Tell us about the last thing you got excited about.
Many, many centuries ago, the Philosopher-Emperor Marcus Aurelius famously wrote that any leader must be imbued by four chief virtues.
- Wisdom
- Justice
- Fortitude
- Temperance
Many people may agree to disagree on which, if any, of the above ought to be part of their character.
I for one used to think Wisdom was the only virtue one should possess. How foolish of me to believe that it could advance me in our world.
Life quickly cured me of such idiotic notions.
Then, it came to me that perhaps temperance should do the trick. Surely now, a temperate man, always in control of his passions, must prevail, isn’t it?!
Life also disabused me of any such misguided ideas.
I found that neither Wisdom or Temperance never served a Man well in his quest for advancement.
Disillusioned, I turned to Justice.
Surely, thought I, Justice would serve where the Other Stoic Virtues failed.
But Justice ain’t in it.
Just look at how full of injustice the world is.
Criminals are running the show. And People are cowed into inaction by the imund spectacle of flagrant injustice perpetrated by the Media and the Courts.
For, I don’t know if you notice, but they judge people in the Media nowadays.
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty.
Ah, it died on arrival, eh.
So Justice is not it either.
Oh Marcus, but you didn’t make this easy, haven’t you. Or perhaps, Life was never meant to be facile.
You live and you learn.
Mostly via personal tragedy, but you do get a lot of opportunities to grow by personal experience.
My mother passed away this year. May God rest her Soul! Amen!
And in the moment of her passing I found what the old emperor meant to say.
He wanted me to go through the demise of my blood, as he must have, as we all have to, and come out of it with the realization that Life goes on no matter what.
And that is why I choose Fortitude.
It is the only virtue you will ever need to make do.
Life is all about bracing yourself against the unleashed elements and weathering storm after storm after storm until your ship sinks.
I love my wife, my daughter, my brother, and my friends.
I pray for them every day.
Each day I do so is a privilege from God.
The only thing I am excited about is their continued health and joy.
Hold fast to your family and friends!
Nothing else matters.
Stay strong for as long as you can!
May God give you the Fortitude to weather your Storms!
Götterdämmerung 