C

September 1st

A STRONG SOUL IS BETTER THAN GOOD LUCK

“The rational soul is stronger than any kind of fortune—from its

own share it guides its affairs here or there, and is itself the cause

of a happy or miserable life.”

—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 98.2b

ato the Younger had enough money to dress in fine clothing. Yet he
often walked around Rome barefoot, indifferent to assumptions people
made about him as he passed. He could have indulged in the finest food. He
chose instead to eat simple fare. Whether it was raining or intensely hot, he
went bareheaded by choice.
Why not indulge in some easy relief? Because Cato was training his
soul to be strong and resilient. Specifically, he was learning indifference: an
attitude of “let come what may” that would serve him well in the trenches
with the army, in the Forum and the Senate, and in his life as a father and
statesman.
His training prepared him for any conditions, any kind of luck. If we
undergo our own training and preparations, we might find ourselves
similarly strengthened.