Get Goodness

Michael Hickey is a writer and poet who lives in Naples, Florida in the fall and winter and in Swampscott, Massachusetts in the spring and summer. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and a Master Of Divinity Studies graduate of Weston Jesuit, a Boston College theological school. Following careers as a corporate executive and executive director of two charitable non-profits focused on third world and U.S. poverty, he eventually began his own marketing business. He retired as a successful entrepreneur to become a full time writer and poet. His first book, Get Wisdom, published in 2006. He writes a weekly column called "Words Of Wisdom" for The Naples Daily News and teaches courses on religion, philosophy, and poetry at Hodges University, CLL and Florida Gulf Coast University, RA. His wife, Theresa, is a published poet, and in their forty-four years together they have raised four happy and "well-adjusted" children into adulthood.

The book explores 47 different virtues from the Catholic perspective. All of which are dimensions of goodness, Hickey defines virtue in the book as "the highest expression of the human soul." Each chapter tackles a specific virtue, beginning with the origin of the word or etymology. Hickey then discusses each virtue from the theological and philosophical perspective. He ends the chapters with a poem, which Hickey said, is "an attempt to try to understand the experience of the world."The book is not only geared towards those needing or wanting to become better human beings. Hickey says it speaks to everyone.“Virtue and happiness are intertwined,” he said. “If you want to be happy, then do good. If you do good, you will be happy. Even though someone may not necessarily want goodness. There’s nobody out there who’s not interested in happiness.”

• Chapter 1 PrefaceChapter 2 Chapter One: VirtueChapter 3 Chapter Two: Essence - Virtue "Is"Chapter 4 Chapter Three: Power - Virtue Is The "Power"Chapter 5 Chapter Four: Freedom-Virtue Is The Power "To Do"Chapter 6 Chapter Five: Goodness-Virtue Is The Power To Do "Good"Chapter 7 Chapter Six: AChapter 8 Chapter Seven: CChapter 9 Chapter Eight: DChapter 10 Chapter Nine: EChapter 11 Chapter Ten: FChapter 12 Chapter Eleven: GChapter 13 Chapter Twelve: HChapter 14 Chapter Thirteen: IChapter 15 Chapter Fourteen: JChapter 16 Chapter Fifteen: KChapter 17 Chapter Sixteen: LChapter 18 Chapter Seventeen: MChapter 19 Chapter Eighteen: OChapter 20 Chapter Nineteen: PChapter 21 Chapter Twenty: RChapter 22 Chapter Twenty-One: SChapter 23 Chapter Twenty-Two: T