“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”
-Aristotle
It is well known that man’s every desire comes forth, not from the mind, but from the core of his heart. It is this very heart that compels him to seek and fulfill those desires; be it moral or immoral in nature. From day one, man has sought to accomplish every single want that finds its way into his heart and he seldom offers any resistance against these. He may be all powerful and mighty when it comes to his daily hurdles but his weakness is evident in the fact that he cannot control and conquer the spirit in him that unceasingly demands more and more; the spirit against which, obtaining victory is nearly impossible. This is exactly the message Aristotle, through philosophical knowledge, has made an attempt to convey, to not only you or me but to all of us; a message stating, that the hardest victory is victory over the self.
Indeed, Aristotle was right when he spoke about victory over one’s self being the hardest to obtain. Very often, it so happens, that despite the attempts made, one is unable to understand himself. He is left with no clue about who he is, where he is and most importantly, what he wants in life. This has resulted in him being uncertain and doubtful about his basic needs and so called luxuries. He is blinded by passions that may or may not be in his capability to achieve. But he is unaware that in his attempts to achieve these passions at any cost, he is loosing a battle against his greedy spirit; what he doesn’t know is that he has given himself to materialistic elements – elements that will only pull him down, making it harder for him to ‘breathe’ and live with ease – it will only make it more difficult for him to conquer that spirit, that big hurdle, that comes in his way to being truly victorious; a sight which is not all that common in the generation of today;