Constancy is the subject of this Montaigne essay, but perhaps the more interesting way of approaching this subject is to look at its opposite, retreat. The stoics would have us believe that a sage person should always stand firm in the face of danger and conflict, but Montaigne calls this out as a dangerous mistake:
Resolution and constancy do not lay down as a law that we may not protect ourselves, as far as it lies in our power to do so, from the ills and misfortunes which threaten us, nor consequently that we should not fear that they may surprise us. On the contrary, all honourable means of protecting oneself from evils are not only licit: they are laudable.
Montaigne then goes on to note numerous examples from military history when retreat was the correct tactical move, setting up armies for later victories:
Retreat is not the same thing as surrender, capitulation, or abandonment, which are desperate and unsatisfying measures. Neither is it characterized by a hardening into angry or punitive emotions. It is instead an acceptance and a choice: we calmly accept that the energies of the moment are against us, and we wisely choose to withdraw into the safety of stillness. In this dignified and balanced manner we protect ourselves from negative influences and arrive rested in a more beneficial hour.
Montaigne then applies this belief about constancy and retreat to human emotions, saying that a wise person cannot just shut emotions off. Many of Montaigne’s early essays go too far in embracing the stoic approach to emotion. For that reason, it’s a great relief (and sign of growth) to see him close his essay this way:
The Aristotelian sage is not exempt from the emotions: he moderates them.
As I mention across several essays, there’s a huge difference between moderating emotions, especially those than can affect others, and moderating values. We should be careful to keep in check anything that prioritizes personal feeling and expression over the liberty of others. But we should not be so quick to check our values, especially as they concern protecting other who cannot defend themselves.
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