Seneca, Moral Letters 9.11

We marvel at certain animals because they can pass through fire and suffer no bodily harm; but how much more marvelous is a man who has marched forth unhurt and unscathed through fire and sword and devastation! 

 

Do you understand now how much easier it is to conquer a whole tribe than to conquer one man? 

 

This saying of Stilpo makes common ground with Stoicism; the Stoic also can carry his goods unimpaired through cities that have been burned to ashes; for he is self-sufficient. Such are the bounds which he sets to his own happiness.

 

As a child, I was a bit disappointed to learn that salamanders were not actually invulnerable to fire, but I do not need to turn to the stuff of legends to experience the incredible resilience of so many of Nature’s creatures. 

 

Close to home, my old tabby, Jack, has already used up his nine lives many times over. He’s a wiry little fellow, seemingly impervious to fear, never hesitant to defend his turf from possums or raccoons, regardless of whether he is outsized or outnumbered. He deftly escapes from the most dangerous dilemmas, and whenever he is injured or sick, he will never utter a sound of complaint. 

 

If he were human, I would say that he is the bravest and most constant fellow I have ever met. It may seem silly to some, but there have been many times where I find inspiration by reminding myself that if Jack can overcome all of his obstacles, then so can I. 

 

It isn’t in his brawn, or even in his wits, but in his attitude, a sort of animal equivalent to human character. Similarly, I do not have a powerful body, and I will often be slow on the uptake, and I certainly don’t have a vast reservoir of worldly influence to get my way. Still, I know I have it within me to never let myself be conquered. 

 

Yes, there are many things that people have taken from me, and there are many more that they could still take from me, and yet unless my mind and will are destroyed, which would effectively be the end of me, I can remain the captain of my soul. 

 

It may seem impossible to carry certain burdens, or to live with such great pain, and yet I have found, when I do have my head screwed on right, that my very thinking, if it is committed and sincere, will determine what I am able to handle. It is my own sense of meaning and value that shapes my priorities, and so if I do not think it important, I will not suffer its loss. 

 

When I choose to define my happiness by what is within the limits of my own self, then I can find peace within myself, regardless of the circumstances. Only the free surrender of my mind and will can make defeat possible. 

 

Jack is getting on in years, and I don’t know which of us will go first, but if it’s him, I have no doubt that he will point the way for me with his usual mettle. 

Written in 5/2012