To infer the nature of this Supreme Good, one does not need many words or any round-about discussion; it should be pointed out with the forefinger, so to speak, and not be dissipated into many parts.
For what good is there in breaking it up into tiny bits, when you can say: the Supreme Good is that which is honorable? Besides (and you may be still more surprised at this), that which is honorable is the only good; all other goods are alloyed and debased.
If you once convince yourself of this, and if you come to love virtue devotedly (for mere loving is not enough), anything that has been touched by virtue will be fraught with blessing and prosperity for you, no matter how it shall be regarded by others.
Torture, if only, as you lie suffering, you are more calm in mind than your very torturer; illness, if only you curse not Fortune and yield not to the disease—in short, all those things which others regard as ills will become manageable and will end in good, if you succeed in rising above them.
Let this once be clear, that there is nothing good except that which is honorable, and all hardships will have a just title to the name of "goods," when once virtue has made them honorable.
Many think that we Stoics are holding out expectations greater than our human lot admits of; and they have a right to think so. For they have regard to the body only. But let them turn back to the soul, and they will soon measure man by the standard of God.
Rouse yourself, most excellent Lucilius, and leave off all this word-play of the philosophers, who reduce a most glorious subject to a matter of syllables, and lower and wear out the soul by teaching fragments; then you will become like the men who discovered these precepts, instead of those who by their teaching do their best to make philosophy seem difficult rather than great.
For what good is there in breaking it up into tiny bits, when you can say: the Supreme Good is that which is honorable? Besides (and you may be still more surprised at this), that which is honorable is the only good; all other goods are alloyed and debased.
If you once convince yourself of this, and if you come to love virtue devotedly (for mere loving is not enough), anything that has been touched by virtue will be fraught with blessing and prosperity for you, no matter how it shall be regarded by others.
Torture, if only, as you lie suffering, you are more calm in mind than your very torturer; illness, if only you curse not Fortune and yield not to the disease—in short, all those things which others regard as ills will become manageable and will end in good, if you succeed in rising above them.
Let this once be clear, that there is nothing good except that which is honorable, and all hardships will have a just title to the name of "goods," when once virtue has made them honorable.
Many think that we Stoics are holding out expectations greater than our human lot admits of; and they have a right to think so. For they have regard to the body only. But let them turn back to the soul, and they will soon measure man by the standard of God.
Rouse yourself, most excellent Lucilius, and leave off all this word-play of the philosophers, who reduce a most glorious subject to a matter of syllables, and lower and wear out the soul by teaching fragments; then you will become like the men who discovered these precepts, instead of those who by their teaching do their best to make philosophy seem difficult rather than great.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 71
I know all too well how much scholars, or any professionals in general, like to play around with fancy words, and I still have to restrain myself daily from making a problem far more complex than it has to be. I suspect the appeal of ornate language is a form of diversion, an illusion of confidence where there is only doubt and fear.
The best and the purest things in this life are simple, and you can usually recognize the wise man by his power to explain them in the briefest, clearest, and most direct manner possible. Why reach for many words, when just one will do? Whatever the parts, recognize the whole; excellence may be expressed in various ways, but it all flows from a single source.
For all the window dressing, what makes for a good man? Nothing less than a sense of honor. While this word may carry a lot of baggage for some, it cuts to the chase. On a surface level, we frequently use the term to mean reputation, which is the result of what others think about us, and yet at its core it is the content of character, the result of how we choose to act. Sometimes the former corresponds to the latter, though oftentimes it does not, and this should remind us to always look for the dignity within.
We can also speak of it as virtue, or as character, or as integrity, or as decency, but the shared element is a conscience fixed upon what is right, whatever the weight of the circumstances. Even as many will confidently speak of doing good, just a few will have the knowledge and the commitment to follow through without hesitation. There you have your honorable man.
Others see misery in hardship, and those who love the good, without condition, are eager to take advantage of the opportunity. It hinges upon the estimation of what it means to be human, and so what it entails to be happy. A mere affection will not be enough—only total devotion will be sufficient.
Of all the philosophies that praise honor, I find it is the Stoics who are brave enough to remove all hesitation and equivocation. If virtue is the highest good, by which all other benefits must be measured, then there can be no compromise between the absolute and the relative. Once someone shows you how he will trade a principle for a preference, know that he is a man of convenience, not of honor. Follow this rule, and no harm can ever befall you, in any form that matters.
Yes, it will be true for torture, for sickness, for poverty, or for loneliness. When it comes down to it, there can be no ambiguity about priorities; if I know why it is truly good, I will demand no further reward. Unlike so many of the shifty ideologies, Stoicism does not rely on some distant prize, far off in the murky future, because the joy is already being given, right here and now.
As difficult as the transition may be, the fulfillment is easy. It is those who merely talk, instead of those who consistently do, who make it appear complicated.
I know all too well how much scholars, or any professionals in general, like to play around with fancy words, and I still have to restrain myself daily from making a problem far more complex than it has to be. I suspect the appeal of ornate language is a form of diversion, an illusion of confidence where there is only doubt and fear.
The best and the purest things in this life are simple, and you can usually recognize the wise man by his power to explain them in the briefest, clearest, and most direct manner possible. Why reach for many words, when just one will do? Whatever the parts, recognize the whole; excellence may be expressed in various ways, but it all flows from a single source.
For all the window dressing, what makes for a good man? Nothing less than a sense of honor. While this word may carry a lot of baggage for some, it cuts to the chase. On a surface level, we frequently use the term to mean reputation, which is the result of what others think about us, and yet at its core it is the content of character, the result of how we choose to act. Sometimes the former corresponds to the latter, though oftentimes it does not, and this should remind us to always look for the dignity within.
We can also speak of it as virtue, or as character, or as integrity, or as decency, but the shared element is a conscience fixed upon what is right, whatever the weight of the circumstances. Even as many will confidently speak of doing good, just a few will have the knowledge and the commitment to follow through without hesitation. There you have your honorable man.
Others see misery in hardship, and those who love the good, without condition, are eager to take advantage of the opportunity. It hinges upon the estimation of what it means to be human, and so what it entails to be happy. A mere affection will not be enough—only total devotion will be sufficient.
Of all the philosophies that praise honor, I find it is the Stoics who are brave enough to remove all hesitation and equivocation. If virtue is the highest good, by which all other benefits must be measured, then there can be no compromise between the absolute and the relative. Once someone shows you how he will trade a principle for a preference, know that he is a man of convenience, not of honor. Follow this rule, and no harm can ever befall you, in any form that matters.
Yes, it will be true for torture, for sickness, for poverty, or for loneliness. When it comes down to it, there can be no ambiguity about priorities; if I know why it is truly good, I will demand no further reward. Unlike so many of the shifty ideologies, Stoicism does not rely on some distant prize, far off in the murky future, because the joy is already being given, right here and now.
As difficult as the transition may be, the fulfillment is easy. It is those who merely talk, instead of those who consistently do, who make it appear complicated.
—Reflection written in 9/2013
IMAGE: Giuseppe Asioli, Honor (1809)
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