"the well-developed capacity to have the feelings of awe, respect, and shame when these are the right feelings to have."
I think the earned/assumed dichotomy is less important than what Woodruff describes as
when these are the right feelings to have
It has been a while since I looked at Woodruff's book. But here is a description of it from Amazon:
Reverence is an ancient virtue dating back thousands of years. It survives among us in half-forgotten patterns of behavior and in the vestiges of old ceremonies. Yet, Paul Woodruff says, we have lost sight of reverence. This short, elegiac volume makes an impassioned case for the fundamental importance of the forgotten virtue of reverence, and how awe for things greater than oneself can--indeed must--be a touchstone for other virtues like respect, humility, and charity.
Ranging widely over diverse cultural terrain--from Philip Larkin to ancient Greek poetry, from modern politics to Chinese philosophy--Woodruff shows how absolutely essential reverence is to a well-functioning society. He tackles some thorny questions: How does reverence allow not only for leaders but for followers? What role does reverence play in religion? Do some religions misuse reverence? Must reverence be humorless? In the process, Woodruff shows convincingly how reverence plays an unseen part in virtually every human relationship.
(I revere this new format links! LOL)
I first saw Woodruff talk about this on Bill Moyers - which says it all right there - Moyers has a deeply developed reverence for truth and justice . . . and I can't help but feel the same when listening to him.
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