The fate of many cities will prove the truth of this; their sway has ceased at the very prime because they were given to luxury, and excess has ruined all that had been won by virtue. We should fortify ourselves against such calamities.
But no wall can be erected against Fortune which she cannot take by storm; let us strengthen our inner defenses. If the inner part be safe, man can be attacked, but never captured.
Do you wish to know what this weapon of defense is? It is the ability to refrain from chafing over whatever happens to one, of knowing that the very agencies which seem to bring harm are working for the preservation of the world, and are a part of the scheme for bringing to fulfilment the order of the Universe and its functions.
Let man be pleased with whatever has pleased God; let him marvel at himself and his own resources for this very reason, that he cannot be overcome, that he has the very powers of evil subject to his control, and that he brings into subjection chance and pain and wrong by means of that strongest of powers—reason.
But no wall can be erected against Fortune which she cannot take by storm; let us strengthen our inner defenses. If the inner part be safe, man can be attacked, but never captured.
Do you wish to know what this weapon of defense is? It is the ability to refrain from chafing over whatever happens to one, of knowing that the very agencies which seem to bring harm are working for the preservation of the world, and are a part of the scheme for bringing to fulfilment the order of the Universe and its functions.
Let man be pleased with whatever has pleased God; let him marvel at himself and his own resources for this very reason, that he cannot be overcome, that he has the very powers of evil subject to his control, and that he brings into subjection chance and pain and wrong by means of that strongest of powers—reason.
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 74
One of my neighbors, a lovable old curmudgeon, has a rousing speech he recites whenever we meet. It concerns America’s vast military might, and how no nation on Earth can ever defeat us. If I understand him correctly, this is why the Stars and Stripes will wave forever.
I once dared to suggest how nations rot from the inside, not from the outside, but he would have none of it. I now just nod along, and I change the subject as quickly as I can, because I hardly have the chops to ask that he reconsider his very measure of strength and weakness, of right and wrong.
The walls of Rome might have kept out the barbarians, but they could not save an empire. For that, the Romans would have needed to maintain the content of their character, which had sadly decayed over the years. The politician will tell you it’s about the leverage, and the economist will tell you it’s about the money, but the philosopher, at least the one with his head on straight, will tell you it’s about the virtue.
There is but one antidote to Fortune, and that is a loyalty to Nature. I have found that the best way to start is a thorough and excruciating examination of my conscience, a sharp reflection upon my moral successes and failures. As soon as I begin, I notice a pattern: I am complaining about the things beyond my power, while neglecting the things within my power.
The ideologue, whether from the right or from the left, is always judging his enemies. Would it not better if I had no enemies, and judged only myself?
If it has been given to me, however painful or pleasant, Providence has done so for a reason. I rely daily, sometimes even hourly, upon the wisdom of Cardinal Newman:
He knows what He is about.
To dwell upon the fault of another is a curse; to reform the fault within myself is a blessing. I would prefer if all of the zealots, the socialists, the fascists, the hipsters, and the yuppies would shut the heck up, and somehow decide to do things the way I happen to prefer. That is, unfortunately, contrary to right principles—it is not what Nature intended.
How could I possibly face such a challenge? The question itself is its own answer, for awareness offers freedom. I have the capacity to understand, and by the power of reason I am granted a sliver of the Divine. I do not need to react with my gut, I can respond through my head. I do not need to condemn, I can accept. I do not need to hate, I can love.
It is reason that allows me to rise above Fortune. Reason is mightier than any city wall. Reason is the solution to the griping and the bickering.
One of my neighbors, a lovable old curmudgeon, has a rousing speech he recites whenever we meet. It concerns America’s vast military might, and how no nation on Earth can ever defeat us. If I understand him correctly, this is why the Stars and Stripes will wave forever.
I once dared to suggest how nations rot from the inside, not from the outside, but he would have none of it. I now just nod along, and I change the subject as quickly as I can, because I hardly have the chops to ask that he reconsider his very measure of strength and weakness, of right and wrong.
The walls of Rome might have kept out the barbarians, but they could not save an empire. For that, the Romans would have needed to maintain the content of their character, which had sadly decayed over the years. The politician will tell you it’s about the leverage, and the economist will tell you it’s about the money, but the philosopher, at least the one with his head on straight, will tell you it’s about the virtue.
There is but one antidote to Fortune, and that is a loyalty to Nature. I have found that the best way to start is a thorough and excruciating examination of my conscience, a sharp reflection upon my moral successes and failures. As soon as I begin, I notice a pattern: I am complaining about the things beyond my power, while neglecting the things within my power.
The ideologue, whether from the right or from the left, is always judging his enemies. Would it not better if I had no enemies, and judged only myself?
If it has been given to me, however painful or pleasant, Providence has done so for a reason. I rely daily, sometimes even hourly, upon the wisdom of Cardinal Newman:
He knows what He is about.
To dwell upon the fault of another is a curse; to reform the fault within myself is a blessing. I would prefer if all of the zealots, the socialists, the fascists, the hipsters, and the yuppies would shut the heck up, and somehow decide to do things the way I happen to prefer. That is, unfortunately, contrary to right principles—it is not what Nature intended.
How could I possibly face such a challenge? The question itself is its own answer, for awareness offers freedom. I have the capacity to understand, and by the power of reason I am granted a sliver of the Divine. I do not need to react with my gut, I can respond through my head. I do not need to condemn, I can accept. I do not need to hate, I can love.
It is reason that allows me to rise above Fortune. Reason is mightier than any city wall. Reason is the solution to the griping and the bickering.
—Reflection written in 10/2013
IMAGE: Anonymous, City Walls of Rome Seen from the Countryside (c. 1840)
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