Look to Yourself

Πρόσεχε οὖν σεαυτῷ· τουτέστι, Μήτε τοῖς σοῖς μήτε τοῖς περὶ σὲ, ἀλλὰ σεαυτῷ μόνῳ πρόσεχε. Ἄλλο γάρ ἐσμωεν ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ, καὶ ἀλλο τὰ ἡμετερα, καὶ ἄλλο τὰ περὶ ἡμᾶς. ᾙμεωῖς μὲν οὖν ἐσμεν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ὁ νοῦς, καθὸ κατ' εἰκόνα του κτίσαντος γεγενήμεθα· ἡμέτερον δὲ τὸ σῶμα καὶ αἱ δι' αὐτοῦ αἰσθήσεις· περὶ ἡμᾶς δὲ, χρήματα, τέχναι καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ τοῦ βίου κατασκευή. Τί οὖν φησιν ὁ λόγος; Μὴ τῇ σαρκὶ πρὸσεχε, μηδὲ τὸ ταύτης ἀγαθὸν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου δίωκε· ὑγείαν καὶ κάλλος καὶ ἡδονῶν ἀπολαύσεις, καὶ μακροβίωσιν· μηδὲ χρήματα καὶ δόξαν, καὶ δυναστείαν θαύμαζε· μηδὲ ὅσα σοι τῆς προσκαίρον ζωῆς τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν πληροῖ, ταῦτα μεγάλα νομίσας, τῇ περὶ ταῦτα σπουδῇ τῆς προηγουμένης σεατοῦ ζωῆς καταμέλει· ἀλλὰ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ· τουτέστι, τῇ ψυχῇ σου. Ταύτην κατακόσμει, καὶ ταύτης ἐπιμελοῦ, ὥστε πάντα μὲν τὸν ἐκ τῆς πονηρίας ἐπιγινόμενον αὐτῇ ῥύπον ἀποικονομεῖσθαι διὰ τῆς προσοχῆς, πᾶν δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ κακίας αἶσχος ἀποκαθαίρεσθαι, παντὶ δὲ τῷ ἐξ ἀρετῆς κάλλει κατακοσμεῖν αὐτὴν καὶ φαιδρύνειν. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Το, Πρόσεχε Σεαυτῷ

'Look to yourself,' that is, not to your own, nor those things around you, but to yourself alone attend. Something we are ourselves, some things are ours, some things are around us. We are soul and mind insofar as we are made to the image of the Creator. Ours is our body and through it the senses, around us is wealth and the products of craft, and the other things of life. What then says the Word? Do not concern yourself with the flesh nor chase after its goods: be done with health, beauty, pleasure and long life, nor admire glory or wealth or power, nor exert yourself for any of the transient goods of this life, because as great or small as they might be, for these you neglect the primary study of your life. Rather attend to yourself, that is, to your soul. Adorn it and look to its care, that by your looking you remove from it everything sordid springing from evil deeds, thus expurgating the ugliness of vice from your soul and with the beauty of virtue decorating and brightening it. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homily on 'Look to Yourself'