201227 What I learned in my studies this morning

Today's Tao:

From The Daily Stoic: 

Your body will eventually betray you. Age will take its toll, regardless of what you do to preserve yourself and to delay the breakdown of the flesh. 

Your mind, your character, your soul need not fail first. Train yourself so that, even as age bends you, your spirit remains strong and your commitment to virtue supports you. 

From Thrasea of Padua:

Thrasea was contemporary with Seneca and a subject of Nero. As with so many others, he met his end at the order of the mad emperor. 

Like Cato, Thrasea refused to bend. His life of virtue was consistent, even when opposing Nero. 

The lesson? Stand firm in your beliefs. Like the rock in the stream, refuse to give in, regardless of the forces arrayed against you. Find virtue and find the strength to live it. 

From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Factors Promoting Self-Sacrifice, Make-Believe:

Doctrine

Doctrine is effective only when it is beyond understanding. Once it becomes intelligible, it loses its potency.

When the True Believer must use faith to accept the teachings of the Movement, there is power to drive action. When there is mental clarity, there is room for doubt. 

(The True Believer, XIII-58)