Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: By one action judge of the rest: this…
By one action judge of the rest: this bathing which usually takes up so much of our time, what is it? Oil, sweat, filth; or the sordes of the body: an excrementitious viscosity, the excrements of oil and other ointments used about the body, and mixed with the sordes of the body: all base and loathsome. And such almost is every part of our life; and every worldly object.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
The things we chase acquire an almost magical glow in our minds. A luxury hotel, a perfect body, a coveted title, a glamorous event—we imagine they will finally settle something inside us. Marcus recommends a bracing exercise: look plainly. The hotel is sheets, plumbing, and a bill. The body is sweat and maintenance. The title is more meetings and another inbox. This is not cynicism or a command to reject pleasure. It is a way of refusing to be hypnotized by appearances. When we see things at their actual size, they lose their power to command us. We can enjoy a good meal without making it our salvation, and want success without selling our peace for it. When desire starts shouting today, describe the object honestly. Then decide whether it deserves so much of your life.
Related passages
- Marcus Aurelius As the ordinary shows of the theatre and of other such places, when thou art presented with them, affect thee; as the…
- Marcus Aurelius Look carefully at the supposed pleasures of thieves, predators, murderers, and tyrants.
- Marcus Aurelius People neglect the praise of those whose lives they share, yet hunger for applause from generations they will never…