that consistency is contrary to nature and even to life. The only consistent people are the deceased ones, some say. Oscar Wilde disagrees with Bacon by saying that consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative individual. Others may even consider consistency to be a restriction of our movements. Is consistency what Huxley and Wilde make it out to be?
I don’t think so. Barbara Coloroso stated it clearly that our children are counting on us to provide two things: consistency and structure, for they need parents who mean what they say and do what they say they will do. This brings about some state of consistency. Bacon added to his opening quote by saying that we ought to make our course regular so that others may know what to expect.
Consistency also breeds moral strength, and Peter Singer will agree, for he argued that consistency in our moral thinking is likely to lead us – in the long run – to hold better views on ethical issues. Just imagine living an inconsistent life. No thank you, not for me, but I have come to realize that many people tend to be inconsistent in their words and acts. Maybe Horatio Smith was right in speculating that the only thing in which humans are consistent, is inconsistency itself. This should nonetheless not be the status quo. We ought to strive for consistency, as far as it is possible.
Inconsistency, I know, isn’t virtuous at all,
though others stand in it proudly and tall,
but I hope we may one day break down this wall,
and be consistent until we hear the last bugle call.
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