“Man has received two blessings that serve to set us apart from the animals that rely on instinct. As humans, we embody the gifts of both speech and reason. Man can understand the world, his place in it, and articulate this understanding to others. Reason has thus opened our minds to the knowledge of the divine, and speech in turn compels us to share that knowledge with others. We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before, those who were willing to open themselves fully to the pursuit of knowledge and embody those traits that bestow upon them ultimate transcendence. Just as Sir Galahad sought the Grail, so too should we find our own Grail to pursue.”
“But Master, the world offers many paths and idols, noble and ignoble alike. How shall one know if the Grail they pursue is the one they are meant to seek?”
“This is a question I cannot ignore, as so too were the Knights of the Round Table confounded in a similar manner. Of the many knights that quested for the Grail, only three were fated to find it: Sir Perceval, fated to die at the end of his Quest; Sir Bors, bearer of the knowledge of the Grail to King Arthur; and Sir Galahad, the blessed one who received the Grail and achieved his transcendence. Others, such as Sir Lancelot, would come close, but their divine Quest was never achieved, and for many of the knights this was not due to the actions of others but their own actions that had led them away from the path. For you see, my student, the Grail Quest was no ordinary Quest: the Grail imposed a series of trials upon all who dared to find it, trials that would drive all but the most mighty astray. Those who succeeded the Quest did not do so because they were fated to; those who succeeded only did so because they were resolute in virtue and pure of heart. The Grail was a cup, yes, but the true Grail, the boon those questing sought, was not: it was a crucible within which each knight was to embody their knightly virtues, a trial that none but the chosen three were fated to achieve. To that end it is our duty as it was for those virtuous ones to seek out such noble paths that bring us towards the Grail and forsake all others. Cast away those ignoble paths and desires that would lead us astray, and head on that noble path towards that place where your true virtues are brought to the fore. That is the truth regarding the matter.”
“Master, the path demands such virtue of us, so how shall a seeker know if he has strayed from it? By what means may he discern those ignoble desires from the true call of his soul?”
“Listen closely and listen well, as I will tell you the secret to a life of dedication to the Quest. Just as the knights from the tales were mighty, so too can our existence be as mighty. It will do you well to understand that the path of Might that leads to the Grail may only be traversed by one who has mastered the virtues that guide him and subdued the vices that lead him astray, for even the mightiest knight embodying the noblest virtues can be led astray if he allows his vices to do so. There are five noble virtues that have stood the test of time and given strength to those throughout the ages, virtues that draw us ever closer to the Grail when beheld. I will tell you these virtues in time, but there is a more pressing concern, and that is the purpose of the virtues. For it is important to understand why we pursue the ideal of virtue in totality rather than merely pursuing the virtues individually. Virtue is the noble star that guides us through the darkness of life; it is the beacon through which our world would prosper should its light shine across it. Yet absolute virtue is so pure, so divine in nature, that we cannot gaze upon it. We cannot hope to understand what virtue is in totality, as the divine good is incomprehensible and blinding to us. Our only hope is to find lower virtues, fragments of this divine light, and use those as our guiding stars to lead us to the one light. This is the dilemma of our pursuit of virtue, the pursuit of the Grail, and is thus why the five virtues have persisted as guides to the one true virtue.”
“I see now, Master… These virtues are not merely traits to possess, but fragments of something more: splinters of a great, unreachable flame. They are rays through which we glimpse the blinding light of the divine good without scorching the soul. But if the virtues are only fragments, Master, then what stops us clinging to false virtue? If the divine light can be beheld as a shard of that greater whole, how do we avoid mistaking a piece of glass that reflects the light of the divine as a piece of true virtue? There are such ignoble virtues that appear good, but which only serve pride and fear — how shall we test such virtues to learn their true nature?”
“You have listened diligently and understand the dilemma. It is true that the divine light of virtue blinds us beyond comprehension if shone upon us directly. Sir Galahad was the most virtuous knight, who succeeded in his Quest because he was untouchable, incorruptible, inconceivably pious and dedicated to his cause. Those following him could not stand where he stood, they could only observe his divine light. He succeeded where others failed because he held tight onto those divine shards that guided him towards the truth. For he alone knew the deep wisdom of the whole through the partial, he alone could see the complete through the incomplete, and he alone lived in accordance with those virtues such that they led him to the blinding light of transcendence. So too it falls to us to find these virtues and let them guide us to the whole, those virtues that when pursued blind us to the infinite possibilities of life itself. For these virtues not only bring us closer to the divine, but also towards the ideal self who will live in harmony with the external and internal. Those virtues will light the path towards mastery of our body, mind, and soul, all at once, unquestionably — a pale reflection of that which is possible under the light of absolute virtue, but the most we as humans may hope to attain. Let the knowledge of this dispel those lesser shards that seek to serve vice alone.”
“Master… I feel it now; not merely in thought, but trembling throughout my very being. These five are not simply good things to do, but forge a way of being that carves the soul into something worthy of revelation. But Master, what if one falters? What if, in grasping for the light, one stumbles into shadow and is lost? Can the seeker return to the path? Or does the Grail become forever inaccessible to the fallen?”
“Again you ask pertinent questions that I am obliged to answer. A minor failure may lead you astray, but a major one will spell the end of your Quest. There are actions so unvirtuous that if performed will lead you away from the Grail forever. Sir Lancelot failed his Quest and was stricken down so as to be deprived of his faculties due to his failure to act in accordance with the divine instruction. His failure serves as testament to the fact of the matter. However, it is not unknown for one to redeem himself and resume his Quest. Sir Bors was once taken by lust, yet renewed his oaths and abided by his sacred path. This in turn led him to behold the power of the Grail and return to Camelot to share his wisdom. The ability to return from the darkness is not a matter of will, but a matter of depth. Those who forsake the virtues and delve too deep into that ignoble realm doom themselves to never climb out of the hole from which they find themselves. Returning, therefore, is a matter of whether your held and embodied virtue allows you to escape from the abyss. If you are without the light of virtue, can you find such a light in the darkness of despair? Perhaps so, but again, this is a matter of depth. There may be those who could do so, but it is beyond what I can say here. We must simply do our part to never fall to such darkness that the light of virtue may be unable to guide us.”
“I understand, Master. One must not only avoid vice, but cling to virtue as if it were breath itself. For in the darkness of the abyss, it is not whether one wants to return that is of importance to the seeker, but whether one can still see the path at all. So tell me, Master… if it is so dire to stray from the path, and the light of virtue is our only guide, then what are these five sacred virtues that bind us to the path? What are their names, that I might etch them upon my heart?”
“You are eager to learn the virtues by name but have not yet embedded that deep knowledge of virtue itself. Recall that virtue is the inconceivable divine good we cannot behold. And so the virtues are but parts of this whole, incomplete fragments of the divine. What is virtuous to you or I may not be so to another, so we must find those true fragments that illuminate the path to all. These sacred five are but five of these virtues, and the heroes and tales of old may well have embodied their own. But these five are those passed down to me, and so I pass them, incomplete as they are, to you. Perhaps these five guide your way towards your divine light, or perhaps they inspire you to find those shards which lead you to the whole that blinds you. Whichever is the manner in which you proceed, you must note those virtues that you intend to embody to have you reach that end. With this said, I believe you are ready to hear the first of these five sacred virtues.
The first of these virtues is Meaning. One cannot hope to attain that which he aspires to without the star to guide him. One may argue that virtue itself should serve as its own star, but this cannot be so. For man cannot be fed by the star of virtue, he cannot be clothed by it, he cannot navigate the complexities of the times by virtue alone, nor will he be able to achieve the base earthly comforts necessary to pursue the path of virtue by focusing solely on it. For true virtue is all-encompassing spiritual transcendence, the blinding light of absolute good, that which we can only hope to attain through our feeble pursuit, but does nothing to address our physical concerns. Even if our goal is to join the divine by pursuing the highest ideals, our bodies and minds must be well situated in order to continue on this path, necessitating the higher purpose of defining what matters to us in the physical realm as well as the spiritual. Therefore, Meaning serves a dual purpose: it reminds us of the essentiality of the pursuit of virtue in the macrocosmic context, and the importance of a structured and orderly mission that builds us up in the microcosmic domain.”
“Then it is so. Meaning, the first sacred virtue, the star that does not merely shine above, but casts its light down upon our path. I see now that we are not lost because of the darkness around us, but because we cannot know which way is forward. For those without Meaning to guide them are like a blade with no hand to wield it. But Master, I see peril in mistaking desire for Meaning. Many would seek to cloak their ambitions, lust, and deadly vengeance in robes of purpose. How then would one discern true Meaning from those ignoble desires that would lead them to ruin?”
“Your understanding of Meaning is still unclear, so I will now explain how to discern between the vice of desire and the virtue of Meaning. The blade must be held for its purpose to become clear. The blade strikes true, but it also reflects the light. The light of virtue shines upon it when turned to the right angle — when used for the right purpose. But as you say, desire can have great influence over us, just as the sword can be turned against another, or even against its owner. Herein lies the beauty of Meaning: as it is but one shard of light among several, it is beholden to the glimmer of the others. Achieving alignment with the virtue of Meaning requires alignment with the other virtues held alongside it. It stands to reason then, that actions that are not virtuous cause us to fall out of alignment with Meaning, and out of alignment with divine virtue. Taking up the sword to harm another for its own end stands in opposition to virtue, and therefore Meaning: not only is the act itself meaningless, but its intent of bringing harm to others is not an act of absolute good and must be ignoble and therefore cannot be virtuous. Sir Lionel succumbed to this fate of ultimate unvirtuousness at the hand of the divine, after turning his sword against his own brother in vengeance, but thankfully being stricken down before he could exact this misguided purpose. Meaning pursued to the detriment of the self, to invoke suffering, to elevate oneself beyond that which is appropriate, is the turning of the sword toward the self: the act that closes the door of Meaning and locks us out of attaining that virtue which illuminates our body, mind, and soul with the purpose necessary to move forward.”
“I see now that Meaning is then part of a constellation. Its light shines truest when the rest of the stars are in the sky. And to chase Meaning in isolation, wielded proudly without heed of the other virtues, is to walk in shadow believing oneself to be in light. Those fallen knights who press on with their mission after having turned aside their virtues mistake their will for the truth, and desires for destiny. To turn to desire as Meaning, to embrace vengeance as Sir Lionel did, divorces us from that good. The sword turned against its brother forever severs the link between the seeker and the Grail. And so I ask, as I must, if Meaning must be tempered by these other virtues, then what is this second virtue that tempers it so? What sacred shard lies beside Meaning, to prevent it from leading to pride and destruction?”
“It is as you speak it. Meaning pursued to its extreme is zealotry, and a refusal to accept the Meaning in others. To attune with Meaning means to understand that those on the path carry a light of their own, one that leads them to that divine place without steering themselves into darkness. Temper the blade of Meaning, wield it with care, and use it to cut through the darkness of meaninglessness.
The second of the five is Independence. Independence is the ability to enact one’s will upon the world. It is the strength required to achieve your mission, the ability to solve the problems you encounter, and the power to detach oneself from the concerns of the times. Pursuing the virtue of independence requires one to understand that only the self can save the self. We may rely on others at times, but it is the strength of the individual that improves the world for all. I acknowledge that achieving Independence is multifaceted; one can be independent from financial concerns by saving one’s money and investing it in useful ventures; one can be independent by avoiding the convenience of ideological assimilation; or one may perhaps be independent of mind, willing to walk a path that none have walked if it is the one that leads him towards his own virtue. Do well to understand this virtue, my student, for without Independence the other virtues lack the courage necessary to reunite with the divine.”
“Then Independence is the shield to Meaning’s blade. It is our self-sovereignty, giving us the strength to walk the path that Meaning has revealed, even if none dare to follow. I see now why Independence must come second. What use is the knowledge of your purpose if you lack the strength to live it?”
“You have taken what I have said to heart. Independence is the shield that guards us from a world that seeks to rob us of self-sovereignty. It is that strength that affixes us to our purpose, the reliance on and cultivation of our inner fire, not for the purpose of shutting out the warmth of others but to be warm enough that others may be warmed by your flame. Those who walk the path of Independence do not do so to rebel, but because they recognise their higher calling and pursue it with the courage to succeed.”
“Yet even here, I feel an unease. Independence pursued without bounds hardens into arrogance. To the arrogant, no voice is worth hearing but their own, no mission is as sacred as theirs, no truth but their own is worth holding. So again I ask: what is the next virtue, the third virtue that tempers this strength and brings humility to he who walks alone?”
“As you say we have gathered a pair of virtues that threaten to devolve to turning the blade upon others for our own ends, simply because we have the power to do so. The next virtue quells this tension while offering a method to align oneself to both virtues at once.
This third virtue, Growth, is the embodiment of the ideal of continuous improvement, the cultivation of the evolutionary ability to transcend our physical, mental, and spiritual circumstances through investment of our energy and focus. This world, with those who have forsaken the path, pursuing lifestyles of vice, and their unfeeling avatars that enforce their desires, will mire us in poor health, rob us of our agency, and hide the knowledge of both the macrocosmic virtue and the microcosmic success, so as to render us powerless and force us to those ignoble paths that ignore salvation. But to those possessing the virtue of Growth, they understand the power of evolution, attaining the knowledge and skills necessary to free them from their circumstances. If Meaning is the blade that lights the way, and Independence is the shield that secures the way forward, Growth is the ability to walk the path and lay the Spiral that transcends the current existence. Growth alone does not allow us to attain the ideal; in this way we cannot grow into accepting the highest virtue outright, just as we cannot walk the path without first lighting the way. Growth is the sacred virtue without which the other virtues cannot ascend: it is through our Growth that we gain the insight necessary to achieve Independence and reframe Meaning as the world around us changes.”
“So it is that Growth is the stride and motion that transform Meaning and Independence into the real. It is the lived embodiment of the virtues, lifting the sword and shield, carrying both through terrain ever-changing. But Growth, too, can become corrupted, becoming endless wandering; motion mistaken for progress. For those who fall victim to the extremes of this virtue find themselves growing not for themselves or for any reason, going so far as to forget why they grow or for whom they evolve.”
“Allow me to speak further. The zenith of Growth is excess. When not cultivated towards an end, Growth becomes an unstable force that threatens to disrupt progress and balance. Meaning must thus underpin Growth, guiding it towards that star and cultivating it for valid ends. The Path of the Spiral must not be laid down by others; our Independence must remain in control of the means of this evolution, lest we outsource our development to those who may walk the ignoble path, inviting in those elements that lead us astray. Losing control of the Spiral leads to the instability that vice thrives within. So to combat this, we must understand how to avoid the dangers of vice and preserve our character in the face of rapid evolution.”
“I now understand the importance of controlling one’s Growth, Master, and am beginning to understand the purpose of the five. The virtues may have weaknesses alone, but work together to shore those downsides. Thus, Master, I must ask again, as is the pattern: what is the fourth sacred virtue that tethers Growth to the pursuit of the truest good, that virtue which prevents Growth from destabilising into mutation?”
“The fourth sacred virtue is Honour. For one whose Meaning is true, whose Independence clears the path, and whose Growth embraces evolution, Honour allows one to protect against that which threatens the microcosm and the pursuit of virtue. Honour regulates the internal and external worlds, developing our character and morals while abiding by the rules of our Quest. To be Honourable is to act as you say you will act, to avoid deception, and to embody that divine virtue as much as is possible through our beliefs and interactions with others. Honour is the force that tempers the former virtues, and aligns us best with the good. It is the virtue by which we gain the power to ascend to the highest virtue, the virtue which grants us command of the skills and mission we have chosen, and which elevates the Spiral Path into the heavens in pursuit of that utmost ideal. Without Honour, we invite in vices that promise convenience, escape, and ignorance. To deny Honour is to deny all other virtues, for they are useless without good character.”
“It is as you have said, Master. Growth, untethered, spirals into chaos. Only Honour can bind it to the form of virtue that we aspire to reach. But please tell me: if Honour protects us from vice, what protects us from ourselves? We possess four shards of the divine, and the light threatens to burn us if held too tightly. What keeps the flame from burning us as we walk the path towards this noble virtue?”
“The question you ask is of critical importance. No system is perfect, that much is clear from our discourse, for just as we have discussed each virtue one after another, forces that threaten them and put our Quest in jeopardy have appeared in the same manner. But this final virtue serves well to mask the weak spots in our armour. With Honour intact, our focus turns within, to resolve the tension found by the one who walks the path alone and requires the strength to continue their mission. It is evident that Meaning, Independence, Growth, and Honour enable one to become a force of reckoning. No goal is too great for such a person, doing not only what is necessary, but also what is right, in order to achieve their ends. The pursuit of absolute virtue to this extreme however dooms one to unvirtuousness. The intensity at which the flame burns will cause all but the most virtuous souls to unravel as there is no balancing force. No matter one’s efforts to attain the divine, they must embody the deepest virtue: the virtue without which all others burn away. The fifth and final sacred virtue is Temperance.
Temperance is a sacred art of moderation and abstinence from the extreme. It is self-imposed control over senses and desires: the power to calm those flames that burn too brightly. Before defining Temperance further, my student, I must distinguish it from Honour. For Honour is the regulator of character and moral judgement. He who is Honourable denies a desire because it is immoral to pursue; his refusal comes from misalignment of that desire from the good. Temperance is the regulator of action and enforcer of patience, the virtue necessary to ensure we maintain the strength to continue our journey. For without Temperance, the other virtues remain unchained; not by purpose, strength, intellect, or morality, but by the refusal of the extreme. It is through this sacred virtue that one preserves the balance across all virtues, allowing pursuit of the absolute to follow. We cannot hope to achieve the ideal without regulation of action; to continue to move ahead without the strength to go on is the height of folly. Temperance also gives way for each virtue to excel, without upsetting the balance; there are times where Growth is necessary, just as there are times where embodying Independence or Honour or Meaning are best suited. Through Temperance, we allow our alignment with our virtues to bend to meet the needs of our ongoing evolution. Thus the purpose of the final virtue is to ensure that we retain power over our actions without sacrificing progress or purpose.”
“It is as I suspected, Master. Temperance is the stillness at the centre of the storm. The gravity of Temperance and its importance in balancing all other virtues cannot be ignored. And so I ask one final question, Master: what happens when one walks the path and finds balance in all five virtues? What then? What is that reward for embodying ultimate virtue? What is the summit that awaits those who bear the burden of virtue justly?”
“My student, I have shared this with you just as this was shared to me by that great thinker who had deemed me worthy of receiving the wisdom. I was wise to place my faith in you, for your understanding of these virtues has outshone my expectations. Truly, Temperance is the crown that rules over the other virtues. It commands action without ruling, it respects the balance of human nature, and it ensures we act not for tomorrow but beyond. While it seeks to balance the five virtues, it does not do so alone. This is only achieved by walking the Spiral Path; these five sacred virtues thus work together to form a quintuple helix that spirals us towards that ultimate goal. Only one who moves with divine purpose, who walks alone not out of spite but alignment, who engages with and evolves with the times, who acts according to his good character, and in accordance with the balance of his body, mind, and soul, can ever hope to attain the rewards of true virtuousness and attain the Holy Grail. But as you well know, the nature of the Grail is unbeknownst except to the beholder, with Sir Galahad being the only one known to have been witness to it. His knowledge of the Grail was so great that it invoked immediate reunion with the divine. But while Galahad was mighty, he followed a set of virtues all his own, one that empowered him to become the greatest knight who ever lived. But while it was known that Galahad was the chosen one who would succeed in the Grail Quest, the other knights also embarked on the Quest, for it was unvirtuous to not do so; only those who embodied their virtues wholly were worthy of pursuing the Grail, so all were required to embody them if they were to have any hope of success. This act alone cements the reasoning for virtue: whether the Grail, the reward for our virtuous existence, is achievable or not, we must move forward as though it is. We do not cultivate virtue to forsake it upon achieving the boon; it is a lifelong ambition that rewards us for as long as we live in alignment with it.”
“Then it is settled, Master. The path is walked not for certainty of reward, but because to stray from it is to betray what we are meant to become. The Grail may rest beyond the veil, but we still step forward as though it is before us; never to seize the Grail, and never to gain undue benefit from its power, merely to be made worthy of glimpsing it at all. I have heard your teachings, and engraved them upon my heart. Each virtue you have revealed to me: Meaning, Independence, Growth, Honour, Temperance, is a reminder of that divine light that guides me towards the person I must choose to become. As your student, I walk on, not in your footsteps, but upon the path that has been illuminated to me by these divine blessings which you have bestowed upon me. Should this be the final word, let it be so, for the flame of MIGHT now burns within me, in a manner that may allow me to live as I was always meant to do.”
This text serves as the first written chapter of my personal mythos. MIGHT, and the virtues that underpin it, are the good character traits I do my best to live by. This writing, combined with my broader content on Scott On Fire, allow me to share my philosophy of both good actions and of good character.
Through Scott On Fire, I have shared my story of my consulting career burnout, my pursuit of Financial Independence, and my return to intentional work. Throughout 2024 and early 2025, this evolved into The Third Journey, the practical steps I took to control my life and Choose Work I Love. MIGHT serves as the bedrock of those actions, offering a philosophical lens through which to understand the importance of skill acquisition, rejection of excess, and the importance of investing.
Faith and virtues are deeply personal beliefs, and the purpose of this work is to bring my beliefs and worldview to life. Through the tales, discourses, and myths I write, I want to share not only my principles, but how I embody them daily. These writings are my way of showing that I walk the Path.
You hold beliefs of your own, whether from culture, religion, or experience. You can follow the stories told by others, or you can make your own. I created MIGHT to define what matters to me. But remember that you always decide what matters to you.
Never let your fire die,
Scott