These men, accordingly, should cease to discredit us, just as if we were uttering an impossible boast; they should understand that the essence of honor resides in the wise man, while among the crowd we find only the ghost and the semblance of honor.
None but the wise man knows how to return a favor. Even a fool can return it in proportion to his knowledge and his power; his fault would be a lack of knowledge rather than a lack of will or desire. To will does not come by teaching.
The wise man will compare all things with one another; for the very same object becomes greater or smaller, according to the time, the place, and the cause. Often the riches that are spent in profusion upon a palace cannot accomplish as much as a thousanddenarii given at the right time.
Now it makes a great deal of difference whether you give outright, or come to a man’s assistance, whether your generosity saves him, or sets him up in life. Often the gift is small, but the consequences great. And what a distinction do you imagine there is between taking something which one lacks—something which was offered—and receiving a benefit in order to confer one in return?
None but the wise man knows how to return a favor. Even a fool can return it in proportion to his knowledge and his power; his fault would be a lack of knowledge rather than a lack of will or desire. To will does not come by teaching.
The wise man will compare all things with one another; for the very same object becomes greater or smaller, according to the time, the place, and the cause. Often the riches that are spent in profusion upon a palace cannot accomplish as much as a thousanddenarii given at the right time.
Now it makes a great deal of difference whether you give outright, or come to a man’s assistance, whether your generosity saves him, or sets him up in life. Often the gift is small, but the consequences great. And what a distinction do you imagine there is between taking something which one lacks—something which was offered—and receiving a benefit in order to confer one in return?
—from Seneca, Moral Letters 81
Stoicism, like most any philosophy that rests on a moral imperative, tends to get a bad rap, and I have a hunch this is because we feel terribly threatened when anyone challenges our clever lives of mercenary gain. After years of scheming over the most lucrative deals, who likes to hear about virtue as its own reward? Wisdom shames us by stripping away the illusions of fortune and fame.
To understand our nature will lead us to a life of benevolence; to make sense of our world is to order all other conditions in the service of this highest goal. Why should I offer a favor to another? By helping him to become better, I am helping myself to become better. Why should I choose to return a favor? By expressing my gratitude, I am continuing that very same mission. In this way, from both ends, the giving is for the sake of the giving, and so I no longer need to fret over the receiving.
To act with conscience comes, as the very name suggests, from the subtlety and depth of my awareness, not from the brute force of my will. How often do we excuse ourselves by claiming that we meant well, when the real problem lies in our refusal to reflect upon any meaning and value? It is wisdom that gives purpose to the intention, which is why the sage will know how to behave with magnanimity in any possible circumstance.
Who will gain the most from my assistance? Is it best to give more, or to give less? When is the best time, and where is the best place? Each case will call for a different application of the universal to a particular, and there will often be more than one right way, but wisdom binds all the variables together by asking one simple question: how will this increase the virtues, both for myself and for my neighbors? The rest is incidental.
While the politicians and the entrepreneurs will seek out the biggest bang for their buck, the genuine philosophers are making an investment in character, where the biggest things can’t be hoarded in a bank. When you advise me to focus on multiplying one dollar into a hundred dollars, I will speak instead about the richer proceeds from mutual kindness, measured not by numbers but by integrity.
We pay so much attention to the generosity of the donors, when the right appreciation from the recipients is just as important; like the justice which it complements, charity is a two-way street. All of us are at our best when we work together as brothers and sisters, instead of fighting like masters and slaves.
Stoicism, like most any philosophy that rests on a moral imperative, tends to get a bad rap, and I have a hunch this is because we feel terribly threatened when anyone challenges our clever lives of mercenary gain. After years of scheming over the most lucrative deals, who likes to hear about virtue as its own reward? Wisdom shames us by stripping away the illusions of fortune and fame.
To understand our nature will lead us to a life of benevolence; to make sense of our world is to order all other conditions in the service of this highest goal. Why should I offer a favor to another? By helping him to become better, I am helping myself to become better. Why should I choose to return a favor? By expressing my gratitude, I am continuing that very same mission. In this way, from both ends, the giving is for the sake of the giving, and so I no longer need to fret over the receiving.
To act with conscience comes, as the very name suggests, from the subtlety and depth of my awareness, not from the brute force of my will. How often do we excuse ourselves by claiming that we meant well, when the real problem lies in our refusal to reflect upon any meaning and value? It is wisdom that gives purpose to the intention, which is why the sage will know how to behave with magnanimity in any possible circumstance.
Who will gain the most from my assistance? Is it best to give more, or to give less? When is the best time, and where is the best place? Each case will call for a different application of the universal to a particular, and there will often be more than one right way, but wisdom binds all the variables together by asking one simple question: how will this increase the virtues, both for myself and for my neighbors? The rest is incidental.
While the politicians and the entrepreneurs will seek out the biggest bang for their buck, the genuine philosophers are making an investment in character, where the biggest things can’t be hoarded in a bank. When you advise me to focus on multiplying one dollar into a hundred dollars, I will speak instead about the richer proceeds from mutual kindness, measured not by numbers but by integrity.
We pay so much attention to the generosity of the donors, when the right appreciation from the recipients is just as important; like the justice which it complements, charity is a two-way street. All of us are at our best when we work together as brothers and sisters, instead of fighting like masters and slaves.
—Reflection written in 12/2013
IMAGE: Anthony van Dyck, Charity (1628)
No comments:
Post a Comment