Misfortune is Virtue's opportunity.

 

Points to Ponder: "Only a great man is able to triumph over the disasters and terrors afflicting mortal life. ... You are a great man: but on what do I base this if Fortune denies you the opportunity to demonstrate your worth?" --Lucius Annaeus Seneca, On Providence 

Story Line:

Special thanks to Robert Moffatt, a young cofounder of a high-tech company, for enlightening me with Seneca’s profound wisdom in our conversation a few weeks ago. 

"Why do you pile wealth upon wealth? Are you reluctant to reflect on the small size of your own bodies? Surely it is madness, indeed the wildest lunacy, when you can hold so little, to desire so much." --Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Consolation to Helvia 

"Be aware, then, that every human condition is subject to change, and that whatever mishap can befall any man can also happen to you." --Lucius Annaeus Seneca, On the Tranquillity of the Mind 

Reflection:

"The wise man never gives more thought to poverty than when he finds himself surrounded by wealth. ... You are made arrogant by a beautiful house, as though it cannot catch fire or collapse. ... In your idleness you play with your wealth without foreseeing the danger it faces. ... But in the case of the wise man, if anyone steals his wealth, he will still leave to him all that he truly possesses; for he lives happy in the present and untroubled by what the future holds." --Lucius Annaeus Seneca, On the Happy Life