"What else do you want of me, then?" you ask; "the will is still mine."
Well, the will in this case is almost everything, and not merely the half, as in the proverb "A task once begun is half done." It is more than half, for the matter of which we speak is determined by the soul.
Hence it is that the larger part of goodness is the will to become good. You know what I mean by a good man? One who is complete, finished—whom no constraint or need can render bad.
I see such a person in you, if only you go steadily on and bend to your task, and see to it that all your actions and words harmonize and correspond with each other and are stamped in the same mold. If a man's acts are out of harmony, his soul is crooked. Farewell.
Well, the will in this case is almost everything, and not merely the half, as in the proverb "A task once begun is half done." It is more than half, for the matter of which we speak is determined by the soul.
Hence it is that the larger part of goodness is the will to become good. You know what I mean by a good man? One who is complete, finished—whom no constraint or need can render bad.
I see such a person in you, if only you go steadily on and bend to your task, and see to it that all your actions and words harmonize and correspond with each other and are stamped in the same mold. If a man's acts are out of harmony, his soul is crooked. Farewell.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 34
Children may feel embarrassed when parents express their affectionate pride, just as the young Lucilius may feel a bit smothered by the praise from the old Seneca. I have to laugh, because my stubborn response would likely have been very much like the one above.
I should not think that a friend is somehow laying claim to me, or taking any credit for my progress. However much he offered assistance, I had to do my own work, and instead of wishing to rule my will for me, he is pleased to see me ruling it for myself. The abuser treats a man as subservient, while the friend treats a man with absolute respect. Lust must always consume, while love can’t help but provide.
“What do you want from me?”
“For you to be you.”
Now some throw around such words very carelessly, or as a clever excuse for license, but the Stoic understands the profound commitment they demand. Aware that his own good is joined to the good of the whole, he learns to regard every creature, in any situation, as an opportunity to act with character, to perceive his own benefit through being a support for others.
Simply put, if you run across someone who is happy when you’re happy, the chances are you have found a friend. Stick with him.
Whatever circumstances come into play, the human good is fulfilled by the exercise of our judgments, and when the convictions are pure, all the rest will fall into place. Far from being a superhuman power, Stoic self-reliance is the simple decision to be content with one’s efforts toward the virtues. No trappings will add to it, no hardships can take it away.
To be complete, to be finished, is to always work with Nature, and never against her.
Children may feel embarrassed when parents express their affectionate pride, just as the young Lucilius may feel a bit smothered by the praise from the old Seneca. I have to laugh, because my stubborn response would likely have been very much like the one above.
I should not think that a friend is somehow laying claim to me, or taking any credit for my progress. However much he offered assistance, I had to do my own work, and instead of wishing to rule my will for me, he is pleased to see me ruling it for myself. The abuser treats a man as subservient, while the friend treats a man with absolute respect. Lust must always consume, while love can’t help but provide.
“What do you want from me?”
“For you to be you.”
Now some throw around such words very carelessly, or as a clever excuse for license, but the Stoic understands the profound commitment they demand. Aware that his own good is joined to the good of the whole, he learns to regard every creature, in any situation, as an opportunity to act with character, to perceive his own benefit through being a support for others.
Simply put, if you run across someone who is happy when you’re happy, the chances are you have found a friend. Stick with him.
Whatever circumstances come into play, the human good is fulfilled by the exercise of our judgments, and when the convictions are pure, all the rest will fall into place. Far from being a superhuman power, Stoic self-reliance is the simple decision to be content with one’s efforts toward the virtues. No trappings will add to it, no hardships can take it away.
To be complete, to be finished, is to always work with Nature, and never against her.
—Reflection written in 12/2012
IMAGE: Eustache Le Sueur, A Gathering of Friends (c. 1644)
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