Stobaeus on Stoic Ethics 22

Again, of good things some consist in motion and some consist in a state. 

For such things as joy, good spirits, and temperate conversation consist in motion, whereas such things as a well-ordered quietude, undisturbed rest, and a manly attention consist in a state. 

Of things which consist in a state, some also consist in a condition, such as the virtues; others are only in a state, such as the above mentioned. 

Not only the virtues consist in a condition, but also the crafts which are transformed in the virtuous man by his virtue and so become unchangeable; for they become quasi-virtues. 

And they say that the so-called practices are also among the goods which consist in a condition, such as love of music, love of letters, love of geometry, and the like. 

For there is a method which selects those elements in such crafts which have an affinity to virtue, by referring them to the goal of life. 

IMAGE: Albrecht Dürer, St. Jerome in His Study (1514) 

Epictetus, Discourses 2.11.4

Is there, then, no standard here beyond opinion? It is impossible surely that things most necessary among men should be beyond discovery and beyond proof? 
 
There is a standard then. Then, why do we not seek it and find it, and having found it use it hereafter without fail, never so much as stretching out our finger without it? 
 
For it is this standard, I suppose, the discovery of which relieves from madness those who wrongly use personal opinion as their only measure, and enables us thereafter to start from known principles, clearly defined, and so to apply our conceptions to particulars in definite and articulate form. 

—from Epictetus, Discourses 2.11 
 
But where do I look to find this elusive measure? What can I ever know beyond how I feel at the moment? How am I expected to distinguish black from white in a world so full of grey? Why am I worrying about problems that obviously have no solutions? 
 
While the philosophers should busy themselves with a pursuit of the true, the good, and the beautiful, however imperfect our perceptions might be, the sophists will assure us that we have no need for such abstractions. In the most refined manner, they offer us an excuse for dodging our responsibilities, by drawing into question the very contrast between right and wrong. 
 
Wherever you find relativism, you will also find skepticism, for a rejection of objective meaning relies upon denying a knowledge of what is real. But while we should always be wary of hasty absolutes, and carefully develop a healthy sense of doubt, there is a grave danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. 
 
In almost every case I have encountered, subjectivism, so prevalent in modernity, is a form of psychological escape, not an argument of philosophical discipline. Observe the blatant contradictions in the usual platitudes: How can I know that nothing can be known? How can everything be relative, if there no absolute by which it is judged? How can I make a supposedly objective claim that all awareness is merely subjective? 
 
Despite the pedantic objections, there is no profound mystery, no metaphysical complexity, in establishing a measure for life. Any sort of proof is built upon self-evident first principles, the immediate facts presented to us in every act of experience. From the moment I am conscious, it is not only apparent that I am a being who thinks, but also that there is content to the world I am thinking about. The effect of an appearance proceeds from a cause within nature. 
 
I don’t need to be a rocket scientist, or even a phenomenologist, to make some sense of this. Who I am, and what I am meant for, are inherent in my human identity. How odd it would be to say that the meaning of life is to have no meaning! It makes for inscrutable poetry, but not for sober philosophy. 
 
If it is my purpose to understand, then let me roll up my sleeves and get to work; the task is for each and every moment, in the most commonplace situations, not just for putting on a splendid show at the podium. What shall be my rules for daily living? How am I to treat my neighbor? When do I know if my efforts have been successful? 
 
The intellectual is inclined to wind himself up, and to get all tied up in knots, which really is a sort of madness, a frenzy of wishing for the reality to conform to his preferences and moods. We are made to be in harmony with Nature, not to hide away in the narcissism of our opinions. 

—Reflection written in 8/2001 

IMAGE: Albrecht Dürer, The Doubting Thomas (c. 1510) 

The Nativity

Albrecht Dürer, The Nativity (1504) 

Xenophon, Memorabilia of Socrates 25

Socrates: ". . . So Hesiod somewhere says:

Wickedness may a man take wholesale with ease, smooth is the way and her dwelling-place is very nigh; but in front of virtue the immortal gods have placed toil and sweat, long is the path and steep that leads to her, and rugged at the first, but when the summit of the pass is reached, then for all its roughness the path grows easy.

"And Ephicharmus bears his testimony when he says:

The gods sell us all good things in return for our labors.

"And again in another passage he exclaims: 

Set not thine heart on soft things, thou knave, lest thou light upon the hard. 

"And that wise man Prodicus delivers himself in a like strain concerning virtue in that composition of his about Heracles, which crowds have listened to. This, as far as I can recollect it, is the substance at least of what he says:

When Heracles was emerging from boyhood into the bloom of youth, having reached that season in which the young man, now standing upon the verge of independence, shows plainly whether he will enter upon the path of virtue or of vice, he went forth into a quiet place, and sat debating with himself which of those two paths he should pursue; and as he there sat musing, there appeared to him two women of great stature which drew nigh to him. 

The one was fair to look upon, frank and free by gift of nature, her limbs adorned with purity and her eyes with bashfulness; sobriety set the rhythm of her gait, and she was clad in white apparel. 

The other was of a different type; the fleshy softness of her limbs betrayed her nurture, while the complexion of her skin was embellished that she might appear whiter and rosier than she really was, and her figure that she might seem taller than nature made her; she stared with wide-open eyes, and the raiment wherewith she was clad served but to reveal the ripeness of her bloom. With frequent glances she surveyed her person, or looked to see if others noticed her; while ever and anon she fixed her gaze upon the shadow of herself intently. 

Now when these two had drawn near to Heracles, she who was first named advanced at an even pace towards him, but the other, in her eagerness to outstrip her, ran forward to the youth, exclaiming:

"I see you, Heracles, in doubt and difficulty what path of life to choose; make me your friend, and I will lead you to the pleasantest road and easiest. This I promise you: you shall taste all of life's sweets and escape all bitters. 

"In the first place, you shall not trouble your brain with war or business; other topics shall engage your mind; your only speculation, what meat or drink you shall find agreeable to your palate; what delight of ear or eye; what pleasure of smell or touch; what darling lover's intercourse shall most enrapture you; how you shall pillow your limbs in softest slumber; how cull each individual pleasure without alloy of pain; and if ever the suspicion steal upon you that the stream of joys will one day dwindle, trust me I will not lead you where you shall replenish the store by toil of body and trouble of soul. 

"No! Others shall labor, but you shall reap the fruit of their labors; you shall withhold your hand from nought which shall bring you gain. For to all my followers I give authority and power to help themselves freely from every side." 

Heracles hearing these words made answer: 

"What, O lady, is the name you bear?"

 To which she: 

"Know that my friends call be Happiness, but they that hate me have their own nicknames for me, Vice and Naughtiness." 

But just then the other of those fair women approached and spoke: 

"Heracles, I too am come to you, seeing that your parents are well known to me, and in your nurture I have gauged your nature; wherefore I entertain good hope that if you choose the path which leads to me, you shall greatly bestir yourself to be the doer of many a doughty deed of noble emprise; and that I too shall be held in even higher honor for your sake, lit with the luster shed by valorous deeds. 

"I will not cheat you with preludings of pleasure, but I will relate to you the things that are according to the ordinances of God in very truth. Know then that among things that are lovely and of good report, not one have the gods bestowed upon mortal men apart from toil and pains. 

"Would you obtain the favor of the gods, then must you pay these same gods service; would you be loved by your friends, you must benefit these friends; do you desire to be honored by the state, you must give the state your aid; do you claim admiration for your virtue from all Hellas, you must strive to do some good to Hellas; do you wish earth to yield her fruits to you abundantly, to earth must you pay your court; do you seek to amass riches from your flocks and herds, on them must you bestow your labor; or is it your ambition to be potent as a warrior, able to save your friends and to subdue your foes, then must you learn the arts of war from those who have the knowledge, and practise their application in the field when learned; or would you e'en be powerful of limb and body, then must you habituate limbs and body to obey the mind, and exercise yourself with toil and sweat." 

At this point, as Prodicus relates, Vice broke in exclaiming: 

"See you, Heracles, how hard and long the road is by which yonder woman would escort you to her festal joys. But I will guide you by a short and easy road to happiness." 

Then spoke Virtue: 

"Nay, wretched one, what good thing hast thou? or what sweet thing art thou acquainted with—that wilt stir neither hand nor foot to gain it? Thou, that mayest not even await the desire of pleasure, but, or ever that desire springs up, art already satiated; eating before thou hungerest, and drinking before thou thirsteth; who to eke out an appetite must invent an army of cooks and confectioners; and to whet thy thirst must lay down costliest wines, and run up and down in search of ice in summer-time; to help thy slumbers soft coverlets suffice not, but couches and feather-beds must be prepared thee and rockers to rock thee to rest; since desire for sleep in thy case springs not from toil but from vacuity and nothing in the world to do. Even the natural appetite of love thou forcest prematurely by every means thou mayest devise, confounding the sexes in thy service. Thus thou educatest thy friends: with insult in the night season and drowse of slumber during the precious hours of the day. 

"Immortal, thou art cast forth from the company of gods, and by good men art dishonored: that sweetest sound of all, the voice of praise, has never thrilled thine ears; and the fairest of all fair visions is hidden from thine eyes that have never beheld one bounteous deed wrought by thine own hand. If thou openest thy lips in speech, who will believe thy word? If thou hast need of aught, none shall satisfy thee. What sane man will venture to join thy rablle rout? Ill indeed are thy revellers to look upon, young men impotent of body, and old men witless in mind: in the heyday of life they batten in sleek idleness, and wearily do they drag through an age of wrinkled wretchedness: and why? They blush with shame at the thought of deeds done in the past, and groan for weariness at what is left to do. During their youth they ran riot through their sweet things, and laid up for themselves large store of bitterness against the time of eld. 

"But my companionship is with the gods; and with the good among men my conversation; no bounteous deed, divine or human, is wrought without my aid. Therefore am I honored in Heaven pre-eminently, and upon earth among men whose right it is to honor me; as a beloved fellow-worker of all craftsmen; a faithful guardian of house and lands, whom the owners bless; a kindly helpmeet of servants; a brave assistant in the labors of peace; an unflinching ally in the deeds of war; a sharer in all friendships indispensable. 

"To my friends is given an enjoyment of meats and drinks, which is sweet in itself and devoid of trouble, in that they can endure until desire ripens, and sleep more delicious visits them than those who toil not. Yet they are not pained to part with it; nor for the sake of slumber do they let slip the performance of their duties. Among my followers the youth delights in the praises of his elders, and the old man glories in the honor of the young; with joy they call to memory their deeds of old, and in today's well-doing are well pleased. For my sake they are dear in the sight of God, beloved of their friends and honored by the country of their birth. When the appointed goal is reached they lie not down in oblivion with dishonor, but bloom afresh—their praise resounded on the lips of men for ever. 

"Toils like these, O son of noble parents, Heracles, it is yours to meet with, and having endured, to enter into the heritage assured you of transcendent happiness."

"This, Aristippus, in rough sketch is the theme which Prodicus pursues in his Education of Heracles by Virtue, only he decked out his sentiments, I admit, in far more magnificent phrases than I have ventured on. 

"Were it not well, Aristippus, to lay to heart these sayings, and to strive to bethink you somewhat of that which touches the future of our life?" 

—from Xenophon, Memorabilia 2.1 

IMAGE: Albrecht Dürer, Hercules at the Crossroads (1498) 

Seneca, Moral Letters 53.3

Let us, therefore, rouse ourselves, that we may be able to correct our mistakes. Philosophy, however, is the only power that can stir us, the only power that can shake off our deep slumber. Devote yourself wholly to philosophy. You are worthy of her; she is worthy of you; greet one another with a loving embrace. Say farewell to all other interests with courage and frankness. Do not study philosophy merely during your spare time. 

If you were ill, you would stop caring for your personal concerns, and forget your business duties; you would not think highly enough of any client to take active charge of his case during a slight abatement of your sufferings. You would try your hardest to be rid of the illness as soon as possible. 

What, then? Shall you not do the same thing now? Throw aside all hindrances and give up your time to getting a sound mind; for no man can attain it if he is engrossed in other matters. 

Philosophy wields her own authority; she appoints her own time and does not allow it to be appointed for her. She is not a thing to be followed at odd times, but a subject for daily practice; she is mistress, and she commands our attendance.

Alexander, when a certain state promised him a part of its territory and half its entire property, replied: "I invaded Asia with the intention, not of accepting what you might give, but of allowing you to keep what I might leave." 

Philosophy likewise keeps saying to all occupations: "I do not intend to accept the time which you have left over, but I shall allow you to keep what I myself shall leave." 

—from Seneca, Moral Letters 53 

Now how can I go about recognizing my faults? What is the best way to keep my soul awake and alert? 
 
The media “culture” that surrounds me insists that I will feel best when I conform myself to the entire range of its products, yet would that not be an act of blind surrender, in place of a conscious discernment?
 
The politicians tell me to support their campaigns, and I am glad they at least advise me to be active, yet how am I to judge the righteousness of their many and changing causes? 
 
The economists say I should be clever about acquiring ever more money, yet should I buy and sell my neighbors to get it, or spend my winnings on anything that happens to tickle my fancy? 
 
The psychologists urge me to “follow the science”, yet behind the complex patterns to the behaviors, where is the distinction of the good from the evil in the underlying choices? 
 
The preachers demand that I just have faith, yet what sort of monster might I become if I commit my trust without first seeking the guidance of understanding? 
 
Whatever the discipline, regarding any possible aspects of life, I will need to develop the power of judging the true from the false, the right from the wrong, the beautiful from the ugly. For any art or science to function rightly, it must have a firm foundation in first principles. Whatever we endeavor to do, we rely upon philosophy to provide such an ultimate measure. 
 
No, I once again don’t mean philosophy as just another profession, but rather philosophy as a reasoned and ordered worldview, upon which the meaning and value of all our efforts depend. There can be no survey of “truths” where there is no yardstick for “Truth”. 
 
Politics, economics, psychology, or religion must operate within the purpose of the whole, and they require the direction of a moral compass. The relative, by its very definition, exists only within the context of what is absolute. Simply by thinking and by choosing, we are already philosophical creatures, and the only question is if we will judge well or judge poorly. 
 
The lesser is in the service of the greater, and so the wise man is happy to put aside the diversions to go straight to the source. Just as I ought to care for my health over going to the office, I am well-advised to work on the content of my character before I buy a new car. I’m a fool to get my wires crossed. 
 
And since philosophy is about what is universal and necessary, it does not admit of conditions, compromises, or equivocations. I can’t attempt to distract from philosophy by pointing to what is outside of the picture, because philosophy encompasses the entire picture. Philosophy will not wait upon me—I shall wait upon philosophy. 

—Reflection written in 4/2013 

IMAGE: Albrecht Dürer, Philosophia (1502) 

Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ 3.58

Of deeper matters, and God’s hidden judgments which are not to be inquired into 

1. “My Son, beware you dispute not of high matters and of the hidden judgments of God; why this man is thus left, and that man is taken into so great favor; why also this man is so greatly afflicted, and that so highly exalted. These things pass all man’s power of judging, neither may any reasoning or disputation have power to search out the divine judgments. When therefore the enemy suggests these things to you, or when any curious people ask such questions, answer with that word of the Prophet, Just art Thou, O Lord, and true is Thy judgment, and with this, The judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. My judgments are to be feared, not to be disputed on, because they are incomprehensible to human understanding. 

2. “And be not given to inquire or dispute about the merits of the Saints, which is holier than another, or which is the greater in the Kingdom of Heaven. Such questions often beget useless strifes and contentions: they also nourish pride and vainglory, whence envyings and dissensions arise, while one man arrogantly endeavors to exalt one Saint and another another. But to wish to know and search out such things brings no fruit, but it rather displeases the Saints; for I am not the God of confusion but of peace; which peace consists more in true humility than in self-exaltation. 

3. “Some are drawn by zeal of love to greater affection to these Saints or those; but this is human affection rather than divine. I am He Who made all the Saints: I gave them grace, I brought them glory; I know the merits of every one; I prevented them with the blessings of My goodness. I foreknew my beloved ones from everlasting, I chose them out of the world; they did not choose Me. I called them by My grace, drew them by My mercy, led them on through sundry temptations. I poured mighty consolations upon them, I gave them perseverance, I crowned their patience. 

4. “I acknowledge the first and the last; I embrace all with inestimable love. I am to be praised in all My Saints; I am to be blessed above all things, and to be honored in every one whom I have so gloriously exalted and predestined, without any preceding merits of their own. He therefore that shall despise one of the least of these My people, honors not the great; because I made both small and great. And he who speaks against any of My Saints speaks against Me, and against all others in the Kingdom of Heaven. They are all one through the bond of charity; they think the same thing, will the same thing, and all are united in love one to another. 

5. “But yet (which is far better) they love Me above themselves and their own merits. For being caught up above themselves, and drawn beyond self-love, they go all straightforward to the love of Me, and they rest in Me in perfect enjoyment. There is nothing which can turn them away or press them down; for being full of Eternal Truth, they burn with the fire of inextinguishable charity. Therefore let all carnal and natural men hold their peace concerning the state of the Saints, for they know nothing save to love their own personal enjoyment. They take away and add according to their own inclination, not as it pleases the Eternal Truth. 

6. “In many men this is ignorance, chiefly is it so in those who, being little enlightened, rarely learn to love anyone with perfect spiritual love. They are still much drawn by natural affection and human friendship to these or to those: and as they reckon of themselves in lower matters, so also do they frame imaginations of things heavenly. But there is an immeasurable difference between those things which they imperfectly imagine, and these things which enlightened men behold through supernatural revelation. 

7. “Take heed, therefore, My son, that you treat not curiously those things which surpass your knowledge, but rather make this your business and give attention to it, namely, that you seek to be found, even though it be the least, in the Kingdom of God. And even if any one should know who were holier than others, or who were held greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven; what should that knowledge profit him, unless through this knowledge he should humble himself before Me, and should rise up to give greater praise unto My name? He who considers how great are his own sins, how small his virtues, and how far he is removed from the perfection of the Saints, does far more acceptably in the sight of God, than he who disputes about their greatness or littleness. 

8. “They are altogether well content, if men would learn to be content, and to refrain from vain babbling. They glory not of their own merits, seeing they ascribe no good unto themselves, but all unto Me, seeing that I of my infinite charity have given them all things. They are filled with so great love of the Divinity, and with such overflowing joy, that no glory is lacking to them, neither can any felicity be lacking. All the Saints, the higher they are exalted in glory, the humbler are they in themselves, and the nearer and dearer are they unto Me. And so you have it written that they cast their crowns before God and fell on their faces before the Lamb, and worshipped Him that lives for ever and ever. 

9. “Many ask who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, who know not whether they shall be worthy to be counted among the least. It is a great thing to be even the least in Heaven, where all are great, because all shall be called, and shall be, the sons of God. A little one shall become a thousand, but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. For when the disciples asked who should be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, they received no other answer than this, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. But whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same shall be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  

10. Woe unto them who disdain to humble themselves willingly with the little children; for the low gate of the kingdom of Heaven will not suffer them to enter in. Woe also to them who are rich, who have their consolation here; because while the poor enter into the kingdom of God, they shall stand lamenting without. Rejoice you humble, and exult you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God if only you walk in the truth. 

IMAGE: Albrecht Dürer, Adoration of the Trinity (1511) 

The Labors of Hercules 6

Albrecht Dürer, Hercules Killing the Stymphalian Birds (1500) 

Anonymous German, Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds (c. 1600)

Gustave Moreau, Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds (c. 1872) 

Gustave Moreau, Hercules at Lake Stymphalos (c. 1880) 

Time and a Fox

As a reference for Seneca, Moral Letters 24.7: 

Albrecht Dürer, Time and a Fox Turning the Wheel of Fortune, with People of All Ranks (c. 1526) 

The Feast of St. Michael

 

Names mean things.

Michael is my middle name, and my father's first name. The name was chosen because it reflected a history, not because it "sounded cool."

A Jesuit once told me: "When parents name their children after gimmicks instead of saints, you know which way the wind is blowing."

Michael? The archangel who defends us all? 

Nah. How about Byron, or Bryon, or maybe even Brydon? Which sounds the sexiest? 

September 29 is the Feast Day of Saint Michael the Archangel. 

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.

Albrecht Dürer, Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon (c. 1498)

William Blake, The Angel Michael Binding Satan (c. 1805)

Gustave Moreau, Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan (1882)

Nemesis

Albrecht Dürer, Nemesis (The Great Fortune) (c. 1502)

Young Couple Threatened by Death

Albrecht Dürer, Young Couple Threatened by Death or The Promenade (c. 1500)

Turf

Albrecht Dürer, The Large Piece of Turf (1503)

Cowslips

Albrecht Dürer, Tuft of Cowslips (1526)

Job and His Wife

Albrecht Dürer, Job and His Wife (1504)

Seneca, Moral Letters 10.4

But I must, as is my custom, send a little gift along with this letter. It is a true saying which I have found in Athenodorus: "Know that you are freed from all desires when you have reached such a point that you pray to God for nothing except what you can pray for openly." 

 

But how foolish men are now! They whisper the basest of prayers to Heaven; but if anyone listens, they are silent at once. That which they are unwilling for men to know, they communicate to God. 

 

Do you not think, then, that some such wholesome advice as this could be given you: "Live among men as if God beheld you; speak with God as if men were listening"? Farewell.

 

I have spent most of my adult life around people who take their religion seriously, and I have found that they will rise or fall much like any other people. Some are sincere to the core, and some are the craftiest of players. 

 

Just as the politicians are tempted to say one thing in public and do another in private, so the holy rollers are prone to praying very differently in church than they do behind closed doors. At the root of all such obstacles is a common human weakness, a desperate but doomed attempt to play tricks with Nature and Providence. 

 

In the Apology, Socrates warned us about the danger of trying to appear differently than we really are, of praising virtue to the crowd and then wallowing in vice when no one is looking. We may think that getting found out is the problem, but it goes far deeper than that: even if no one ever knows what the charlatan is up to, he still knows full well that he is a fractured and broken man, and that inner burden will be with him for all his days. The sin itself is already the worst form of punishment. 

 

The cure is in developing a sense of absolute integrity, never hesitating to speak what is true and to act according to what is good, regardless of the audience. To the weak-willed this seems foolhardy, while the man of principle is not afraid, because he does not care about winning or losing points in any game of manipulation. 

 

This all points back to what Seneca means by living to oneself. If I know what I am about, trusting in my own conscience and able to respect myself, I will have little concern for impressing anyone by putting on a show. I will most certainly care deeply for other people, perhaps far more than they might know, but I will not let myself be swept away by their opinions. 

 

If I am the same man, both on the inside and on the outside, then I am in harmony with myself and in harmony with the world around me. I can face myself with pride if I act with conviction, and I can face the world with compassion if I work from the foundation of my character. 

 

What a wonderful concept, to live openly and without any deception, as if God and men are always watching! It gives a whole new meaning to that old phrase, “If I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to fear." 

Written in 5/2012

IMAGE: Albrecht Dürer, Praying Hands (c. 1508)

 

Head of a Suffering Man

Albrecht Dürer, Head of a Suffering Man (1503)

Fortune

Albrecht Dürer, Fortune (1495)

Death and the Landsknecht

Albrecht Dürer, Death and the Landsknecht (1510)

Combat

Albrecht Dürer, The Combat of Virtue and Pleasure in the Presence of Hercules (1499) 

Avarice

Albrecht Dürer, Allegory of Avarice (1507)