Do you suppose that Cato would ever have dwelt in a pleasure-palace, that he might count the lewd women as they sailed past, the many kinds of barges painted in all sorts of colors, the roses which were wafted about the lake, or that he might listen to the nocturnal brawls of serenaders?
Would he not have preferred to remain in the shelter of a trench thrown up by his own hands to serve for a single night? Would not anyone who is a man have his slumbers broken by a war-trumpet rather than by a chorus of serenaders?
Would he not have preferred to remain in the shelter of a trench thrown up by his own hands to serve for a single night? Would not anyone who is a man have his slumbers broken by a war-trumpet rather than by a chorus of serenaders?
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 51
Cato the Younger’s pursuit of self-control and simplicity was already legendary among the Romans, and to this day he is seen as an exemplar of virtue by many Stoics.
Though they are now sadly out of fashion, I also think of the stories about Theodore Roosevelt I heard as a child, and how he would push himself to live “the strenuous life” as a mark of genuine manhood.
The cynical critic says he was merely putting on a show, but I remain convinced he was absolutely sincere. This was, after all, the same man who finished a campaign speech right after he had been shot.
I am deeply grateful to a scoutmaster of the old school, who not only taught me many useful tricks about camping, but further encouraged me to view the way of the outdoorsman as a mark of the true gentleman.
I also had an uncle, both a priest and a mountaineer whose entire life was an exercise in hardiness, drag me on trips in the Austrian alps.
To this day, I turn to a powerful lesson he taught me when I was once complaining about the distance we still had to cover before nightfall. Without uttering a word, he stopped me, and started moving items from my pack to his so as to lighten my load.
He did not need to shame me at all, for I was already shaming myself, and I quickly insisted he return the weight. The rest of the journey was no longer a burden to me. The mindset is everything.
On a lighter note, I had always assumed that Texans were a sturdy bunch, so when I eventually married one, I was expecting all sorts of red-blooded adventures in the wild.
I quickly learned, however, that her idea of camping, which they now call “glamping”, involved renting a “cabin” that was far more luxurious than my home, complete with a hot tub, and within easy driving distance of trendy restaurants.
I am more inclined to rig a tarp in a field, but as you can guess, I have always been overruled. I suppose a man should know when to defer as well as when to make a stand.
Cato the Younger’s pursuit of self-control and simplicity was already legendary among the Romans, and to this day he is seen as an exemplar of virtue by many Stoics.
Though they are now sadly out of fashion, I also think of the stories about Theodore Roosevelt I heard as a child, and how he would push himself to live “the strenuous life” as a mark of genuine manhood.
The cynical critic says he was merely putting on a show, but I remain convinced he was absolutely sincere. This was, after all, the same man who finished a campaign speech right after he had been shot.
I am deeply grateful to a scoutmaster of the old school, who not only taught me many useful tricks about camping, but further encouraged me to view the way of the outdoorsman as a mark of the true gentleman.
I also had an uncle, both a priest and a mountaineer whose entire life was an exercise in hardiness, drag me on trips in the Austrian alps.
To this day, I turn to a powerful lesson he taught me when I was once complaining about the distance we still had to cover before nightfall. Without uttering a word, he stopped me, and started moving items from my pack to his so as to lighten my load.
He did not need to shame me at all, for I was already shaming myself, and I quickly insisted he return the weight. The rest of the journey was no longer a burden to me. The mindset is everything.
On a lighter note, I had always assumed that Texans were a sturdy bunch, so when I eventually married one, I was expecting all sorts of red-blooded adventures in the wild.
I quickly learned, however, that her idea of camping, which they now call “glamping”, involved renting a “cabin” that was far more luxurious than my home, complete with a hot tub, and within easy driving distance of trendy restaurants.
I am more inclined to rig a tarp in a field, but as you can guess, I have always been overruled. I suppose a man should know when to defer as well as when to make a stand.
—Reflection written in 4/2013
IMAGE: My idea of camping and my wife's idea of camping . . .
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