Marcus Aurelius had to deal with a lot of assholes.
He was, after all, the emperor of Rome.
While he must have been intentional about surrounding himself with people who were at the tops of their fields, and who were smart in ways that he wasn’t, he was also forced to deal daily with the stupid, the ignorant, the lazy, the greedy, the liars, and the downright nasty.
He reminded himself not to get too upset about assholes.
What was the use in wishing other people were different? Not only was that an exercise in futility and frustration, but it was a denial of the intricate tapestry the gods had woven.
For Marcus Aurelius realized that all of these people were part and parcel of his empire.
He was given an empire to rule. But he didn’t get to choose only some of the citizens as his subjects. He had to lead all of them.
And each one of them played a role in making his empire what it was.
Marcus Aurelius realized that we are all parts of the same body:
“For we are made for working together, like feet, like hands, like the eyes and their lids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another is contrary to nature. And growing vexed with people and turning away from them is acting against them.”
This is an easy thing to say.
But when you truly get it, it’s incredibly liberating.
You really can just let other people do their thing.
Let them be angry. Let them be ignorant. Let them refuse to wear masks and claim Covid was intentionally made by China to cull the old and weak. Let some pollute the earth and let others work to stop the pollution. This is all part and parcel of the Human Experience we’re doing. Let it all happen. It’s going to, with or without your approval. And whatever role your conscience calls you to play in that drama, play it to the best of your ability.
This is your body, baby.
The body of humanity.
The good, the bad, the ugly. (Or however you want to categorize these things.)
For Marcus, to deny any aspect of creation—even a flat-earther—was to deny his own empire. It was to criticize the gods.
I’ll leave you with what Google informs me is a French proverb:
Praise God, drink the wine, and let the world be the world.
Good advice.
But damn, those flat-earthers though. The gods really do have a sense of humor.
Love,
L.