Zeno, Cyprian and Incontinence

I know what you are thinking, if you are thinking what I am thinking.  What on earth do Zeno of Citium and Cyprian of Carthage have to do with bladder control? As a constant learner I am stumped by an occasional word used in history that carries another meaning today and skews the original message. That happened recently when completing a synopsis of Saint Cyprian’s works where I ran across the word continentia, translated ‘continency’ in English, and it made no sense contextually so I looked up the etymology of the word.  Wow! It had nothing to do with bladder control, but with voluntary self-control over ones conduct, and from that I concluded that too many people in this world are incontinent!

What humanity is lacking today in terms of self-control is nothing new, yet it does seem to be growing disproportionally, at least according to the news articles I have read.  People from all walks of life are increasingly unwilling to control their emotions and hurtful actions, and, perhaps worst of all, often with the approval of others. Physical and emotional outbursts on planes, in schools, at grocery stores, and even at Disneyland ‘the happiest place on earth,’ seem more common.  Sadly, this includes Catholics (check out the December 20 brawl between parents at a CYO basketball game in Long Island).  Incontinence, whether fueled by short tempers or a weak will, is turning everyday life into a cage fight and it is, frankly, something that would horrify Miss Manners.  And forget about imago dei.

Now some may think that right conduct is a moral, if not religious, constraint and shout, don’t you dare go pushing your morals on me, but I can think of one Greek philosopher who would disagree; Zeno of Citium.  Zeno, who founded the school of Stoicism prior to the time of Christ, theorized from a humanist standpoint that the best way to live life was through self-control.  Acknowledging life is filled with uncontrolled variables, take the laws of nature for instance, Zeno posited that the best way to circumnavigate anxiety was to take control, not of the situation, but our reaction to it.  A Stoic farmer, for example, would say he could not control the weather, but he could control how he responded to it, and if he responds in line with reality he is afforded ataraxia or internal peace in an otherwise uncontrollable and anxious setting. His teaching was quite popular with adherents including the statesmen Senneca and Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius.  (Would to God our modern politicians took a page out of their books!)  His teaching on continency proved that even the poorest of the poor could overcome circumstantial anxiety, and his teaching even appreciated by later Churchmen such as Justin Martyr, Jerome and Augustine (kudos for Philosophy as handmaid to Theology).

Cyprian, that wise and compassionate bishop, also stressed continency among Christians, and of course, his teaching was based upon the precepts of Jesus Christ.  Cyprian focused on sexual self-control, but also on living modestly in appearance, speech and conduct.  And while right conduct was central to both Cyprian and Zeno, and the initial benefits not dissimilar, the end game of each was approached from two different perspectives.  Zeno looked for the ability to find internal tranquility in a chaotic world where Fate ruled supreme, yet, avoiding determinism, he believed the individual still has a choice in how they reacted.  Cyprian, on the other hand, looked to God, who is personal, providential, compassionate and loves his creation so much that he does not want us to suffer circumstantial anxiety.  Our ability to self-control comes through the will, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the knowledge of right conduct.  And in addition to doing the right thing because it is right, self-control enables us to have the peace of God.  The apostle Paul in writing to the church at Philippi, said, “Let your epieikes (your gentleness, moderation, reasonableness) be known by all, the Lord is near, be anxious for nothing, but, in every circumstance by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let God know your requests and the peace of God that surpasses (even human) understanding will guard your heart and mind in Jesus Christ.” By practicing continence, the Christian has the heavenly ability to rest in peace while still very much alive.  And just as the good Stoic practiced what they preached, so too must the good Catholic. Self-control requires effort.  For the Stoic it was a matter of choice if ataraxia was to be achieved, but for the Christian the bar is raised to a duty, if we are to imitate Christ. Both offer a way to achieve internal peace in a world that is tragically misaligned, but only one offers the human being the promise of perfect peace backed by God.     

I recall a line from a movie where a Cold War character, an East German agent, was asked if he feared returning to his country during an exchange of spies, implying things might not go so well for him.  He said, “Why? Would it help?”