每日斯多葛主義修行49-51
來自專欄 Daily Stoic Quotes4 人贊了文章
49. 「In parties of conversation, avoid a frequent and excessive mention of your own actions and dangers. For, however agreeable it may be to yourself to mention the risks you have run, it is not equally agreeable to others to hear your adventures. Avoid, likewise, an endeavor to excite laughter. For this is a slippery point, which may throw you into vulgar manners, and, besides, may be apt to lessen you in the esteem of your acquaintance. Approaches to indecent discourse are likewise dangerous. Whenever, therefore, anything of this sort happens, if there be a proper opportunity, rebuke him who makes advances that way; or, at least, by silence and blushing and a forbidding look, show yourself to be displeased by such talk.」
— Epictetus, Enchiridion, 33.14
跟別人談話時,不要過多提到自己的經歷和冒險。因為不管你認為多麼合適,你的冒險經歷,對於別人來說不一定是他們想聽的。同樣,也不要過分用力去博取別人的笑聲。因為這是一個不可控制的滑坡,你會慢慢變得粗俗,你的熟人也會因此變得不那麼尊重你。經常討論粗鄙的話題也具有同樣的危險。如果你的同伴做這些事情,儘可能去糾正他們,或者至少保持沉默、臉紅,以不可置信的臉色讓他們知道你其實是不喜歡這一類話題的。
— Epictetus, 斯多葛主義手冊, 33.14
50. 「If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you』d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled—have you no shame in that?」
— Epictetus, Enchiridion, 28
如果別人把你的身體隨便交給一個路上遇到的陌生人,你一定會很生氣。可是當別人用惡語打擊你的時候,你為什麼要心甘情願地讓別人控制你的思想,困惑你呢?
— Epictetus, 斯多葛主義手冊, 28
51. 「We can remove most sins if we have a witness standing by as we are about to go wrong. The soul should have someone it can respect, by whose example it can make its inner sanctum more inviolable. Happy is the person who can improve others, not only when present, but even when in their thoughts!」
— Seneca, Moral Letters, 11.9
有人目睹時,我們會控制做錯事的衝動,大部分罪惡也因此被阻止和消除。我們的靈魂需要有這樣一個她尊敬的人使得我們內心的(道德)聖壇不被侵犯。這樣的人,即使不在身邊,光是關於她的念頭就足以作為我們靈魂的見證人。(對於Seneca來說,Cato The Younger就是這樣的一個人。)
— Seneca, 關於道德的信件, 11.9
推薦閱讀: