Chapter 89
After his morning reckoning, Vronsky feels secure because he lives ...
Vronsky’s life was particularly happy in that he had a code of principles, which defined with unfailing certitude what he ought and what he ought not to do. This code of principles covered only a very small circle of contingencies, but then the principles were never doubtful, and Vronsky, as he never went outside that circle, had never had a moment’s hesitation about doing what he ought to do. These principles laid down as invariable rules: that one must pay a cardsharper, but need not pay a tailor; that one must never tell a lie to a man, but one…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Inventory Your Nonnegotiables
Write down five rules you live by when stressed. For each, note who benefits when you obey it and what situation would break the rule. Compare whether your rules expand when stakes rise or whether you reinterpret facts to keep the old rules winning.
Consider:
- •Notice if your rules are narrow on purpose because narrow rules are easier to follow
- •Ask what a new stake like money, pregnancy, or promotion would demand that the code never mentions
- •Separate the feeling of clarity after thinking from evidence that anything changed
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time you felt morally clear after talking yourself into the cheaper version of the right choice. What did you call honor, and what did you avoid paying?
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