You are mistaken if you think that only on an ocean voyage there is a very slight space between life and death. No, the distance between is just as narrow everywhere. It is not everywhere that death shows himself so near at hand; yet everywhere he is as near at hand.
Rid me of these shadowy terrors; then you will more easily deliver to me the instruction for which I have prepared myself. At our birth Nature made us teachable, and gave us reason, not perfect, but capable of being perfected.
Discuss for me justice, duty, thrift, and that twofold purity, both the purity which abstains from another's person, and that which takes care of one's own self.
If you will only refuse to lead me along by-paths, I shall more easily reach the goal at which I am aiming. For, as the tragic poet says:
“The language of truth is simple.”
We should not, therefore, make that language intricate; since there is nothing less fitting for a soul of great endeavor than such crafty cleverness. Farewell.
Rid me of these shadowy terrors; then you will more easily deliver to me the instruction for which I have prepared myself. At our birth Nature made us teachable, and gave us reason, not perfect, but capable of being perfected.
Discuss for me justice, duty, thrift, and that twofold purity, both the purity which abstains from another's person, and that which takes care of one's own self.
If you will only refuse to lead me along by-paths, I shall more easily reach the goal at which I am aiming. For, as the tragic poet says:
“The language of truth is simple.”
We should not, therefore, make that language intricate; since there is nothing less fitting for a soul of great endeavor than such crafty cleverness. Farewell.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 49
I knew a fine young lady who was horrified of flying, such that even the sight of a plane overhead would make her shiver. She took all of her trips by car or by train, until one day she was tragically killed while driving home from work.
I am not a violent man, but I’m afraid I did lose my temper and punch a boorish fellow for making a tasteless joke about her passing. The fact is that we understandably shy away from situations we think are dangerous, and yet the very real prospect of death hovers around us constantly. We should never take it lightly.
I, for one, am deeply uncomfortable around the water, and I have recurring nightmares about drowning. As much as I dread the idea of getting on board a ship, I could just as easily take an awkward tumble and crack my skull the next time I get up from my cozy desk. Let me be prepared.
Can I do this by avoiding anything that might cause me harm? No, the solution is, as always, within me. Let me subdue my fear by living as best I can, for I do not know how or when I will perish. If the job has been well done, there need be no anxiety about being relieved of duty.
And what is this work to which I am called? Thankfully, there is nothing mysterious or complex about it, though the “experts” would like us to think it demands their professional qualifications. No, I must only look at my own nature to recognize how, regardless of the circumstances, I was given a mind to embrace understanding, and a will to extend love.
I wasn’t born with the answers, but I was born with the power to reflect upon myself. No rocket science is required. If I cling to the virtues as the perfection of my humanity, I have nothing to fear, for there is nothing that can injure my dignity or hinder my purpose.
As I grow more and more confident in these convictions, more and more people snigger at me, telling me I am being unrealistic and impractical. I can only ask them to take another look at who they are, and to reconsider what it is they truly need to be happy.
What could be more “real” than fulfilling the essential duty of a human being? The rest is window dressing. What could be more “practical” than caring for the purity of my soul, the very core of my identity? If you must, you may keep your trinkets—I choose to define myself by the love of the truth.
If you are still laughing, please ask yourself what brings you the most grief in life. Isn’t it dealing with cruel and shifty people, which then makes you believe you must be cruel and shifty in return?
All of those problems will disappear the moment you decide that character and integrity are all that count. If a man is prudent, brave, temperate, and just, he will not bring suffering to either himself or to others. All the rest takes care of itself once that is achieved.
Keep it simple. Don’t let the sophists convince you it has to be cryptic and convoluted.
I knew a fine young lady who was horrified of flying, such that even the sight of a plane overhead would make her shiver. She took all of her trips by car or by train, until one day she was tragically killed while driving home from work.
I am not a violent man, but I’m afraid I did lose my temper and punch a boorish fellow for making a tasteless joke about her passing. The fact is that we understandably shy away from situations we think are dangerous, and yet the very real prospect of death hovers around us constantly. We should never take it lightly.
I, for one, am deeply uncomfortable around the water, and I have recurring nightmares about drowning. As much as I dread the idea of getting on board a ship, I could just as easily take an awkward tumble and crack my skull the next time I get up from my cozy desk. Let me be prepared.
Can I do this by avoiding anything that might cause me harm? No, the solution is, as always, within me. Let me subdue my fear by living as best I can, for I do not know how or when I will perish. If the job has been well done, there need be no anxiety about being relieved of duty.
And what is this work to which I am called? Thankfully, there is nothing mysterious or complex about it, though the “experts” would like us to think it demands their professional qualifications. No, I must only look at my own nature to recognize how, regardless of the circumstances, I was given a mind to embrace understanding, and a will to extend love.
I wasn’t born with the answers, but I was born with the power to reflect upon myself. No rocket science is required. If I cling to the virtues as the perfection of my humanity, I have nothing to fear, for there is nothing that can injure my dignity or hinder my purpose.
As I grow more and more confident in these convictions, more and more people snigger at me, telling me I am being unrealistic and impractical. I can only ask them to take another look at who they are, and to reconsider what it is they truly need to be happy.
What could be more “real” than fulfilling the essential duty of a human being? The rest is window dressing. What could be more “practical” than caring for the purity of my soul, the very core of my identity? If you must, you may keep your trinkets—I choose to define myself by the love of the truth.
If you are still laughing, please ask yourself what brings you the most grief in life. Isn’t it dealing with cruel and shifty people, which then makes you believe you must be cruel and shifty in return?
All of those problems will disappear the moment you decide that character and integrity are all that count. If a man is prudent, brave, temperate, and just, he will not bring suffering to either himself or to others. All the rest takes care of itself once that is achieved.
Keep it simple. Don’t let the sophists convince you it has to be cryptic and convoluted.
—Reflection written in 3/2013
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