The Stoic Creed - College of Stoic Philosophers

ETHICS: EXPOSITION 149
ingly in connexion with the passionlessness or apathy
(aTrdOtia) of the ideal wise man. On him mental
perturbation is without effect ; for perturbation, as
Zeno defined it
(Cicero, Tusc. Disp. iv.
6),
is "a
commotion of the mind repugnant to reason and
against nature." Desires, therefore, in so far as they
are bare feelings, are no motive to him : it is
only
the desires of reason, such as arise from his conception
of the unity and rationality of life and of the universe,
that can move him. Feelings, of course, as psychical
states, the sage, like every other human being, ex
periences feelings of pleasure and pain ;
but they do
not in any way disturb or unhinge him under them
he remains self-poised. It is recorded of Pompey that,
when he visited Posidonius with a view to hearing
he found him
him discourse on the Stoic philosophy,
seriously ill and much pained. He graciously saluted
him, and expressed his disappointment at not being
able to hear him lecture. "But
you are able,"
was
the reply,
"nor can I allow that bodily pain should
cause so great
a man to come to me in vain."
Whereupon, Posidonius proceeded to
discourse to him
seriously and copiously, from his couch, on the Stoic
theme that nothing is good unless it be honourable ;
and, when interrupted by frequent paroxysms of pain,
he exclaimed: "You are making no impression, pain!
although you are hard to bear,
I will never admit that
you are an evil" (Cicero, Tusc. Disp. ii. 61). In this
way, the wise man, being self-sufficient, alone is free
and alone is a king ; he is rich in the midst of poverty,
and happy though in physical torment. He never
yields to anger, or resentment, or envy, or fear, or