Men
seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and
mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But
this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is
in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For
nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a
man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within
him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in
perfect tranquility; and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else
than the good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to thyself
this retreat, and renew thyself; and let thy principles be brief and
fundamental, which, as soon as thou shalt recur to them, will be
sufficient to cleanse the soul completely, and to send thee back free
from all discontent with the things to which thou returnest. For with
what art thou discontented? With the badness of men? Recall to thy
mind this conclusion, that rational animals exist for one another,
and that to endure is a part of justice, and that men do wrong
involuntarily; and consider how many already, after mutual enmity,
suspicion, hatred, and fighting, have been stretched dead, reduced to
ashes; and be quiet at last.- But perhaps thou art dissatisfied with
that which is assigned to thee out of the universe.- Recall to thy
recollection this alternative; either there is providence or atoms,
fortuitous concurrence of things; or remember the arguments by which
it has been proved that the world is a kind of political community,
and be quiet at last.- But perhaps corporeal things will still fasten
upon thee.- Consider then further that the mind mingles not with the
breath, whether moving gently or violently, when it has once drawn
itself apart and discovered its own power, and think also of all that
thou hast heard and assented to about pain and pleasure, and be quiet
at last.- But perhaps the desire of the thing called fame will
torment thee.- See how soon everything is forgotten, and look at the
chaos of infinite time on each side of the present, and the emptiness
of applause, and the changeableness and want of judgement in those
who pretend to give praise, and the narrowness of the space within
which it is circumscribed, and be quiet at last. For the whole earth
is a point, and how small a nook in it is this thy dwelling, and how
few are there in it, and what kind of people are they who will praise
thee.
This
then remains: Remember to retire into this little territory of thy
own, and above all do not distract or strain thyself, but be free,
and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a
mortal. But among the things readiest to thy hand to which thou shalt
turn, let there be these, which are two. One is that things do not
touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our
perturbations come only from the opinion which is within. The other
is that all these things, which thou seest, change immediately and
will no longer be; and constantly bear in mind how many of these
changes thou hast already witnessed. The universe is transformation:
life is opinion.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
