Book 4, Chapter 26

56 “‘But emulation, jealousy, and pity are useful too.’ Why feel pity rather than bring help, if you can do so? Can we not be generous without pity? We ought not to take distress upon ourselves on account of others, but, if we can, to relieve others of distress. And what use is jealousy of another, or that defective emulation which resembles rivalry? The person who feels emulation is tormented by another’s good because he himself lacks it; the jealous person is tormented by another’s good because someone else has it too. How can it be right to take on distress instead of making an effort, if there is something you want to have? As for wanting to be the only one to have it, that is utter madness.

“And who could rightly praise moderate evils?

57 “How can someone who has lust or desire not be lustful and desirous? Someone who has anger not be irascible? Someone who has anguish not be anxious? Someone who has fear not be timid? Do we therefore think the wise person lustful, irascible, anxious, and timid? We could speak at any length and breadth about his excellence, but most briefly in this way: wisdom is knowledge of things divine and human, and understanding of the causes of each. From this it follows that he imitates the divine and regards all human things as inferior to virtue. Did you say, then, that you thought disturbance could fall upon wisdom as upon a sea exposed to winds? What could disturb such dignity and steadiness? Something unforeseen or sudden? What of that kind could happen to someone for whom nothing that can befall a human being <has not been considered beforehand>? As for their claim that excesses should be cut back while natural feelings are left, what can be natural if it can also be excessive? All these things arise from the roots of error, which must be torn out and extracted completely, not trimmed or lopped.”

56 “You also call emulation, jealousy, and pity useful. If you’re able to help, why choose pity over help? Surely generosity doesn’t require pity. Our task isn’t to burden ourselves with distress on other people’s account; it’s to ease their distress where we can. What benefit comes from jealousy, or from the wrong kind of emulation that resembles rivalry? In emulation, another person’s good hurts because you lack it; in jealousy, it hurts because someone besides you has it. If you want to get something, how could we approve your suffering instead of trying for it? Wanting exclusive possession is sheer madness.

“And who could rightly praise moderate amounts of evil?

57 “With craving or desire in you, how could you avoid being someone who craves and desires? With anger, how avoid a bad temper; with anguish, anxiety; with fear, fearfulness? Must our wise person therefore be craving, angry, anxious, and fearful? The excellence of wisdom could occupy an enormously long account. To put it briefly, though, it is knowing divine and human matters and understanding what causes each thing. This knowledge leads it to copy the divine and rank everything human below virtue. You said you thought disturbances could enter such wisdom, as they enter a sea exposed to winds. What could shake so much dignity and steadiness? An unexpected, sudden event? Nothing possible for human beings can be unexpected to someone who has rehearsed it all beforehand. They tell us to prune the excess and preserve the natural element. But how can something be natural if the same thing can be excessive? Every one of these states springs from errors at its roots. Dig those roots right out: don’t just cut back or lop off their growth.”