M. A wicked life has nothing which we ought to speak of or glory in; nor has that life which is neither happy nor miserable. But there is a kind of life that admits of being spoken of, and gloried in, and boasted of, as Epaminondas saith,
“The wings of Sparta’s pride my counsels clipp’d.”
And Africanus boasts,
“Who, from beyond Maeotis to the place
Where the sun rises, deeds like mine can trace?”
If, then, there is such a thing as a happy life, it is to be gloried in, spoken of, and commended by the person who enjoys it; for there is nothing excepting that which can be spoken of or gloried in; and when that is once admitted, you know what follows.
Now, unless an honorable life is a happy life, there must, of course, be something preferable to a happy life; for that which is honorable all men will certainly grant to be preferable to anything else. And thus there will be something better than a happy life: but what can be more absurd than such an assertion? What! When they grant vice to be effectual to the rendering life miserable, must they not admit that there is a corresponding power in virtue to make life happy? For contraries follow from contraries.
And here I ask what weight they think there is in the balance of Critolaus, who having put the goods of the mind into one scale, and the goods of the body and other external advantages into the other, thought the goods of the mind outweighed the others so far that they would require the whole earth and sea to equalize the scale.
“The wings of Sparta’s pride my counsels clipp’d.”
And Africanus boasts,
“Who, from beyond Maeotis to the place
Where the sun rises, deeds like mine can trace?”
If, then, there is such a thing as a happy life, it is to be gloried in, spoken of, and commended by the person who enjoys it; for there is nothing excepting that which can be spoken of or gloried in; and when that is once admitted, you know what follows.
Now, unless an honorable life is a happy life, there must, of course, be something preferable to a happy life; for that which is honorable all men will certainly grant to be preferable to anything else. And thus there will be something better than a happy life: but what can be more absurd than such an assertion? What! When they grant vice to be effectual to the rendering life miserable, must they not admit that there is a corresponding power in virtue to make life happy? For contraries follow from contraries.
And here I ask what weight they think there is in the balance of Critolaus, who having put the goods of the mind into one scale, and the goods of the body and other external advantages into the other, thought the goods of the mind outweighed the others so far that they would require the whole earth and sea to equalize the scale.
—from Cicero, Tusculan Disputations 5.17
I know some folks who demand that their moral propriety be without any evidence of pleasure, for they view enthusiastic enjoyment as an obstacle to righteousness. In my circles, it’s a certain brand of religious zealots, though I’m sure they can be found in many walks of life. What they all share in common is the belief that our duties have nothing to do with our happiness.
Similarly, there are those who frown upon expressions of praise, or discourage taking pride in an achievement, because they confuse a healthy confidence with a harmful vanity. They are correct in avoiding the extreme and mistaken in dismissing the moderation; there should be both delight and glory in this life, not sought for their own sake, but as the fitting results of choosing to live with excellence.
Once again, it was Aristotle who taught me why the end of happiness is in the virtue of our actions, from which we can further speak of joys and honors as natural consequences of fulfilling that noble purpose. While we commonly assume that any pleasures will bring us happiness, it is rather that happiness brings us a pleasure of the best sort, and while not everything we praise is good, everything good is worthy of the highest praise. I could have spared myself much grief if I had recognized this earlier!
As a proper Roman, Cicero had a special place for honor, and rightly so. If the deed is virtuous, there is no shame in savoring it, and it is only fair to give credit where credit is due. Even as it is not my place to demand it, it will inspire me to know that people of character are offering their acclaim, and if I find myself surrounded by scoundrels, I will at least have the comfort of commending myself. And in the worst of times, deprived of any other support, I might add that I can always rely on God’s approval.
If you act with integrity, be assured of your merits. Allow your family and friends to show pride in you. Be grateful to earn Divine blessings. It is in this sense that virtue and honor are bound together, the latter being a suitable mark of the former, as an effect follows from a cause.
The naysayers will exaggerate the power of the vices to do us harm, while forgetting how the virtues remain the source of all benefits. Once we understand the strength of our nature, the circumstances cease to be so terrifying; on the scales of Critolaus, the slightest exercise of constancy has far more weight than all the villainy and misfortunes of the world put together.
I know some folks who demand that their moral propriety be without any evidence of pleasure, for they view enthusiastic enjoyment as an obstacle to righteousness. In my circles, it’s a certain brand of religious zealots, though I’m sure they can be found in many walks of life. What they all share in common is the belief that our duties have nothing to do with our happiness.
Similarly, there are those who frown upon expressions of praise, or discourage taking pride in an achievement, because they confuse a healthy confidence with a harmful vanity. They are correct in avoiding the extreme and mistaken in dismissing the moderation; there should be both delight and glory in this life, not sought for their own sake, but as the fitting results of choosing to live with excellence.
Once again, it was Aristotle who taught me why the end of happiness is in the virtue of our actions, from which we can further speak of joys and honors as natural consequences of fulfilling that noble purpose. While we commonly assume that any pleasures will bring us happiness, it is rather that happiness brings us a pleasure of the best sort, and while not everything we praise is good, everything good is worthy of the highest praise. I could have spared myself much grief if I had recognized this earlier!
As a proper Roman, Cicero had a special place for honor, and rightly so. If the deed is virtuous, there is no shame in savoring it, and it is only fair to give credit where credit is due. Even as it is not my place to demand it, it will inspire me to know that people of character are offering their acclaim, and if I find myself surrounded by scoundrels, I will at least have the comfort of commending myself. And in the worst of times, deprived of any other support, I might add that I can always rely on God’s approval.
If you act with integrity, be assured of your merits. Allow your family and friends to show pride in you. Be grateful to earn Divine blessings. It is in this sense that virtue and honor are bound together, the latter being a suitable mark of the former, as an effect follows from a cause.
The naysayers will exaggerate the power of the vices to do us harm, while forgetting how the virtues remain the source of all benefits. Once we understand the strength of our nature, the circumstances cease to be so terrifying; on the scales of Critolaus, the slightest exercise of constancy has far more weight than all the villainy and misfortunes of the world put together.
—Reflection written in 2/1999
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