Aristotle’s “great soul,” high-minded,” “magnanimous” person expects, deserves
Great things—Which are . . . ?
The world’s greatest benefit is the attribution of honor
People find wealth, fame, and power attractive
But such things, and such people, are fatuous
The attribution of honor above all rests on the good person
Sadly, is this the way of the world?
Good people love the good, and honor attaches to love
Craving for honor can detach from love
Fatuous honor so acquired
Judgments, judgmental, praise and antipathy
The necessary tasks in self-perfection
Secular sins for psycho-babble, hence popular parlance
The great soul bears intervals of fortune with equanimity
And so expects not position, occupation, income
I expect, expected, position, occupation
I spat out my bitterness and contempt
“Take away the thought, ‘I have been harmed,’
“And you take away the harm.”
Taking Epictetus to heart, I rethought my expectations, my bitterness
The great soul, if he or she exist
In all things remains equanimous
I struggle; good men can
Perhaps in another world, or at another time
I’ll be at peace
Some glad morning
David Fekete 