it is a well established principle that a man should be more proud of his virtues than of his fortune.

Fortune can mean economic wealth or it can mean good luck.

The principle applies to both.

(no) todo tiempo pasado fue mejor

It is also notable that the reverse has taken place through the ages. We observe and denounce the foolishness of our times that assigns respect and value by admiring, above all else, someone's estates or bank accounts.

We think that the moral confusion is now worse than it ever was, and yet, when we investigate the past, we find that people then and there yearned for the old days.

The Greeks captured this phenomenon in their myth of the ages: we live in the iron age, and all precedent times were superior.

Gold Age --> Silver Age --> Bronze Age --> Age of Heroes --> Iron Age (today)

the letter

I received a letter from a friend:

I believe I have an edge. No. I know I have an edge over the average bettor. I've been watching the game, and I've been in the game for a long time and I understand the psychology of a tennis match.

Although unnoticed by the dilettantes, I clearly recognize the conditions under which a player will see his chances of winning drop to less than 1%.

My method to win in this hobby, therefore, has been to only place bets when these conditions are present, and refrain from everything else.

However, I don't understand why I lost five bets in a row. Most of the matches were decided in the tie-break of the final set.

It's bad luck. I have bad luck.

What's worse, I could not stop following the scoreboard in my phone. Point by point. Then, I don't know why, I placed larger bets and threw my method to the wayside, and I won and felt happy, then I lost and I felt miserable.

I cannot concentrate on my job.

Should I find a different pastime?

should I find a different pastime?

"Pastime."

Above all, yes, you must find a different pastime, a better occupation. Remember to not waste time in petty pursuits or submerge yourself in activities that will make you a peevish moron.

Not many things are more dangerous that dabbling in pursuits that can devolve into addictions.

Just play tennis instead of betting on tennis.

but there's reality

You will not find a different pastime. Not for a while. The frequency of dopamine shots is too high to be easily replaced with something else, with anything else.

Since you can't help yourself, then let's use the word "virtue" for the disciplined application of your method, and the word "fortune" for the outcome of your "investments."

When you play the game, take note of where your mind is. Celebrate the sustained exercise of your method and ignore the allure of following tennis matches to their conclusion.

"we rate ourselves by our fortune rather than our virtues"
(Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, No. 172, Nov 9, 1751)