On Anger Chapter 10

Illud potius cogitabis, non esse irascendum erroribus. Quid enim, si quis irascatur in tenebris parum vestigia certa ponentibus ? Quid, si quis surdis imperia non exaudientibus ? Quid, si pueris, quod neglecto dispectu officiorum ad lusus et ineptos aequalium iocos spectent ? Quid, si illis irasci velis, qui, quod aegrotant senescunt, fatigantur ? Inter cetera mortalitatis incommoda et hoc est, caligo mentium nec tantum necessitas errandi sed errorum amor. Ne singulis irascaris, universis ignoscendum est, generi humano venia tribuenda est. Si irasceris iuvenibus senibusque, quod peccant, irascere et infantibus : peccaturi sunt. Numquis irascitur pueris, quorum aetas nondum novit rerum discrimina ? Maior est excusatio et iustior hominem esse quam puerum. Hac condicione nati sumus, animalia obnoxia non paucioribus animi quam corporis morbis, non quidem obtusa nec tarda, sed acumine nostro male utentia, alter alteri vitiorum exempla. Quisquis sequitur priores male iter ingressos, quidni habeat excusationem, cum publica via erraverit ? In singulos severitas imperatoris destringitur, at necessaria venia est, ubi totus deseruit exercitus. Quid tollit iram sapientis ? Turba peccantium. Intellegit quam et iniquum sit et periculosum irasci publico vitio. Heraclitus quotiens prodierat et tantum circa se male viventium, immo male pereuntium viderat, flebat, miserebatur omnium, qui sibi laeti felicesque occurrebant, miti animo, sed nimis imbecillo, et ipse inter deplorandos erat. Democritum contra aiunt numquam sine risu in publico fuisse ; adeo nihil illi videbatur senum eorum quae serio gerebantur. Ubi istic irae locus est ? Aut ridenda omnia aut flenda sunt. Non irascetur sapiens peccantibus. Quare ? Quia scit neminem nasci sapientem sed fieri, scit paucissimos omni aevo sapientis evadere, quia condicionem humanae vitae perspectam habet, nemo autem naturae sanus irascitur. Quid enim, si mirari velit non in silvestribus dumis poma pendere ? Quid, si miretur spineta sentesque non utili aliqua fruge compleri ? Nemo irascitur, ubi vitium natura defendit. Placidus itaque sapiens et aequus erroribus, non hostis sed corrector peccantium, hoc cottidie procedit animo: " Multi mihi occurrent vino dediti, multi libidinosi, multi ingrati, multi avari, multi furiis ambitionis agitati." Omnia ista tam propitius aspiciet quam aegros suos medicus. Numquid ille, cuius navigium multam undique laxatis compagibus aquam trahit, nautis ipsique navigio irascitur ? Occurrit potius et aliam excludit undam, aliam egerit, manifesta foramina praecludit, latentibus et ex occulto sentinam ducentibus labore continuo resistit, nec ideo intermittit, quia quantum exhaustum est subnascitur. Lento adiutorio opus est contra mala continua et fecunda, non ut desinant, sed ne vincant.

You will rather think that we should not be angry with people’s faults; for what shall we say of one who is angry with those who stumble in the dark, or with deaf people who cannot hear his orders, or with children, because they forget their duty and interest themselves in the games and silly jokes of their companions? What shall we say if you choose to be angry with weaklings for being sick, for growing old, or becoming fatigued? Among the other misfortunes of humanity is this, that men’s intellects are confused, and they not only cannot help going wrong, but love to go wrong. To avoid being angry with individuals, you must pardon the whole mass, you must grant forgiveness to the entire human race. If you are angry with young and old men because they do wrong, you will be angry with infants also, for they soon will do wrong. Does any one become angry with children, who are too young to comprehend distinctions? Yet, to be a human being is a greater and a better excuse than to be a child. Thus are we born, as creatures liable to as many disorders of the mind as of the body; not dull and slow-witted, but making a bad use of our keenness of wit, and leading one another into vice by our example. He who follows others who have started before him on the wrong road is surely excusable for having wandered on the highway. A general’s severity may be shown in the case of individual deserters; but where a whole army deserts, it must needs be pardoned. What is it that puts a stop to the wise man’s anger? It is the number of sinners. He perceives how unjust and how dangerous it is to be angry with vices which all men share. Heraclitcus, whenever he came out of doors and beheld around him such a number of men who were living wretchedly, nay, rather perishing wretchedly, used to weep: he pitied all those who met him joyous and happy. He was of a gentle but too weak disposition: and he himself was one of those for whom he ought to have wept. Democritus, on the other hand, is said never to have appeared in public without laughing; so little did men’s serious occupations appear serious to him. What room is there for anger? Everything ought either to move us to tears or to laughter. The wise man will not be angry with sinners. Why not? Because he knows that no one is born wise, but becomes so: he knows that very few wise men are produced in any age, because he thoroughly understands the circumstances of human life. Now, no sane man is angry with nature: for what should we say if a man chose to be surprised that fruit did not hang on the thickets of a forest, or to wonder at bushes and thorns not being covered with some useful berry? No one is angry when nature excuses a defect. The wise man, therefore, being tranquil, and dealing candidly with mistakes, not an enemy to but an improver of sinners, will go abroad every day in the following frame of mind: - ”Many men will meet me who are drunkards, lustful, ungrateful, greedy, and excited by the frenzy of ambition.” He will view all these as benignly as a physician does his patients. When a man’s ship leaks freely through its opened seams, does he become angry with the sailors or the ship itself? No; instead of that, he tries to remedy it: he shuts out some water, bales out some other, closes all the holes that he can see, and by ceaseless labour counteracts those which are out of sight and which let water into the hold; nor does he relax his efforts because as much water as he pumps out runs in again. We need a long-breathed struggle against permanent and prolific evils; not, indeed, to quell them, but merely to prevent their overpowering us.

La sévérité d’un chef d’armée punit les faits particuliers ; mais il faut bien faire grâce quand c’est toute l’armée qui déserte . Qui désarme la colère du juge ? la foule des coupables. Il sent trop l’injustice et le péril de s’irriter contre des torts qui sont ceux de tous. Chaque fois qu’Héraclite sortait et qu’il voyait autour de lui tant de gens vivre ou plutôt périr si déplorablement, il pleurait et avait pitié de ceux surtout qu’il rencontrait joyeux et s’applaudissant de leur sort : c’était de la sensibilité, mais plus encore de la faiblesse ; et lui-même était parmi les gens à plaindre. Démocrite au contraire, dit-on, ne se trouvait jamais en public sans rire, tant il était loin de prendre au sérieux ce qui se faisait le plus sérieusement. La colère ici-bas est-elle raisonnable ? Il y faudrait ou rire ou pleurer de tout. Le sage ne s’irritera pas contre ceux qui pèchent ; et pourquoi ? Parce qu’il sait que la sagesse ne naît pas avec nous, qu’il faut l’acquérir ; que dans le cours des siècles quelques hommes à peine y arrivent, parce que la condition humaine, en cette vie lui est bien connue, et qu’un bon esprit n’accuse pas la nature. Ira-t-il s’étonner que des fruits savoureux ne pendent point aux buissons sauvages ? S’étonnera-t-il que les épines et les ronces ne se chargent point de quelque substance nourricière ? On n’est pas choqué d’une imperfection que la nature défend comme son œuvre . Le sage donc, toujours calme et juste pour les erreurs, nullement ennemi, mais censeur de ceux qui pèchent, ne sort jamais sans se dire : « Je vais rencontrer beaucoup d’hommes adonnés soit au vin, soit à la débauche, beaucoup d’ingrats, beaucoup d’âmes avides ou agitées par les furies de l’ambition. » Il verra tout cela d’un œil aussi bienveillant que le médecin voit ses malades. Est-ce que le maître du vaisseau dont la charpente désunie fait eau de toutes parts s’en prend aux matelots ou au bâtiment ? Il fait mieux : il court au remède, ferme passage à l’onde extérieure, rejette celle qui a pénétré, bouche les ouvertures apparentes, combat par un travail continu les infiltrations cachées qui remplissent insensiblement la cale, et ne se rebute pas de voir l’eau se renouveler à mesure qu’on la fait sortir. Il faut une lutte infatigable contre des fléaux toujours actifs et renaissants, non pour qu’ils disparaissent, mais pour qu’ils ne prennent pas le dessus.