Let us praise one who deserves
such constant praises, and say, "The braver you are the happier you are!
You have escaped from all accidents, jealousies, diseases; you have escaped
from prison; the gods have not thought you worthy of ill-fortune, but have
thought that fortune no longer deserved to have any power over you."
I must stop thinking only of what has been given,
and instead start thinking of what I can give. Life is an active, not a passive,
affair.
“Well, that’s clearly a load of nonsense. I told
the truth the other day, and everyone laughed at me. I spoke kind words to a
friend, and he said I was a loser. I called out the boss, and then I lost my job.”
Yes, of course all of that will happen. Happenings
aren’t the measure of a life; life is about doing. Did I first care for my own character?
If I only love the convenience found in things, there is no real love.
Fortitude will be necessary to find peace in virtue
for its own sake, and thereby to rise above the vagaries of fortune. Once I see
that my conscience can be secure, all the rest can fall into place. With that kind
of judgment, happiness is now able to rely upon what is inside instead of what
is outside.
This passage speaks to me on two levels, and thereby
addresses to the full range of circumstances I might face.
Whatever may take place, whatever others may decide
to do, bravery of conscience will always be fundamentally liberating. I can
leave the events beyond my power right where they are, and so focus on nurturing
and grooming what is my own.
When I have managed to stay the course, I am amazed
at the strength that comes from such conviction. I am then no longer a slave to
things of the world, precisely because I have chosen to understand that they do
not define me.
First, this will happen while I still live, in that
my ability to stand for myself allows me to become ever more impervious to the
actions of fortune. This is freedom.
Second, this will likewise happen if I must die, in
that all the worry about pleasure and pain will now be completely behind me.
This is also freedom.
Either way, I have both lived and died with some
dignity. The person who can do this right, the sage or the saint, remains
totally unconquerable. It is possible by casting off the chains of impressions
and desires.
The man I thought the victim can now appear quite
differently to me, as one who has received the greatest reward. In life and in
death, he has the blessing of liberty. He should be admired instead of pitied.
Written in 12/2011
IMAGE: Francesco Rosaspina, Allegory of Fortitude
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