Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure by William Ferraiolo

Author:William Ferraiolo [Ferraiolo, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78535-588-2
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
Published: 2017-10-27T04:00:00+00:00

Book XVI

1

Find something that you are not willing to sacrifice for any purpose or any benefit. Let this be your guiding light in all matters, and let every decision conform to your determination to preserve this ultimate value. Commit yourself to a life bound to the principle that your highest aim is inviolable and must guide your every significant decision. Test all available options against this guiding maxim. Do not compromise the foundation of your virtue, or whatever you have identified as the highest good. Be prepared to test your chosen goal periodically, but do not relinquish adherence to it lightly. Organize all of your affairs around the one sacrosanct centerpiece. Watch how readily your choices begin to become both simple and obvious.

2

If a man puts a gun to your head and commands you to dishonor yourself, it is far better that he pulls the trigger than that you obey his command. Let him degrade himself by killing without justification. Do not abase yourself merely because you meet with a threat of death. Socrates would not depart from his pursuit of wisdom merely to avoid the hemlock. You are no Socrates, but you are to emulate his example in this matter. Dishonor is never a viable option. Let no threat impel you to disgrace yourself.

3

Cultivate simplicity. Be content with little in the way of possessions, entertainments, food, drink, and occupation. Be simple of character. Do not act one part for this audience, and a different part for that. Your guiding principles should be few and readily recalled—especially under duress. Speak with clarity and precision. Unnecessary complexity is a perversion and an invitation to miscommunication. Competing, and sometimes conflicting, purposes or interests make for a muddled and untrustworthy character. How is anyone supposed to take you at your word, or entrust to you any significant responsibility, if you allow your goals to drift, or to become caught up in periodic flights of fancy? Keep the rules that govern your behavior simple and reliable. In this way, you will make yourself dependable and trustworthy.

4

Keep your exercise regimen simple and consistent. There is no need for complicated equipment, and flashy technique is more likely to lead to injury than to improvement. Understand what is appropriate for your age, physical constitution, history of injuries, and the general wear and tear that inevitably attends decades of training. Do not be lax about your physical health, but do not exceed the limitations imposed by nature and circumstance either. Health and relatively smooth functionality are enough for your purposes. It is not as if you hope to become a professional athlete someday. Those adolescent dreams died many years and several injuries ago. Do not pretend to have a future in cage fighting or professional football. You train to be a Stoic philosopher and practitioner. That goal is lofty enough.

5

When you were young, you understood virtually nothing about yourself, the world around you, or what beliefs, values, and behaviors were noble, healthy, or wise. You knew virtually nothing of real value.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.