【每日斯多葛】9月20日

September 20th

LIFE ISN’T A DANCE

“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing, because an artful life requires being prepared to meet and withstand sudden and unexpected attacks.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.61

Dancing is a popular metaphor for life. One must be limber and agile and go along with the music. One must feel and follow and flow with their partner. But anyone who has tried to do something difficult, where there is competition or an adversary, knows that the dancing metaphor is insufficient. Nobody ever gets up on stage and tries to tackle a dancer. The dancer never gets choked out by a rival.

For a wrestler, on the other hand, adversity and the unexpected are part and parcel of what they do. Their sport is a battle, just like life. They are fighting an opponent as well as their own limitations, emotions, and training.

Life, like wrestling, requires more than graceful movement. We have to undergo hard training and cultivate an indomitable will to prevail. Philosophy is the steel against which we sharpen that will and strengthen that resolve.

9月20日

人生不是一场舞蹈

“生活的艺术更像摔跤，而不是跳舞，因为要把人生过好，就必须随时准备面对并承受突然而意外的攻击。”

——马可·奥勒留，《沉思录》，7.61

人们常常把舞蹈作为人生的比喻。一个人要柔韧、敏捷，要随着音乐而动；要感受自己的舞伴，跟随对方，与对方一起流动。但任何真正尝试过做一件困难的事、尤其是在其中存在竞争或对手的人都知道，用舞蹈来比喻人生并不充分。没有人会突然冲上舞台，把一个舞者摔倒。一个舞者也不会被竞争对手勒到失去反抗能力。

而对于摔跤手来说，逆境和意外本来就是他们所做之事不可分割的一部分。他们的运动就是一场战斗，就像人生一样。他们既要与对手搏斗，也要与自己的局限、情绪以及训练程度搏斗。

人生就像摔跤一样，需要的远不只是优雅的动作。我们必须经历艰苦的训练，并培养一种不可征服的意志，才能最终取胜。哲学就是那块磨砺意志的钢铁，让我们把这种意志磨得更加锋利，也让我们的决心变得更加坚定。