What we do in our daily lives: good, bad, heroic, or cowardly may be noticed by others and result in praise or blame. This notice of others can be a dominating motivation for our actions. Those actions don’t stem from being virtuous for its own sake but rather for a reward or to avoid a negative perception.

Instead — blessed are the unsung heroes. Their actions, either personally or in relation to others are motivated by doing the right thing, period. No recognition is desired. This is the purest form of virtue.

In the poem “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” by Thomas Gray part of it says:

“Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean bear: Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”

A beautiful clip but I disagree that the sweetness is wasted. Unseen virtue and beauty for their own sake are never a waste. They are the purest forms. A lot of what we do will be noticed, but in those moments out of sight, we can strive to choose the good, beautiful, and virtuous just because, and especially when it is very difficult. It will be unsung and all the better for it.