For this reason, I hold that there is nothing of eminence in all such men as these, who never create anything themselves, but always lurk in the shadow of others, playing the role of interpreters, never daring to put once into practice what they have been so long in learning.
They have exercised their memories on other men's material. But it is one thing to remember, another to know. Remembering is merely safeguarding something entrusted to the memory. Knowing, however, means making everything your own; it means not depending upon the copy and not all the time glancing back at the master.
"Thus said Zeno, thus said Cleanthes, indeed!"
Let there be a difference between yourself and your book! How long shall you be a learner? From now on be a teacher as well!
"But why," one asks, "should I have to continue hearing lectures on what I can read?"
"The living voice," one replies, "is a great help."
Perhaps, but not the voice which merely makes itself the mouthpiece of another's words, and only performs the duty of a reporter.
They have exercised their memories on other men's material. But it is one thing to remember, another to know. Remembering is merely safeguarding something entrusted to the memory. Knowing, however, means making everything your own; it means not depending upon the copy and not all the time glancing back at the master.
"Thus said Zeno, thus said Cleanthes, indeed!"
Let there be a difference between yourself and your book! How long shall you be a learner? From now on be a teacher as well!
"But why," one asks, "should I have to continue hearing lectures on what I can read?"
"The living voice," one replies, "is a great help."
Perhaps, but not the voice which merely makes itself the mouthpiece of another's words, and only performs the duty of a reporter.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 33
Sometimes it is good to vent the emotions, but I must be wary about letting that turn into an occasion for enabling anger. A man should certainly feel, as long as he remains the master of his feelings.
With that in mind, I will only briefly say that I think I know quite well what Seneca is condemning here. I work around many people who are intellectual parrots, and I am watchful of becoming one myself. Once again, I’m relieved to see it isn’t just a modern problem.
How could I think it noble and enlightened to mimic the words of others? There is nothing of myself in it, only the foolish expectation that associating with prominence will somehow rub off on me. It is no different than those who fawn over the rich and famous, degrading themselves by admiring the manipulation of appearances.
For the Stoic, life is an active engagement, not a passive conformity. The memory is a capacity for receiving, while the mind must then do the work of its own building. A prefabricated house may be a lazy thing, though a prefabricated conscience is an unforgivable thing.
Whenever the followers preach from their prepared texts, I at first assume they are puffed up with pride, convinced of their superiority by the company they keep. Then, however, I remember how my own times of vanity always arise from a deep sense of emptiness inside, which must immediately be diverted by external attachments. Yes, they are putting on a strong show, precisely because they are avoiding their weakness.
Much like hatred is a twisted form of love, so arrogance has its roots in a feeling of insecurity. Instead of responding with resentment, let me show compassion; it is, after all, what I was hoping for when I licked the master’s boot.
There is, however, the danger of another extreme, where I believe I don’t need to learn from anyone else at all. “Why listen, then? I’ll just do my own thing!”
Be careful! It is necessary to experience in order to understand, and there is no greater aid to unraveling the world than the kind and patient guidance of a mentor. Yet he is a material cause, an opportunity for my discovery, while I am the efficient cause, the agent of my own awareness and action.
There are many in this world who have no choice in being slaves of the body, even as it is blameworthy to freely become a slave of the mind and will. That is precisely what I do when I surrender to the chic ideology.
Sometimes it is good to vent the emotions, but I must be wary about letting that turn into an occasion for enabling anger. A man should certainly feel, as long as he remains the master of his feelings.
With that in mind, I will only briefly say that I think I know quite well what Seneca is condemning here. I work around many people who are intellectual parrots, and I am watchful of becoming one myself. Once again, I’m relieved to see it isn’t just a modern problem.
How could I think it noble and enlightened to mimic the words of others? There is nothing of myself in it, only the foolish expectation that associating with prominence will somehow rub off on me. It is no different than those who fawn over the rich and famous, degrading themselves by admiring the manipulation of appearances.
For the Stoic, life is an active engagement, not a passive conformity. The memory is a capacity for receiving, while the mind must then do the work of its own building. A prefabricated house may be a lazy thing, though a prefabricated conscience is an unforgivable thing.
Whenever the followers preach from their prepared texts, I at first assume they are puffed up with pride, convinced of their superiority by the company they keep. Then, however, I remember how my own times of vanity always arise from a deep sense of emptiness inside, which must immediately be diverted by external attachments. Yes, they are putting on a strong show, precisely because they are avoiding their weakness.
Much like hatred is a twisted form of love, so arrogance has its roots in a feeling of insecurity. Instead of responding with resentment, let me show compassion; it is, after all, what I was hoping for when I licked the master’s boot.
There is, however, the danger of another extreme, where I believe I don’t need to learn from anyone else at all. “Why listen, then? I’ll just do my own thing!”
Be careful! It is necessary to experience in order to understand, and there is no greater aid to unraveling the world than the kind and patient guidance of a mentor. Yet he is a material cause, an opportunity for my discovery, while I am the efficient cause, the agent of my own awareness and action.
There are many in this world who have no choice in being slaves of the body, even as it is blameworthy to freely become a slave of the mind and will. That is precisely what I do when I surrender to the chic ideology.
—Reflection written in 12/2012
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