Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading and listening this week! It has been a busy week; we started a new book and a new course. Below is a short contemplation from Spinoza, along with links to this week’s meditations.
Be wise and be well!
🔖 Ignorance is its Own Punishment
This week’s contemplation comes from the writing of Baruch de Spinoza (1632 — 1677). A quick note on Spinoza’s use of the word ignorance. He is not referring to intelligence or mental capacity. Think of ignorance as simply a lack of wisdom.
Spinoza writes,
Hence, just as virtue is its own reward, so ignorance is its own punishment: not only is the ignorant man troubled in many ways by external causes and unable ever to possess true peace of mind, but he also lives as if he knew neither himself, nor God, nor things; and as soon as he ceases to be acted upon, he ceases to be. On the other hand, the wise man, in so far as he is considered as such, is hardly troubled in spirit, but being, by a certain eternal necessity, conscious of himself, and of God, and of things, he never ceases to be, but always possesses true peace of mind. If the way I have shown to lead to these things now seems very hard, still it can be found. And, of course, what is found so rarely must be hard. For if salvation were at hand and could be found without great effort, how could nearly everyone neglect it? But all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.
For Spinoza, what stands in the way of “peace of mind” is us. Our own lack of wisdom is the cause of our suffering. But there is the good news: although rare and challenging, it is possible to become free. St. Augustine observed a similar idea about the mind, “The punishment of every disordered mind is its own disorder.”
Contemplation Questions (Pick one or create your own!):
What does it mean to become wiser?
How might wisdom be the path to freedom?
This Week’s Meditations…
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Thank you for reading/listening this week; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
J.W.
P.S. Feel free to comment, ask questions, or make suggestions!
Wonderful quote. Other than the word God, Spinoza's viewpoint is so very Buddhist. I guess pure wisdom is universal.