Two encounters the Cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope had with a mouse. And something on Russian holy fools.
"As Theophrastos recounts in his Megaric, he once saw a mouse running this way and that, not looking for anywhere to lie down, not having any fear of the dark, not yearning for any of the things that are regarded as desirable, and from its example discovered the way out of his difficulties."
(Diogenes Laertius about the Cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope (412 or 404 BC - 323 BC) in his "Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers", 6.22)
"Diogenes was bereft of all company and left all alone. He neither received anyone, because he was so poor, nor did other people invite him into their houses, because he put them off by his accusatory manner and the way in which he disapproved of all that they said and did. So Diogenes was thoroughly dejected and was eating barley-bread and leaf-tips, this being all that he had at hand. A mouse came along and fed on the crumbs that dropped from his hand; and as Diogenes watched it busy at work, he smiled and became more cheerful and contented, saying, "This mouse has no need of any of the luxuries of the Athenians, and yet you, Diogenes, are downcast because you are not dining with the Athenians." And so he achieved contentment of mind when it was most needed."
(Aelian about Diogenes of Sinope in his "Historical Miscellany" 13.26)
Both anecdotes are taken from the book "Diogenes the Cynic. Sayings and Anecdotes with Other Popular Moralists. A new translation by Robin Hard" (2012)
Robin Hard writes in the introduction to this book: "Dissmissing almost everything that people value and pursue, not only luxury and pleasure but also civic and cultural endeavour, as being utterly worthless, one can achieve assured contentment, so Diogenes thought, by living like an animal in the streets, without any concern for the future. According to an anecdote recorded by a younger contemporary of his, he claimed to have drawn this lesson by observing the behaviour of a mouse." (p. viii)
(My comment: Jesus the Nazarene also preached this lifestyle, to be like birds and flowers, who do not work or collect food, and to be free from worries and care like them. In this regard Jesus was a genuine Jewish Cynic. See my book about this topic here.)
And a bit further into the text by Robin Hard we find the following: "This brings us to the meaning of the Cynic name, which was derived from a nickname bestowed on Diogenes because of the shameless manner of his life. He came to be called the Dog (Kuon; Aristotle could refer to him by that name without need for further specification), and those who followed his example by choosing to live like dogs came to be known accordingly as Cynics (kunikos being the corresponding adjective). Diogenes is presented in anecdotes as having welcomed the name with glee, putting his own constructions on it to make points of his own." (p. viii)
And a bit further: "To become a true individual and proper human being, so he thought, one must turn aside from conventional society and reject all its values, to live in accordance with nature, and nature at a very basic level; otherwise one will simply remain a member of the crowd." (p. ix)
Diogenes of Sinope, so says Diogenes Laertius, also "used to walk barefoot in the snow" (from page 10 in Robin Hard's book). This is exactly what was typical for the Russian holy fools. The Russian novelist Eugene Vodolazkin writes thus about this strange phenomenon in Russia:
"The fool for Christ would go barefoot or even naked all year round, which in Russia means some serious physical endurance. Sleeping in a barn and eating leftovers, the fool for Christ let those around him know that he too was a part of this filth and that he had almost ceased to exist."
(from the article "Russian 'Umberto Eco' demystifies the Holy Fool" in "Russia Beyond", on 6.6.2013)
I have a Russian friend, an old woman from Siberia, who says that it is very cold pretty much everywhere in Russia in winter. This she says about our time, affected as it is by global warming. It was colder in the Middle Ages. And holy foolishness is rare today, but flourished in the Middle Ages. Isn't this strange?
How cold is it in Moscow in January? According to this article the average low temperature for January in Moscow during 2008-2019 was minus 9,7 Celsius.
This was the climate that saw so many holy fools barefoot in the snow. Are they like wild animals in winter? Sure.
I'm sure that the Christian holy fools were inspired by Diogenes of Sinope. Diogenes was, after all, a Hellenistic holy fool.
