A journalist asks the captain of an Olympic crew team, "How do you handle those huge waves, those slamming gusts of winds, and undercurrents?" The captain answered: "We don't worry about that. Those things are outside the boat. We concentrate on what happens in our boat."
Such anecdote reminded me of Descartes' Discourse on Method in which he sets some rules or precepts for knowing and accepting the true (rather than the false), and also some rules of ethics, or as he called them, "a provisory code of morals"
Rule # 3 of Descartes' code of morals has always held my attention:
"This third maxim was to endeavour always to conquer myself rather than fortune, and change my desire rather than the order of the world, and in general, accustom myself to the persuasion that, except for our thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power; so that when we have done our best in respect of things external to us, all wherein we fail of success is to be held, as regards us, absolutely impossible: and this single principle seemed to me sufficient to prevent me from desiring for the future anything which I could not obtain..."
How true this maxim is! Why fret over things for which we have no control at all?
Because Descartes' long complex sentence packs too much information all at once, I've broken it down into small more digestible bites:
1. Conquer yourself rather than fortune.
2. Change your desire rather than the world.
3. Other than our thoughts nothing else is really in our power.
Can the captain of the crew change the fortune or misfortune of the elements? Can he and his crew alter the waves, the winds, and the currents? I think not. Yet, the team can change its own strategies and efforts to conquer themselves and victory.
When I plan my week and I see that the weather forecast bodes rain, thunder, and electrical storms for two of three days. What can I do? Should I fight the elements and go on with my daily walk? Not at all. I will adjust my schedule so that I can enjoy some indoor activities instead: gladly I will look forward to reading those untouched books that have been on the shelf for too long.
Once, having just received an increase in salary, I complained bitterly that my take-home paycheck was still too puny: "with all the taxes and deductions taken out, what I've got left is such a pittance..." All the complaining in the world could not change the fact that I wasn't about to get another salary increase for at least another year; my solution was to adjust my expenses-to change my desire rather than the world.
When I was very young and just beginning to make a living in the corporate world, I had a supervisor who -in my estimation-wasn't half as capable as I was. In fact, often he would consult with me, ask for my advice, and later present my ideas as if they were his own. Yet, his salary was much higher than mine. I often wondered why he had been hired as a manager, given his low acumen.
So one good day I asked him, "How did you become a manager, and well paid, too?"
"I have a master degree," was his simple answer.
Did I envy my supervisor? Of course I did, I felt that he didn't deserve the large amount of money he was being paid. But all the negative thoughts in the world were not about to help me. To give myself a big increase in salary I would need to conquer myself rather than fortune. And on I went to night school to get that MBA.
Descartes was correct: other than our thoughts nothing else is really in our power.
Retired. Former investment banker, Columbia University-educated, Vietnam Vet (67-68).
For the writing techniques I use, see Mary Duffy's e-book: Sentence Openers.
To read my book reviews of the Classics visit my blog: Writing To Live
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