A Man Should Live Contented with Present Things
Ἁδιάφορον (indifference) expressed the attitude of the Cynic toward all the circumstances of life. "It is not on account of our indifference to everything that they call our philosophy Cynic, but because we stand our ground firmly against things which are not endured by others through their weakness and regard for the opinion of others" (29th Letter of Crates). Teles quotes Crates as saying, "You do not know how great a power the wallet has- a quart of lupines and to care for no one" (Stobaeus, Flor. 3, 97, 31; D. L. 6, 86). The Cynic was indifferent to obligations to his family, friends and state (21st Letter of Diogenes; 5th Letter of Crates; Lucian, Vitarum auctio 10; Maximus Tyrius, Diss. 36, 5; D. L. 6, 63). He ignored distinctions of race and nationality because he reduced his ties to other men to zero and consequently to equality.
The Cynic interpretation of indifference is illustrated by a story of Pyrrho; "He joined Anaxarchus, whom he accompanied on his travels everywhere… And once when Anaxarchus fell into a slough, he passed by without giving him any help, and, while others blamed him, Anaxarchus himself praised his indifference" (D. L. 9, 61-63). The Cynic use of the word differed from that of the Stoics, who classed as indifferent only such things as are neither good nor evil, e.g. death, disease, pain, poverty and exile (Epictetus 1, 30; Ibid. 1, 20, 12; Seneca Ep. 82). This doctrine of things morally indifferent is said to have been introduced into Stoicism by Ariston (D.L. 7, 37).
"He (Diogenes) would praise those who were about to marry and refrained, those who intending to go on a voyage never set sail, those who thinking to engage in politics do no such thing, those also who proposing to rear a family do not do so and those who make ready to live with potentates, yet never come near them after all" (D. L. 6, 29). Teles quotes Crates as saying that a man should live contented with present things, not desiring what is not present and not discontented with chance happenings (Stobaeus, Flor. 3, 97, 31); and Teles says, "We should not try to change the things, but should prepare ourselves to meet and endure them" (Stobaeus, Flor. 1, 5, 67). The 7th Letter of Crates, addressed to "The Rich," says; " You navigate the sea, till the soil . . . exercise tyranny, commit murders and do many other things of this kind when you should be at rest." This preference of inaction to action and supine acceptance of present conditions without striving to better them appears Oriental rather than Western and more Indian than Greek.
Image: Diogenes in his barrel and Crates of Thebes. The Book of Moralities of Jacques Legrand, circa 1490. "How the state of poverty is agreeable". Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Other Posts in the Diogenes of Sinope series
The Cynics Referred to the Habits of Animals
Slump towards Animalism
Attitude of the Cynics Towards Pleasure
Happiness Did Not Exclude Pleasure
Diogenes as Hedonist
Short Road to Happiness or Short Cut to Virtue?
Despising Pleasure is Pleasurable
What is Virtue for a Cynic: Cats for Thievery
What is Virtue for a Cynic: Promiscuous Sexual Intercourse
The Cynic Sought Freedom
Labor Did Not Enter into the Cynic Scheme of Life
The Easy Life of the Cynic
The Cynic was Fond of Comparing Himself with Kings and Emperors
The Object of the Cynic was Happiness
I Am a Citizen of the World
Freedom of Speech is the Most Beautiful Thing in the World
An Excess of Infamy
I Speak Plainly as an Interpreter of Apathy
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