How To Make Use Of One's Enemies
(Plutarch)
Translation by: femme/300/12 November 2005
"We should rather take note of the mistakes our enemies make and the impertinent things they do, but it's really not necessary, whether we have the pleasure of seeing them as our friends no longer or the dispeasure of seeing them do well. In the end, it's all useless. But one needs to set both of these ideas down together and add all of this up, for by refraining from the first, we will become better, and by imitating the other we will at least not be worse than they are."
Plutarch succeeds in the miracle of being a moralistic philosopher who is not pompous! Through concrete examples, he invites us to ask ourselves about the advantages that one might derive by havng enemies. For indeed, one has to say that everyone has a scapegoat, an individual with whom a personality conflict is unavoidable, an Other who does not leave us indifferent but who is deeply insufferable to us.
Here you have a little guide to be used by those who refuse to bend when confronted by their enemies and who opt for an optimistic philosophy of life. It is always possible and self-saving to transform a personal disadvantage into an advantage and a personal shortcoming into a good quality. An enemy has all of that. One must transcend adversity to attain that superior state that is neither jealousy, anger, nor violence, but a good conscience and the desire to come out of it all completely victorious.
The course of the moralist Plutarch's writings is pedagogical and his rhetoric effective. In spite of his obvious antiquity, this fundamental test of life reads like an reinvigorating guide which is full of wisdom and should be read or consulted regularly!
Resumos Relacionados
- Freshmind
- Beyond Good And Evil
- Shantaram
- The Greatness Guide
- The Meditations
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