Marcus Aurelius: Learning to See Clearly
Stoicism, Substance and Style
Throughout our lives we’re judging. It’s exhausting.
We’re conditioned to make value judgements on the surface level of things. And how we judge others is how we judge ourselves.
As laughable as it seems, it’s a climate of fear — what will others think of our looks? Our possessions? Our style? These worries take up more of our time than we’d like to admit.
In desperation we can construct gauche edifices of brand names, bling and logos around ourselves. These are ostentatious displays of wealth that we vainly hope to signify our worth.
We can moisturise, tan ourselves and whiten our teeth. Good-looking partners and friends can be trophies that we parade. We position ourselves continually on a social pyramid, and constantly evaluate ourselves against others.
This is learned behaviour. Young children don’t think in this way, they have the natural wisdom of curiosity.
When it came to class, wealth and taste, Marcus Aurelius was at the very top of Roman society. He was Emperor: the supreme lord over millions of subjects, from Britannia in the west to Mesopotamia in the East.
He owned palaces, estates, fine art, vineyards and vintage wines — properties…
