Late in his reign, Marcus Aurelius received surprising news.
His old friend and most trusted general, Avidius Cassius, betrayed Marcus in an attempted coup.
Marcus could have been angry. He could have demanded the sadistic revenge possible to a man with unlimited power
Instead,
Marcus called a council of his soldiers and made an extraordinary announcement:
Capture Cassius, but do not kill him.
Marcus said they would “forgive a man who has wronged one, remain a friend to one who has transgressed friendship, and continue faithful to one who has broken faith.”
In true Stoic fashion, Marcus met this challenge as an opportunity to practice his philosophy, to practice virtue. The betrayal, he told his men, was an opportunity to “settle this affair well and show to all mankind that there is a right way to deal even with civil wars.”
While most of us won’t be betrayed by a trusted general or faced with a civil war, all of us will face adversity. It is our fate as a human being. How will you respond? How will you decide to see hardship?
“Let virtue lead the way,” as Seneca said, “and every step will be safe.” Perhaps safe is the wrong word, but it will be the right path. Marcus called the Four Virtues the “touchstones of goodness.”
Courage.
Temperance.
Justice.
Wisdom.
To millions, they’re known as the Cardinal Virtues—a name that comes, as C. S. Lewis pointed out, from the Latin “cardo,” or hinge. They’re pivotal—what the door to the good life hinges on.
Like the Cardinal directions, the four main points on the compass, the four virtues are a kind of compass. A guide to what to do, who to be, how to behave, how to respond in every situation. Let them guide you to see hardship in life as opportunity. As grist for the mill. As a chance to prove our mettle. As an opportunity to practice one or more of the four virtues.
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