Although I don't think at the moment we could consider our club to be in adverse circumstances, we certainly have been there for most of our years. With Roo going down, once again the dread starts entering my mind, is this the beginning of more bad news? Are we to miss again because of the quirks of fate and the Karma of the footy gods? So I was thinking, how about a little philosophy to get me though some of my doubts. Were better than to start with the great Stoic philosopher, Senecca.(c. 4BC,-65 AD )
Here are some of his thoughts, which can be applied to the individual ie. Roo, and the team in general, which by the way includes us.
[God]"does not treat the good man like a toy, but tries him, hardens him, and readies him for himself"
"Good men....must not shrink from hardship and difficulty or complain of fate: they should take whatever befalls in good part and turn it to advantage. The thing that matters is not what what you bear , but how you bear it."
"No one is more unhappy, in my judgment, than a man who has never met with adversity. He has never had the privilege of testing himself."
"Why do you wonder that good men are shaken to make them strong? No tree stands firm and sturdy if it is not buffered by constant wind; the very stresses cause it to stiffen and fix its roots firmly."
"Scorn poverty: no one is as poor as he was at birth. Scorn pain: either it will go away or you will. Scorn death: either it finishes you or it transforms you"
Quotations from: The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca by Moses Hadas.
In essence Senecca is about turning bad into good, about growing as an individual. The world is full of challenges and we have to "learn" how to deal with them. Senecca certainly had a few problems to deal with himself. But these great souls grow beyond the fear of adversity by practicing with the right attitude, courage and a sense of knowing who they are, to ultimately overcome what ever adversity is placed before them.
So there you go kids a bit of philosophy from the great man himself.
As an aside I have done a little research on Senecca and it turns out he was a Saints supporter. Yes he was. His house was painted in Red , Black, and White. He promised much but was inevitably thawed by city hall and the evil emperors and he died in a bath in a white toga, bleeding red blood from the black hemlock. Hence the saying "He bled red black and white."
As Saints supporters he enunciated the stoic philosophy for our benefit. Weather we know it or not being a Sainter means being a Stoic. Water is wet, fire is hot, and a Saint is a Stoic.
Here are some of his thoughts, which can be applied to the individual ie. Roo, and the team in general, which by the way includes us.
[God]"does not treat the good man like a toy, but tries him, hardens him, and readies him for himself"
"Good men....must not shrink from hardship and difficulty or complain of fate: they should take whatever befalls in good part and turn it to advantage. The thing that matters is not what what you bear , but how you bear it."
"No one is more unhappy, in my judgment, than a man who has never met with adversity. He has never had the privilege of testing himself."
"Why do you wonder that good men are shaken to make them strong? No tree stands firm and sturdy if it is not buffered by constant wind; the very stresses cause it to stiffen and fix its roots firmly."
"Scorn poverty: no one is as poor as he was at birth. Scorn pain: either it will go away or you will. Scorn death: either it finishes you or it transforms you"
Quotations from: The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca by Moses Hadas.
In essence Senecca is about turning bad into good, about growing as an individual. The world is full of challenges and we have to "learn" how to deal with them. Senecca certainly had a few problems to deal with himself. But these great souls grow beyond the fear of adversity by practicing with the right attitude, courage and a sense of knowing who they are, to ultimately overcome what ever adversity is placed before them.
So there you go kids a bit of philosophy from the great man himself.
As an aside I have done a little research on Senecca and it turns out he was a Saints supporter. Yes he was. His house was painted in Red , Black, and White. He promised much but was inevitably thawed by city hall and the evil emperors and he died in a bath in a white toga, bleeding red blood from the black hemlock. Hence the saying "He bled red black and white."
As Saints supporters he enunciated the stoic philosophy for our benefit. Weather we know it or not being a Sainter means being a Stoic. Water is wet, fire is hot, and a Saint is a Stoic.
