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<span class="first">I</span>nternet
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<h1 id="letter-11-on-the-blush-of-modesty">Letter 11: On the Blush of Modesty</h1>
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<h2 id="original-text">Original Text</h2>
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<p>[1] Your friend and I have had a conversation. He is a man of ability; his very
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first words showed what spirit and understanding he possesses, and what progress
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he has already made. He gave me a foretaste, and he will not fail to answer
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thereto. For he spoke not from forethought, but was suddenly caught off his
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guard. When he tried to collect himself, he could scarcely banish that hue of
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modesty, which is a good sign in a young man; the blush that spread over his
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face seemed so to rise from the depths. And I feel sure that his habit of
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blushing will stay with him after he has strengthened his character, stripped
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off all his faults, and become wise. For by no wisdom can natural weaknesses of
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the body be removed. That which is implanted and inborn can be toned down by
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training, but not overcome. [2] The steadiest speaker, when before the public,
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often breaks into a perspiration, as if he had wearied or over-heated himself;
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some tremble in the knees when they rise to speak; I know of some whose teeth
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chatter, whose tongues falter, whose lips quiver. Training and experience can
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never shake off this habit; nature exerts her own power and through such a
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weakness makes her presence known even to the strongest. [3] I know that the
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blush, too, is a habit of this sort, spreading suddenly over the faces of the
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most dignified men. It is, indeed more prevalent in youth, because of the warmer
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blood and the sensitive countenance; nevertheless, both seasoned men and aged
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men are affected by it. Some are most dangerous when they redden, as if they
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were letting all their sense of shame escape. [4] Sulla, when the blood mantled
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his cheeks, was in his fiercest mood. Pompey had the most sensitive cast of
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countenance; he always blushed in the presence of a gathering, and especially at
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a public assembly. Fabianus also, I remember, reddened when he appeared as a
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witness before the senate; and his embarrassment became him to a remarkable
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degree. [5] Such a habit is not due to mental weakness, but to the novelty of a
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situation; an inexperienced person is not necessarily confused, but is usually
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affected, because he slips into this habit by natural tendency of the body. Just
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as certain men are full-blooded, so others are of a quick and mobile blood, that
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rushes to the face at once.</p>
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<p>[6] As I remarked, Wisdom can never remove this habit; for if she could rub out
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all our faults, she would be mistress of the universe. Whatever is assigned to
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us by the terms of our birth and the blend in our constitutions, will stick with
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us, no matter how hard or how long the soul may have tried to master itself. And
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we cannot forbid these feelings any more than we can summon them. [7] Actors in
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the theatre, who imitate the emotions, who portray fear and nervousness, who
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depict sorrow, imitate bashfulness by hanging their heads, lowering their
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voices, and keeping their eyes fixed and rooted upon the ground. They cannot,
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however, muster a blush; for the blush cannot be prevented or acquired. Wisdom
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will not assure us of a remedy, or give us help against it; it comes or goes
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unbidden, and is a law unto itself.</p>
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<p>[8] But my letter calls for its closing sentence. Hear and take to heart this
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useful and wholesome motto: “Cherish some man of high character, and keep him
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ever before your eyes, living as if he were watching you, and ordering all your
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actions as if he beheld them.” [9] Such, my dear Lucilius, is the counsel of
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Epicurus; he has quite properly given us a guardian and an attendant. We can get
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rid of most sins, if we have a witness who stands near us when we are likely to
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go wrong. The soul should have someone whom it can respect, – one by whose
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authority it may make even its inner shrine more hallowed. Happy is the man who
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can make others better, not merely when he is in their company, but even when he
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is in their thoughts! And happy also is he who can so revere a man as to calm
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and regulate himself by calling him to mind! One who can so revere another, will
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soon be himself worthy of reverence. [10] Choose therefore a Cato; or, if Cato
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seems too severe a model, choose some Laelius, a gentler spirit. Choose a master
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whose life, conversation, and soul-expressing face have satisfied you; picture
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him always to yourself as your protector or your pattern. For we must indeed
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have someone according to whom we may regulate our characters; you can never
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straighten that which is crooked unless you use a ruler. Farewell.</p>
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<h2 id="response">Response</h2>
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<p>This letter stikes me as another casual writing of Seneca’s. Some of his letters
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seem very serious, and some are much more conversational. In this letter, Seneca
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remninds us that the faults which nature gave us are beyond the power of wisdom
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to fix. This, he assures us, is not something we should feel ashamed of or take
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as a weakness, since it lies outside our control. His examples generally focus
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on blushing, hence the title and theme, but it’s easy for us to extend it to
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many facets of our physical self; height comes to mind most immediately.</p>
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<p>As with many sources of Stoicism, when I read the reassurances of authors long
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since gone, I can’t help but feel a sense of comfort. The problems of today, the
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personal struggles we all endure, the anxieties we fight to overcome; they’re
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not new. Others before us have encountered them, and others after us will. I
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think the Stoics would be quick to remind us, it is our place to endure and then
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help others endure. At least, that’s what I am quick to remind myself of.</p>
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<p>The quote, another from Epicurus (Seneca’s secret man-crush, no doubt), speaks
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of finding a good role-model. Reflecting on his quote made me realize I don’t
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have many role-models in life, at least not many living. Perhaps that matters
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little, but I think having a living example you can work from makes matters
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easier. Seneca rightly shows how it goes beyond simply living by your
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role-model’s standards, but also using them as an ever-present companion, in
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order to help with decisions and actions. Very reminiscent of “What would Jesus
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do?” Personally, I like this idea, and I must look for a role-model I can
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follow. A few names jump out: Tim Ferris, and Elon Musk. Ferris for his
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unrelenting pursuit to better himself, and Musk for his unrelenting pursuit to
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better the world around him.</p>
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<h1 id="sources">Sources</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_11">Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 11 on Wikisource</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h6 id="letter-index"><a href="/2018/01/15/Letters-To-Lucilius.html">Letter Index</a></h6>
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<div class="author_info">
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Bill Niblock
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aria-label="Code dedicated to the public domain under Unlicense">
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2018-01-28
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<br />
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2024-06-18 23:26:12 +00:00
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<p>
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My name is <span class="p-name">Bill Niblock</span>. <span
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class="p-note">I'm a computer scientist by education, a technologist
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by trade, a gamer by hobby, and a philosopher by accident. I
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live in <span class="p-locality">Buffalo</span>, <span class="p-region">
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2024-06-20 19:38:41 +00:00
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New York</span>, <span class="p-country-name">USA</span>.<br />
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<br />
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My PGP Key is <span class="u-key" id="key">CCE7 3682 331B 5614 9FAB
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7383 7359 80B2 6381 C91E</span>.
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2024-06-18 23:26:12 +00:00
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</p>
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</section>
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<section style="display: none;">
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<span class="p-category">Gaming</span>
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<span class="p-category">Technology</span>
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<span class="p-category">Philosophy</span>
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<span class="p-category">Open Source Software</span>
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<span class="p-category">Self-Hosting</span>
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<span class="p-category">Coffee</span>
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2024-06-20 19:38:41 +00:00
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<span class="u-email">bill@theinternetvagabond.com</span>
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2024-06-18 23:26:12 +00:00
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</section>
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</section>
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</footer>
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