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身处浮躁的社会如何培养品德

Yesterday, in the House of Commons, CharlesKennedy’s parliamentary colleag ues gave movingtributes to his life. There is never a rush, of course,to speak i ll of the dead, but these tributes had theclear ring of sincerity. David Camero n said his“character and courage inspired us all”, and NickClegg that he alwa ys put people before politics. Outside the commons, colleagues and friendsha ve spoken repeatedly of Kennedy’s compassion, decency, and principled n ature as well asof his ongoing battle with human frailty in the form of alcohol ism.

It seems Charles Kennedy displayed what the New York Times Columnist Davi d Brooks wouldcall “eulogy virtues”. In his most recent book “The Road to Ch aracter”, Brooks contrasts eulogy virtues like kindness, faithfulness and hu mility with what he calls resume virtues -the kind of things we put on our C V. He’s convinced that both eulogy virtues and resume virtues take work to develop, and is worried that western society pushes us to put our effortsinto the ones that will help improve our careers, not our characters.

It's the age old question- what makes a good life? How do we go deeper amo ngst the clamourof a culture that monetises status anxiety and defines us b y what earn, own or look like?

David Brook’s call for us to do the hard work of developing character, to culti vate self-restraint and self-suspicion in the age of the selfie stick, isn't rea lly controversial. It's obvious, when we stop to think about it, that the real l egacies of our lives aren’t job titles,twitter followers or cellulite free thighs. Bu t how do we develop the eulogy virtues, when the gravitational pull of the s elf is so strong?

Christians would be the first to acknowledge that these virtues don't come n aturally. Thechurch’s hunch is that change happens through vulnerable, co mmitted relationships. To overcome the tyrant self we must confess our fr ailty and darkest tendencies - first to God,and then to others.

Behavioural science is beginning to add evidence to what religions have long understood -virtue develops best in relational communities. Not short term c ommunities of self interestmade up of “people like us”, but awkward, divers e, grace filled communities, established forthe long term. The New Testame nt encourages Christians to be part of communities like these,to encourage one another, bear with each other and create space for the hard conversation

s.To keep reminding each other of the virtues that matter and the things that last. These kind ofcommunities aren't of course unique to Christianity, and th ey are often far from perfect, but ifwe want to be remembered not for our fle eting achievements but our depth of character, theymight be the best hope we have.

In the news,Chinese authorities are working quicklyto reach survivors still tra pped under a passengership that capsized -- or turned over -- in theYangtze River late Monday. More than 450passengers and crew were on board the shi p whenit went down. Most of the passengers were elderlyChinese tourists. Only 15 people are known to have gotten out alive.More than 400 passengers are still missing. ThePeople's Daily website reported late Tuesday threebodie s were found 50 kilometers from the wreckagesite.

Boko Haram attacks Maiduguri

Boko Haram militants have again attacked the Nigerian city of Maiduguri. The city is set to bethe new base of government operations aimed at defeating th e group.

Reports from the city said fighters used grenades in Tuesday's attack but wer e unable toadvance beyond the city limits.

Later, a suicide bomber attacked a cattle market in Maiduguri. Early reports said up to 20people died in the explosion.

Nine NGO employees shot dead in Afghanistan

Police in northern Afghanistan said Tuesday unknown gunmen have shot dea d at least nineemployees of an aid agency. The attack took place in Balkh pro vince. The victims were from thenon-governmental organization, People in Ne ed.

The United Nations warned last month that the Afghan conflict has caused a record rise in civilian deaths in the first few months of 2015, compared to the same period in 2014.

No one has claimed responsibility for Monday's killings of aid workers in Balkh .

US Senate votes on spy programs