Therefore, considering the great difference between those on the heights and those in the depths, and seeing that even those in the middle are pursued by an ebb and flow peculiar to their state and pursued also by an enormous risk of returning to their degenerate ways, we should not give ourselves up to matters which occupy our time.
They should be shut out; if they once gain an entrance, they will bring in still others to take their places. Let us resist them in their early stages. It is better that they shall never begin than that they shall be made to cease. Farewell.
They should be shut out; if they once gain an entrance, they will bring in still others to take their places. Let us resist them in their early stages. It is better that they shall never begin than that they shall be made to cease. Farewell.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 72
What would the world be like if we spent far less time on the business of making money, and far more time on the philosophy of building the virtues? It is so tempting to daydream about an ideal society, singing along to some rousing tune about universal solidarity.
And then I remember that while Providence gazes at us from the top down, she always does her work from the bottom up. It is fitting to appreciate the bigger picture, but my first responsibility is to improve myself, for the harmony of the whole is only achieved by the actions of the particular parts. If I wish to change the world, let me begin by putting my own house in order.
How could it be otherwise? As creatures of reason and will, our deeds will proceed from our personal judgments, not from any grand abstractions about politics, economics, or sociology. A man is free, not a machine. Some will choose to strive for wisdom, and others will choose to remain in ignorance, and a good number will also struggle in that dreadful gray area, hesitant to commit.
Find the sort of individual person you wish to be, and take your stand, and then you will have made your mark. You will be cooperating with Providence either way, for all things are ultimately in service to the good, but in one case you will cooperate in joy and in peace, and in another case you will be little more than a foil, dragged along while kicking and screaming.
A man who is continually at the mercy of his circumstances may feel elated at one moment, and then despondent the next, simply because he has failed to establish his measure, to be anchored by the stability of his character. Happiness flows from a constancy of moral purpose, something that the chaos of worldly business can never provide, being so entangled in avarice, deception, and manipulation.
So, if I desire to fix anything at all, I am called to fix myself. Perhaps another will take inspiration, and then he might fix himself as well. Perhaps another will take offense, and then I might have all the more opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. I only know that my first job is to become a good man, not to become a rich man.
What would the world be like if we spent far less time on the business of making money, and far more time on the philosophy of building the virtues? It is so tempting to daydream about an ideal society, singing along to some rousing tune about universal solidarity.
And then I remember that while Providence gazes at us from the top down, she always does her work from the bottom up. It is fitting to appreciate the bigger picture, but my first responsibility is to improve myself, for the harmony of the whole is only achieved by the actions of the particular parts. If I wish to change the world, let me begin by putting my own house in order.
How could it be otherwise? As creatures of reason and will, our deeds will proceed from our personal judgments, not from any grand abstractions about politics, economics, or sociology. A man is free, not a machine. Some will choose to strive for wisdom, and others will choose to remain in ignorance, and a good number will also struggle in that dreadful gray area, hesitant to commit.
Find the sort of individual person you wish to be, and take your stand, and then you will have made your mark. You will be cooperating with Providence either way, for all things are ultimately in service to the good, but in one case you will cooperate in joy and in peace, and in another case you will be little more than a foil, dragged along while kicking and screaming.
A man who is continually at the mercy of his circumstances may feel elated at one moment, and then despondent the next, simply because he has failed to establish his measure, to be anchored by the stability of his character. Happiness flows from a constancy of moral purpose, something that the chaos of worldly business can never provide, being so entangled in avarice, deception, and manipulation.
So, if I desire to fix anything at all, I am called to fix myself. Perhaps another will take inspiration, and then he might fix himself as well. Perhaps another will take offense, and then I might have all the more opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. I only know that my first job is to become a good man, not to become a rich man.
—Reflection written in 9/2013
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