“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of the Lord.”

Personal Virtues

many virtues spelled in english end in I-T-Y
Speaking about the “ity” virtues

• civility
• integrity
• charity
• morality
• humility

“ity” means ??, ???, and ??????

Civility is all but absent in our political discourse.

Fidelity and honesty have been replaced with greed and graft

If integrity is absent civility is impaired. (the converse is that if civility is absent, integrity must be lacking)

The spelling in English of many individual virtues concludes with the letters ity: integrity, humility, charity, spirituality, accountability, civility, fidelity, and the list goes on and on. . . “Ity” is a suffix that means quality, state, or degree of being.

We need only look around us to see what is taking place in our communities to realize that personal traits of virtue are in a steep decline. . . Civility is all but absent in our political discourse. As countries around the world face financial and economic challenges, fidelity and honesty seem to have been replaced with greed and graft.

On occasion our generosity in support of good causes wanes as our appetite to acquire more than we need prevails.

We need not be a part of the virtue malaise that is penetrating and infecting society. If we follow the world in abandoning Christian-centered virtues, the consequences may be disastrous. Individual faith and fidelity, which have eternal consequences, will diminish. Family solidarity and spirituality will be adversely impacted. Religious influence in society will be lessened, and the rule of law will be challenged and perhaps even set aside. The seedbed for all that plagues the natural man will have been planted, to the sheer delight of Satan.

President James E. Faust suggested that integrity is the mother of many virtues. He noted that integrity can be defined “as a firm adherence to a code of moral values.” He also suggested that “integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us” (“Integrity, the Mother of Many Virtues,” in Speaking Out on Moral Issues [1998], 61, 62).

It is difficult for a person to display virtuous traits if they lack integrity. Without integrity, honesty is often forgotten. If integrity is absent, civility is impaired. If integrity is not important, spirituality is difficult to maintain.

President Thomas S. Monson reminded us a few years ago that “most people will not commit desperate acts if they have been taught that dignity, honesty and integrity are more important than revenge or rage; if they understand that respect and kindness ultimately give one a better chance at success” (“Family Values in a Violent Society,” Deseret News, Jan. 16, 1994, A12, as quoted in “Finding Peace,” Ensign, Mar. 2004, 4).

Virtuous traits, especially the “ity” virtues, must never be forgotten or set aside. If forgotten or set aside, they will inevitably become the “lost virtues.” If virtues are lost, families will be measurably weakened, individual faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will soften, and important eternal relationships may be jeopardized.

Traits of virtue broadly practiced can loosen Satan’s firm grip on society and derail his insidious plan to capture the hearts, minds, and spirits of mortal men.