"Well then, shall we act like other men? Shall there be no distinction between ourselves and the world?"
Yes, a very great one; let men find that we are unlike the common herd, if they look closely. If they visit us at home, they should admire us, rather than our household appointments.
He is a great man who uses earthenware dishes as if they were silver; but he is equally great who uses silver as if it were earthenware. It is the sign of an unstable mind not to be able to endure riches.
Sometimes I wish to be exactly the same as everyone else, and sometimes I wish to be completely different from everyone else, and my motives will not always be the best.
What measure am I using? Am I seeking to conform to what is best in a shared humanity, or am I just seeking approval? Am I avoiding vice by standing apart, or am I merely trying to look special?
Dramatic gestures will not be required, as they are usually a sign that I am stroking my own ego. Let me live in a common and unassuming way, without drawing attention to whatever I might think makes me special.
If people decide to come to know me, they will hopefully learn that what makes me distinct from the usual crowd is that I struggle, first and foremost, to pursue what is right, to act with fairness and compassion. When I fail, as I often do, then I dust myself off and try again. My deeds should speak for me, not my position or my possessions. Wanting to appear must fall away in favor of wanting to be.
If I don’t have anything fancy to my name, then let me be completely content with what little I do have. It can also be just as noble, however, to end up having many fancy things, and to not care one bit that they are fancy, and not to define my life by them.
It can be difficult to find such people, precisely because they don’t choose to insist upon themselves. Their distinction is in not being distinct just for the sake of being distinct.
If I admire someone for what he has, or I dislike him for what he has, I am headed in the wrong direction. If, however, I respect someone for who he is, or I am wary of him for who he is, I am on the better path. Character should be what binds us together, and its absence should be what separates us apart.
The philosopher’s mean asks me neither to hate being rich nor to hate being poor, but to hate settling for a bitter, selfish, and cowardly soul.
Yes, a very great one; let men find that we are unlike the common herd, if they look closely. If they visit us at home, they should admire us, rather than our household appointments.
He is a great man who uses earthenware dishes as if they were silver; but he is equally great who uses silver as if it were earthenware. It is the sign of an unstable mind not to be able to endure riches.
Sometimes I wish to be exactly the same as everyone else, and sometimes I wish to be completely different from everyone else, and my motives will not always be the best.
What measure am I using? Am I seeking to conform to what is best in a shared humanity, or am I just seeking approval? Am I avoiding vice by standing apart, or am I merely trying to look special?
Dramatic gestures will not be required, as they are usually a sign that I am stroking my own ego. Let me live in a common and unassuming way, without drawing attention to whatever I might think makes me special.
If people decide to come to know me, they will hopefully learn that what makes me distinct from the usual crowd is that I struggle, first and foremost, to pursue what is right, to act with fairness and compassion. When I fail, as I often do, then I dust myself off and try again. My deeds should speak for me, not my position or my possessions. Wanting to appear must fall away in favor of wanting to be.
If I don’t have anything fancy to my name, then let me be completely content with what little I do have. It can also be just as noble, however, to end up having many fancy things, and to not care one bit that they are fancy, and not to define my life by them.
It can be difficult to find such people, precisely because they don’t choose to insist upon themselves. Their distinction is in not being distinct just for the sake of being distinct.
If I admire someone for what he has, or I dislike him for what he has, I am headed in the wrong direction. If, however, I respect someone for who he is, or I am wary of him for who he is, I am on the better path. Character should be what binds us together, and its absence should be what separates us apart.
The philosopher’s mean asks me neither to hate being rich nor to hate being poor, but to hate settling for a bitter, selfish, and cowardly soul.
Written in 3/2012
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