What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness
Zilu said, “Does the gentleman admire courage?”
The Master said, “The gentleman admires rightness above all. A gentleman who possessed courage but lacked a sense of rightness would create political disorder, while a common person who possessed courage but lacked a sense of rightness would become a bandit.”
Confucius, Analects 17.23
The archer is in some ways similar to the superior man. Upon missing the target they turn their gaze inward and seek the cause within themselves.
Confucius, Maintaining Perfect Balance
Sima Niu asked about the gentleman.
The Master replied, “The gentleman is free of anxiety and fear.”
“‘Free of anxiety and fear’ – is that all there is to being a gentleman?”
“If you can look inside yourself and find no faults, what cause is there for anxiety or fear?”
Confucius, Analects 12.4
The Master said, “When the Way was being practiced in his state, Ning Wuzi was wise, but when the Way was not being practiced, he was stupid. His wisdom can be equaled, but no one can equal his stupidity.”
Confucius, Analects 5.21
Because he has no goal in mind,
everything the Master does succeeds.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 22
From everything that comes about in the universe one may easily find cause to praise providence if one possesses these two qualities, the capacity to view each particular event in relation to the whole, and a sense of gratitude. For, otherwise, one will either fail to recognize the usefulness of what has come about, or else fail to be truly grateful if one does in fact recognize it.
Epictetus, Discourses 1.6.1-2
My essay on the relationship between Stoic and economic ideas about welfare has been published in the Journal of Markets & Morality.
Economic accounts of consumer welfare focus heavily on the physical circumstances of the consumer. In contrast, in many religious and philosophical traditions, welfare is thought to be largely independent of physical circumstances. This essay argues that the introduction of reference dependence enriches economic models of choice in a way that connects the economic account of welfare with the contrasting account offered by the Stoics….
Read the whole piece.
My essay on how an attitude of stewardship toward our possessions can benefit Christians in times of loss has been published in The Banner.
Panic surged through Wall Street in October of 1929. On October 24, stock prices plunged briefly before several large banks intervened and the market rallied. But things were about to get much worse. On Black Monday, October 28, stock prices fell by more than 10 percent. The next day it happened again. Prices would continue falling for the next three years. When they reached their nadir in July of 1932, prices were down 90 percent, and the country was in the midst of the Great Depression.
In the face of such tremendous financial losses, the kind of desperation felt by some financiers was understandable. But it is not inevitable.
The effects of loss depends on our attitude toward our circumstances. Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote, “No man is crushed by misfortune unless he has first been deceived by prosperity.”
Studies by economists and psychologists provide support for Seneca’s observation. Our satisfaction with our circumstances depends on the comparisons we make. We compare our circumstances to our expectations, and we hate losing things we were expecting to have. That aversion to loss influences all sorts of decisions, including decisions about investments, insurance, and how long to work. It may even influence the performance of professional athletes, with golfers playing better when they need to save par than when they have the chance to beat it.
But loss cannot be avoided. Cars rust, fabrics fray, and bodies fail. All who are born must die, and each of us leaves this world with empty hands.
The Bible describes an attitude toward loss that can protect us from the disappointment that accompanies it. Our expectations about the future often reflect our current circumstances, but, as Seneca knew, they also reflect the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
Read the whole piece.
Faulty execution does less harm than a lack of execution. Materials turn bad more often in repose than in motion.
Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
…it is worse to busy yourself with the trivial than to do nothing.
Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom