Meditations — Page 12
It is probable that no Stoic claimed for himself that he was this Wise Man, but that each strove after it as an ideal much as the Christian strives after a likeness to Christ.
Es probable que ningún estoico haya afirmado para sí mismo que era este Hombre Sabio, sino que cada uno se esforzaba por alcanzarlo como un ideal, de la misma manera que el cristiano se esfuerza por asemejarse a Cristo.
The exaggeration in this statement was, however, so obvious, that the later Stoics were driven to make a further subdivision of things indifferent into what is preferable (προηγμένα) and what is undesirable (ἀποπροηγμένα).
La exageración en esta afirmación era, sin embargo, tan evidente, que los estoicos posteriores se vieron obligados a hacer una subdivisión adicional de las cosas indiferentes en lo que es preferible (προηγμένα) y lo que es indeseable (ἀποπροηγμένα).
They also held that for him who had not attained to the perfect wisdom, certain actions were proper. (καθήκοντα) These were neither virtuous nor vicious, but, like the indifferent things, held a middle place.
También sostenían que para aquel que no había alcanzado la sabiduría perfecta, ciertas acciones eran apropiadas. (καθήκοντα) Estas no eran ni virtuosas ni viciosas, sino que, al igual que las cosas indiferentes, ocupaban un lugar intermedio.
Two points in the Stoic system deserve special mention.
Dos puntos del sistema estoico merecen una mención especial.
One is a careful distinction between things which are in our power and things which are not.
Uno es una cuidadosa distinción entre las cosas que están en nuestro poder y las que no lo están.
Desire and dislike, opinion and affection, are within the power of the will; whereas health, wealth, honour, and other such are generally not so.
El deseo y la aversión, la opinión y el afecto, están dentro del poder de la voluntad; mientras que la salud, la riqueza, el honor y otras cosas semejantes generalmente no lo están.
The Stoic was called upon to control his desires and affections, and to guide his opinion; to bring his whole being under the sway of the will or leading principle, just as the universe is guided and governed by divine Providence.
Se llamaba al estoico a controlar sus deseos y afectos, y a guiar su opinión; a someter todo su ser al dominio de la voluntad o principio rector, de la misma manera que el universo es guiado y gobernado por la divina Providencia.
This is a special application of the favourite Greek virtue of moderation, (σωφροσύνη) and has also its parallel in Christian ethics.
Esta es una aplicación especial de la virtud griega favorita de la moderación (σωφροσύνη) y también tiene su paralelo en la ética cristiana.
The second point is a strong insistence on the unity of the universe, and on man's duty as part of a great whole.
El segundo punto es una firme insistencia en la unidad del universo y en el deber del hombre como parte de un gran todo.
Vocabulary
- probable
- Likely or probable; expressing possibility.
- ningún
- No, not any; used before masculine singular nouns.
- estoico
- Stoic; relating to the philosophy of Stoicism.
- haya
- Present subjunctive of 'haber'; used in subordinate clauses.
- afirmado
- Affirmed or claimed; past participle of 'afirmar'.
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'itself'.
- mismo
- Same or himself/herself; used for emphasis or identity.
- Sabio
- Wise man or sage; a person of great wisdom.
- sino
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather' or 'but instead'.
- esforzaba
- Was striving or making an effort; imperfect of 'esforzarse'.
- alcanzarlo
- To reach or attain it; infinitive plus direct object pronoun.
- ideal
- Ideal; a perfect standard or model to aspire toward.
- misma
- Same; feminine form of 'mismo', used for emphasis.
- manera
- Manner or way; how something is done.
- cristiano
- Christian; a follower or adherent of Christianity.
- esfuerza
- Strives or makes an effort; present tense of 'esforzarse'.
- asemejarse
- To resemble or liken oneself; reflexive infinitive.
- exageración
- Exaggeration; overstating or magnifying something beyond truth.
- afirmación
- Affirmation or statement; a claim asserted as true.
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo' meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless'.
- tan
- So or such; used to intensify adjectives and adverbs.
- evidente
- Evident or obvious; clearly apparent or observable.
- estoicos
- Stoics; philosophers or adherents of Stoic philosophy.
- posteriores
- Later or subsequent; coming after in time or order.
- vieron
- They saw or found; preterite tense of 'ver'.
- obligados
- Obliged or compelled; forced to do something.
- subdivisión
- Subdivision; a further division into smaller categories.
- adicional
- Additional; extra or supplementary beyond what already exists.
- indiferentes
- Indifferent things; morally neutral, neither good nor bad.
- preferible
- Preferable; more desirable or worthy of being chosen.
- indeseable
- Undesirable; something unwanted or not worth pursuing.
- sostenían
- They maintained or held; imperfect of 'sostener'.
- aquel
- That one over there; demonstrative pronoun for distant reference.
- alcanzado
- Reached or attained; past participle of 'alcanzar'.
- sabiduría
- Wisdom; deep knowledge, insight, and good judgment.
- perfecta
- Perfect; without flaw, complete in all respects.
- ciertas
- Certain or specific; referring to particular identified actions.
- acciones
- Actions; things done or performed by someone.
- apropiadas
- Appropriate or fitting; suitable for a given situation.
- ni
- Nor or neither; used in negative constructions.
- virtuosas
- Virtuous; morally excellent or having high moral character.
- viciosas
- Vicious or immoral; lacking in virtue or moral goodness.
- igual
- Equal or same; in 'al igual que' meaning 'just as'.
- ocupaban
- Occupied or held; imperfect tense of 'ocupar'.
- lugar
- Place or position; a specific location or rank.
- intermedio
- Intermediate or middle; between two extremes.
- puntos
- Points; specific items, aspects, or arguments in a discussion.
- sistema
- System; an organized set of principles or doctrines.
- merecen
- Deserve or merit; present tense of 'merecer'.
- mención
- Mention; a brief reference or remark about something.
- especial
- Special; particularly notable or deserving attention.
- cuidadosa
- Careful or thorough; done with attention and precision.
- distinción
- Distinction; a difference recognized between two things.
- entre
- Between or among; indicating a position or relationship.
- nuestro
- Our; possessive adjective for first person plural.
- poder
- Power or ability; also infinitive 'to be able to'.
- deseo
- Desire or wish; a strong feeling of wanting something.
- aversión
- Aversion; a strong dislike or opposition to something.
- opinión
- Opinion; a personal view or judgment about something.
- afecto
- Affection or feeling; an emotional attachment or sentiment.
- dentro
- Inside or within; indicating an interior position.
- voluntad
- Will or willpower; the faculty of conscious decision-making.
- mientras
- While or whereas; indicating contrast or simultaneous actions.
- salud
- Health; the state of being free from illness.
- riqueza
- Wealth or richness; abundance of valuable possessions.
- honor
- Honor; high respect, esteem, or moral integrity.
- semejantes
- Similar or like; things resembling or comparable to others.
- generalmente
- Generally or usually; in most cases or as a rule.
- controlar
- To control or manage; to have authority over something.
- deseos
- Desires or wishes; strong feelings of wanting things.
- afectos
- Affections or emotions; feelings and emotional attachments.
- guiar
- To guide or lead; to direct someone or something.
- someter
- To submit or subject; to bring under control or authority.
- dominio
- Domain or dominion; control, mastery, or governing authority.
- principio
- Principle or beginning; a fundamental rule or starting point.
- rector
- Governing or guiding; directing principle or authority.
- universo
- Universe; the totality of existing matter, space, and time.
- guiado
- Guided or led; past participle of 'guiar'.
- gobernado
- Governed or ruled; past participle of 'gobernar'.
- divina
- Divine; relating to or coming from God or a deity.
- Providencia
- Providence; divine guidance or care over the universe.
- aplicación
- Application; the use of a concept in a specific context.
- virtud
- Virtue; a moral excellence or admirable quality.
- griega
- Greek; relating to Greece or its culture.
- favorita
- Favorite; most preferred or most highly regarded.
- moderación
- Moderation; the quality of avoiding excess or extremes.
- paralelo
- Parallel; a corresponding or analogous element or concept.
- ética
- Ethics; the branch of philosophy dealing with moral principles.
- cristiana
- Christian; relating to Christianity or its moral teachings.
- segundo
- Second; the ordinal number following first.
- punto
- Point; a specific detail, aspect, or argument raised.
- firme
- Firm or steadfast; strong and unwavering in conviction.
- insistencia
- Insistence; persistent emphasis or repetition of a claim.
- unidad
- Unity; the state of being united or forming a whole.
- deber
- Duty or obligation; moral responsibility to act a certain way.
- parte
- Part; a portion, section, or role within a whole.
- gran
- Great or grand; large in size, importance, or degree.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →