Like that. In illness—or any other situation.Not to let go of philosophy, no matter what happens; not to
bandy words with crackpots and philistines—good rules for
any philosopher.
Concentrate on what you’re doing, and what you’re doing
it with.
- When you run up against someone else’s shamelessness,
ask yourself this: Is a world without shamelessness possible?
No.Then don’t ask the impossible. There have to be shameless
people in the world. This is one of them.
The same for someone vicious or untrustworthy, or with
any other defect. Remembering that the whole class has to
exist will make you more tolerant of its members.
Another useful point to bear in mind: What qualities has
nature given us to counter that defect? As an antidote to
unkindness it gave us kindness. And other qualities to
balance other flaws.
And when others stray off course, you can always try to set
them straight, because every wrongdoer is doing something
wrong—doing something the wrong way.