W

February    1st

FOR THE HOT-HEADED  MAN

“Keep   this    thought handy   when    you feel    a   fit of  rage    coming  on—it   isn’t   manly   to  be  enraged.

Rather, gentleness  and civility    are more    human,  and therefore   manlier.    A   real    man doesn’t give

way to  anger   and discontent, and such    a   person  has strength,   courage,    and endurance—unlike    the

angry   and complaining.    The nearer  a   man comes   to  a   calm    mind,   the closer  he  is  to  strength.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    11.18.5b

hy do athletes talk trash to each other? Why do they deliberately say offensive and nasty things to
their competitors when the refs aren’t looking? To provoke a reaction. Distracting and angering
opponents is an easy way to knock them off their game.
Try to remember that when you find yourself getting mad. Anger is not impressive or tough—it’s a
mistake. It’s weakness. Depending on what you’re doing, it might even be a trap that someone laid for
you.
Fans and opponents called boxer Joe Louis the “Ring Robot” because he was utterly unemotional—his
cold, calm demeanor was far more terrifying than any crazed look or emotional outburst would have been.
Strength is the ability to maintain a hold of oneself. It’s being the person who never gets mad, who
cannot be rattled, because they are in control of their passions—rather than controlled by their passions.