Musonius Rufus, Lectures 1.3

Since this, then, is the nature of proof, when we consider that some men are quicker of wit and others duller, that some are reared in better environment, others in worse, those of the latter class being inferior in character and native disposition will require more proofs and more diligent attention to be led to master the teachings in question and to be molded by them; just as defective physiques, when the goal is to restore perfect health, require very diligent and prolonged treatment. 

On the other hand such pupils as are of a finer nature and have enjoyed better training will more easily and more quickly, and with few proofs, assent to sound reasoning and put it into practice. How true this is we may readily recognize if we chance to know two lads or young men, of whom one has been reared in luxury, his body effeminate, his spirit weakened by soft living, and having besides a dull and torpid disposition; the other reared somewhat in the Spartan manner, unaccustomed to luxury, practiced in self-restraint, and ready to listen to sound reasoning.

If then we place these two young men in the position of pupils of a philosopher arguing that death, toil, poverty, and the like are not evils, or again that life, pleasure, wealth, and the like are not goods, do you imagine that both will give heed to the argument in the same fashion, and that one will be persuaded by it in the same degree as the other? Far from it.

I think the only compliment I have occasionally received, from people who don’t really know me well, is that I am somehow “smart”. The fact is, unfortunately, that I am not really “smart” at all, and I usually find myself far slower and dimmer than most people around me. I try my hardest to be deliberately thoughtful, but I am not naturally gifted with a profound intelligence, or a quick memory, or an aptitude for discerning patterns and solving problems.

I think I know something of what Musonius Rufus is talking about, since what little I have managed to grasp in life did not come from an innate disposition. This means it will take me more time, and more attempts, and more explanations to help me understand. I need to look at it many times, from many different angles, and with many false starts.

I may not have the nature, but I was at least blessed with some decent nurture, in that I was raised in an environment of character and learning. I often stubbornly rejected it, though enough managed to stick with me nonetheless. That made a big difference, for which I am always grateful.

We are all born with different strengths and weaknesses, inclined to some abilities over others, and that is something that was given to us, not something we chose. We are all put in a certain place in this world, influenced by a certain environment, and that too is something that was given to us, not something we chose. Providence made us as we are, and placed us where we are.

Yet that is not all that we are, or all that we can become. Stoicism teaches us that things happen to us, beyond our control, while who we ultimately are is determined by what we decide to make of all that, completely within our control.

Yes, some can take the quicker path, because of what they have to work with, and others can take the slower path, because of what they have to work with. The trick lies in still sticking closely to the path, straight or winding, in either case. The path doesn’t need to be broadened; it needs to be more carefully marked.

Both the genius and the dullard, whether from nature or from nurture, have within them the ability to intellectually, morally, and spiritually improve themselves. They can both rightly do this in their own way; one will simply require more effort, diligence, and discipline than the other in doing so.

Did I readily comprehend that death, toil, and poverty were not evils? No. Did I readily comprehend that life, pleasure, and wealth were not goods? No. This was because it was not easy for me to wrap my head around one simple truth: the only highest and complete human good is the practice of wisdom and of virtue, to know and to love, and that everything else is entirely relative to that principle.

For those of us who are not the sharpest tools in the shed, we might require some help with the sharpening. But it does need to be sharpening and not dulling. Help me to understand one truth well, instead of twenty half-truths poorly. Don’t just give me more reasons; lead me to one really good reason.

It may take me a while, but with some patience I will get there. Point me in a single direction, however, and not in many. Both the tortoise and the hare need to be focus on one goal.

Written in 2/1999