#MastersofSocialIsolation #9. Severinus Boethius (524) was an official in the imperial court when charged with disloyalty to the emperor and imprisoned for 9 mos. before his execution. In that time he wrote “The Consolation of Philosophy,” a dialogue with Lady Philosophia.
Conversation
Philosophia compares life to a revolving Wheel of Fortune. Those who enjoy wealth and power are on the rise, but the wheel keeps turning; it is foolish to seek happiness in things that are passing. As long as we cling to the surface of the wheel we are never satisfied.
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We must move Godward—toward the still center of the turning wheel: the way to happiness is the path of holiness. But what is holiness? Stoic indifference? Later commentators on Boethius would identify the Cross as the axis of the wheel—where love and compassion are concentrated.
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During a time of isolation our attitude is very different if we focus on the surface of the wheel—lamenting all we have lost or cannot do—rather than embracing the opportunity to move toward the center.
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