If we see that it is right to struggle and do our best to build a habit of doing good, it must be considered: what is a great thing? I said earlier that "Great"ness is a vague term that simply denotes the condition that is above or better than what is merely good. We see this when we face decisions in life that are not between strictly good and bad choices, but rather between good options or better ones. And what is the greatest kind of action? What is most heroic? What is most respectable and appreciated? The greatness I speak of, and am striving to achieve, is the ability to love well. More specifically, greatness is the ability to decide well (be prudent) about how, when, what, and who to love. Greatness is the ability to love those who truly need love but, by some injustice, are not being loved as they should be. Greatness is the ability to be strong and steadfast in love (especially when it is hardest to love). Greatness is the ability to moderate our love of others so as to love only to the extent that we can. And, love in a way that puts others in a position to be able to achieve greatness themselves. In this way, we don't concern ourselves with simply what people want, but we are concerned about what the actual greatest benefit of others is.
Now, I think it's right to ask, how shall we define "love"? In other words, what kind of action is it? Truly great love is charitable love. That is, to desire the good of another even over our your own good. (Historically the word desire also implies action because if it is a true and real desire and not merely some abstract wish, you will be moved by it.) However, I am not supposing that we forget about ourselves completely, in a single moment, and for the rest of our lives for the sake of others (unless that is being asked of you in some actual way). Actually, it is necessary that we take care of ourselves, but even this is only so that we can do more for the sake of others. The reality of love is that even when we are to be concerned for ourselves it is for the greater benefit of others. Thus, under normal circumstances, love teaches us to care for ourselves in order to strengthen your ability to do good for others. This takes the ability to understand the situations we find ourselves in as well. So, with those variables, this is required for perfect love: The ability to understand situations perfectly and act (love) perfectly in those circumstances for the good of another. In short, to know perfectly and to love perfectly. If it seems right to you that the truly greatest thing is to desire the good of another even over our own good, then it seems you'd have to accept that to do so perfectly would require perfect knowledge of the situation as well as the perfect desire which entails action.
Seems to me this love is unattainable. Though it is certain humans know a lot, it is almost just as certain that we are limited in the ability to have both perfect knowledge and perfect desire. I will discuss these interesting points in recap 3.
