| We don't see enough of it. People are weak. People are scared. People are afraid to go for what they want. They're afraid to fight. Afraid to stand up. Afraid to speak up. Afraid to try. It has always been thus. The virtue of courage—the first of the four Stoic virtues (check out the Stoic Virtues series here)—is essential not just to a good life, but to a good world. And yet, as we have talked about before, none of the Stoic virtues are possible without the moderating and clarifying influences of the other virtues. As Myron says to his son Alexias in the historical novel The Last of the Wine—set not long before Zeno would lay down the virtues of Stoicism—"Courage without conduct is the virtue of a robber, or a tyrant." He is saying that courage separated from justice, separated from wisdom, is hardly a virtue at all. In fact, it may well be a recipe for evil. Cato's defiance, if paired with Caesar's selfish ambition, would have been a path to an even worse dictatorship. If Stockdale's courage in the Hanoi Hilton was solely about self-preservation—as opposed to selfless leadership on behalf of his fellow prisoners—it would have been shameful instead of admirable. Stoicism, we must never forget, was not merely a tool for resilience and determination. It was resilience and determination in pursuit of what was right. Courage is a virtue only when aligned with just and honorable conduct. It is only admirable when part of a fuller package of decency, honesty, integrity, and a commitment to the common good. The call to courage is not simply the call to conquer fear. It is the call to conquer fear in service of something greater than yourself. To speak the truth, even when it costs you. To do what's right, even when it's hard. To act—not for glory or gain—but because virtue demands it. Marcus Aurelius called the four Stoic Virtues the "touchstones of goodness"—guiding principles for how to act, who to be, and how to respond in any situation. In fact, while I've been working (hey, Ryan here) these past several years on the Stoic Virtues Series—four books, each on one of the cardinal virtues—I have come to more fully understand what the Stoics were getting at: life is always demanding one of these virtues from us. Always demanding us to be a good person despite the bad things that have happened. To do good in the world despite the bad that has befallen you. And in good times—in the face of the temptations, distractions, responsibility and obligations and obstacles that come with success and abundance—to be humble, to be disciplined, to be decent, to be generous, to hold true to your values. And though I've just finished the Stoic Virtues Series, I remain committed to the work. I hope you do the same. *** | 
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