Thank you all for replying.
@Marblehead thank you for the welcome
@rene thank you for the amendment to the title.
and thank you for all the responses above.
I see the potential for doing good towards others, I dont deny that and is a factor.
Though by living a virtuous life you are essentially suffering.
You suffer the self and denial essentially choosing others over self?
Yes we suffer through non-virtuous means also, but if these have been reached through ignorance we can blame the external as a cause.
I appreciate that one empowers a different aspect of self by taking responsibility of actions regardless... though the following then arises:
Ok, so if we see the live a life non-virtuous, we can say 'that way doesn't work' lets try being virtuous a different means?
But, they then walk the virtuous life and still might find that doesnt quite work, is there reason one could raise themselves to stay to virtues?
We could essentially walk our whole lives by virtue and beyond the trust/reassurance in virtues themselves and the small good deeds we do, nothing more is visible to be seen as justification to that path? Where one could live a life of self-preservation, but have the appropriate social understanding to get what they want/need but by being pleasant and courteous in when required. They have trust and reassurance in their own means of survival but the outside actions do not look much different. A virtuous path doesnt seem to have justification over the other?
I am do not follow a religion, but appreciate some of what I have experienced of taosim. and believe its possible the wisdom here could be very beneficial to appease unnecessary conflicts in me. Thank you
