…we are men who have no patience
and no desire for a little labor and [no desire] to brace ourselves to accept
anything with humility. Therefore we are crushed [by our
difficulties]. The more we run away from temptations, the more they
weigh us down and the less we are able to drive them away. Suppose a
man for some reason dives into the sea: if he knows the art of
swimming what does he do when a great wave comes along? He ducks under until it
goes past and then he goes on swimming unharmed. But if he is
determined to set himself against it, it pushes him away and hurls him back a
great distance, and when again he begins to swim forward another wave comes
upon him, and if he again tries to swim against it, again it forces him back,
and he only tires himself out and makes no headway. But if he ducks
his head and lowers himself under the wave, as I said, no harm comes to him and
he continues to swim as long as he likes. Those who go on doing
their work this way when they are in trouble, putting up with their temptations
with patience and humility, come through unharmed. But if they get
distressed and downcast, seeking the reasons for everything, tormenting
themselves and being annoyed with themselves instead of helping themselves,
they do themselves harm. If painful experiences crowd in upon us, we
ought not to be disturbed; allowing ourselves to be disturbed by these
experiences is sheer ignorance and pride because we are not recognizing our own
condition and, as the Fathers tell us, we are running away from labor…we want
to acquire virtue without effort.
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