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.