Posted on 02/03/2010 1:35:27 PM PST by GonzoII
There has been a lot of very good discussion on yesterday’s blog post on the banishment of “dirty dancing” at many school dances. Much of the discussion has centered on modesty. Modesty is a beautiful, essential and often diminished virtue in today’s “tell-all,” ”show-all” world. There are many good definitions of modesty. Websters dictionary defines modesty first as freedom from conceit or vanity and secondly as propriety in dress, speech or conduct. It is the second definition that concerns us.
While the Websters definition of modesty is surely accurate I would like to say that the most beautiful and thought-provoking definition I have heard is that modesty is “reverence for mystery.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church has some very fine reflections along this line. Here are some excerpts:
Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love….Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness…. Modesty is decency. It inspires one’s choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet. (CCC 2521-2522)
There are just some things that are private and personal. In an age where gossip and prying into personal matters has become a 24 hour news cycle we do well to recover the notion that discretion is not the same as secrecy and cover-up. Modesty and discretion recognize that the disclosure of certain things requires a proper relationship and context. Some things should be shared and seen only in very specific settings and relationships. Some things SHOULD remain hidden out of respect for the human person. This is poorly appreciated by too many today.
Some thoughts on modesty to perhaps provoke further thought and comment:
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.adw.org ...
Hear, hear.
Here’s to modesty in public, and a lack thereof in private.
SnakeDoc
Thank you for posting. This article makes some excellent points and hopefully will inspire at least a few others to give modesty a try. It truly is the ultimate act of respect.
Modesty is one of the most attractive of the virtues.
Modesty won’t return until shame does.
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