Suppose that two buildings have been erected, unlike as to their foundations, but equal in height and in grandeur. One is built on faultless ground, and the process of erection goes right ahead.
In the other case, the foundations have exhausted the building materials, for they have been sunk into soft and shifting ground and much labor has been wasted in reaching the solid rock.
As one looks at both of them, one sees clearly what progress the former has made, but the larger and more difficult part of the latter is hidden.
So with men's dispositions; some are pliable and easy to manage, but others have to be laboriously wrought out by hand, so to speak, and are wholly employed in the making of their own foundations.
I should accordingly deem more fortunate the man who has never had any trouble with himself; but the other, I feel, has deserved better of himself, who has won a victory over the meanness of his own nature, and has not gently led himself, but has wrestled his way, to wisdom.
In the other case, the foundations have exhausted the building materials, for they have been sunk into soft and shifting ground and much labor has been wasted in reaching the solid rock.
As one looks at both of them, one sees clearly what progress the former has made, but the larger and more difficult part of the latter is hidden.
So with men's dispositions; some are pliable and easy to manage, but others have to be laboriously wrought out by hand, so to speak, and are wholly employed in the making of their own foundations.
I should accordingly deem more fortunate the man who has never had any trouble with himself; but the other, I feel, has deserved better of himself, who has won a victory over the meanness of his own nature, and has not gently led himself, but has wrestled his way, to wisdom.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 52
When I gaze out at other people, I must be careful to distinguish between how their lives appear to me and who they truly are. When I gaze back at myself, I must measure my worth by the work I have done that most people will never see.
Seneca here appeals to a basic Stoic truth, one shared in common with all Wisdom Traditions, that the substance should never be confused with the accidents, and that the way something thrives on the inside matters far more than its trappings on the outside. Look through the impressions, and peer within to the essence.
A building may reach to the sky, and it will all be for nothing if it lacks a solid foundation to support it. The pieces we don’t see at first are oftentimes the ones that matter the most. It is very similar when we seek to discern the merits of a man, for while the image of glory is one thing, the deeper commitment to character is quite another.
Where there have been few obstacles to overcome, a man might seem to have gained much. In contrast, the poor fellow who started out with all the odds stacked against him may have very little to show for it, and yet his inner transformation can be the most profound.
Many know the story of the Prodigal Son, though I fear few are willing to embrace some of its lessons. We often fail to recognize the noblest struggles.
Yes, it is good for someone to be gifted with favorable circumstances, but it is more precious for someone to raise himself up from being far less. In this way, the defiant student, facing the limitations of his own inclinations and habits, can earn a certain distinction by subduing his inner demons.
There is absolutely no honor in being a stubborn fool, but there is truly great honor in finally casting off such hostility and ignorance.
When I gaze out at other people, I must be careful to distinguish between how their lives appear to me and who they truly are. When I gaze back at myself, I must measure my worth by the work I have done that most people will never see.
Seneca here appeals to a basic Stoic truth, one shared in common with all Wisdom Traditions, that the substance should never be confused with the accidents, and that the way something thrives on the inside matters far more than its trappings on the outside. Look through the impressions, and peer within to the essence.
A building may reach to the sky, and it will all be for nothing if it lacks a solid foundation to support it. The pieces we don’t see at first are oftentimes the ones that matter the most. It is very similar when we seek to discern the merits of a man, for while the image of glory is one thing, the deeper commitment to character is quite another.
Where there have been few obstacles to overcome, a man might seem to have gained much. In contrast, the poor fellow who started out with all the odds stacked against him may have very little to show for it, and yet his inner transformation can be the most profound.
Many know the story of the Prodigal Son, though I fear few are willing to embrace some of its lessons. We often fail to recognize the noblest struggles.
Yes, it is good for someone to be gifted with favorable circumstances, but it is more precious for someone to raise himself up from being far less. In this way, the defiant student, facing the limitations of his own inclinations and habits, can earn a certain distinction by subduing his inner demons.
There is absolutely no honor in being a stubborn fool, but there is truly great honor in finally casting off such hostility and ignorance.
—Reflection written in 4/2013
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