Superphysics
How Fortune Affects Human Affairs And How To Resist Her
4 minutes • 816 words
Many people still think that:
- human affairs are governed by fortune and by God
- humans with their wisdom cannot direct them
- no one can even help them.
Because of this, they make us believe that it is unnecessary to labour much in affairs, but to let chance govern them.
This opinion has gained more credit in our times because of the great changes in affairs which cannot have been predicted*. I sometimes agree to it.
Superphysics Note
Nevertheless, in order not to destroy our free will, I believe that fortune decides half of our actions, but that she still leaves the other half, or perhaps a little less*, for us to direct.
Superphysics Note
Fortune is like a great river sweeps away trees and buildings during a flood. But it does not mean that people cannot make canals and defenses against floods.
Similarly, fortune shows her power if courage is unprepared to resist her. She turns her forces where she knows that walls have not been raised to constrain her.
Italy is the centre of these changes. It has no walls or defences.
If it had been defended with proper courage, as are Germany, Spain, and France, this invasion would not have made such great changes or it would not have come at all.
A prince might be happy today and ruined tomorrow without having shown any change of attitude or character. This is because the prince who relies entirely on fortune is lost when it changes.
He will be successful if he directs his actions according to the spirit of the times. **If his actions do not accord with the times, then he will not be successful.**Men achieve glory and riches by various methods:
- with caution
- with haste
- by force
- by skill
- by patience
- by impatience
Each one succeeds in reaching the goal by a different method.
Of 2 cautious men, 1 might succeed and the other fails. Similarly, a cautious man and a risk-averse man might both be equally successful.
All these differences are due to their method’s conformity to the spirit of the times.
Changes in personal estate also result from this. A cautious and patient person will administer successfully if the times and affairs come together in the right way. His fortune is made.
But if times and affairs change, he is ruined if he does not change his course of action.
But people are not so clever to know how and when to change. This is because:
- he cannot deviate from what nature inclines him to do
- his previous success with the old way prevents him from leaving it.
Therefore, when it is time to turn adventurous, the cautious man does not know how to do it and becomes ruined. If he had changed his conduct with the times, fortune would not have changed.
Pope Julius 2nd worked boldly and energetically in all his affairs. He found the times and circumstances conform so well to his way of action that he was always successful.
The Venetians and the King of Spain did not like his first campaign against Bologna, when Giovanni Bentivogli was still alive.
Nevertheless, he personally entered into it with his accustomed boldness and energy. This made Spain and the Venetians stand undecided and passive.
- The Venetians were afraid
- The Spanish wanted to recover Naples
He managed to involve the King of France, because that king saw his movement. He wanted to make the Pope his friend so as to humble the Venetians.
Therefore, Julius with his boldness achieved what no other pope with simple human wisdom could have done.
If he had waited in Rome to arrange and fix his plans as what any other pope would have done, he would never have succeeded because the King of France would have made a thousand excuses, and the others would have raised a thousand fears.
However, if circumstances had arisen which required him to go cautiously, his ruin would have followed, because he would never have deviated from his natural ways.
I conclude that fortune is changeable and mankind is fixed in their ways.
- As long as the two are in agreement, then men will be successful.
- If they disagree, then they will be unsuccessful.
It is better to be adventurous than cautious because fortune is a woman. If you wish to keep her under, you should beat and treat her badly.
She allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly.
She is always like a woman*, a lover of young men because they are less cautious, more violent, and command her with more boldness.
