Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.19

If a thing is difficult to be accomplished by yourself, do not think that it is impossible for man.

But if anything is possible for man and conformable to his nature, think that this can be attained by yourself as well.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 6 (tr Long)

When I was first allowed to formally teach philosophy, I was offered very little advice on how to do the actual teaching. This might seem odd to someone who has not seen the insides of the higher education machine, but teaching is rarely a priority for the academic. I was largely on my own.

My biggest worry was that students would not be able to grasp the content, though I was only a few years older than they were. I quickly learned that if I explained an argument as clearly and directly as I could, made use of examples, and presented it as if it really meant something, the material itself was never the problem. They were quite capable of understanding.

The difficulty I confronted was rather one of application. The ideas may have been interesting, but I found students had little desire to actually live them out.

“That sounds great in theory, but how does it help me in practice?”

“Well, let’s be real. No one can actually go through life that way.”

“Do you realize everything I’d have to change if I wanted to be like Socrates? It’s too much to ask!”

I would bemoan all the dark aspects of the same collegiate culture I had recently left myself, but I quickly saw that I was being just as negative. After all the bells and whistles, the clever assignments, and the attempts at impassioned discussion, I was left with the only response I could give.

“Never assume that something difficult is something impossible. Consider how the best things in life are often the hardest to achieve.”

And if I really wanted them to believe me, I would need to be living that way myself. A man can hardly point to noble truths, insist that they are within reach, and then fail to pursue them for himself. “You go on ahead, I’ll catch up!” are hardly inspirational words.

Their hesitation about living a truly good life most often didn’t proceed from mere laziness, but it came from the assumption that such a happiness was actually impossible, completely out of their reach. As I got older, I would find myself telling those students, who just seemed to get younger and younger, that what was already within them, a part of who they already were, was never a distant dream or unobtainable goal.

The beauty of it all was that I needed to hear that just as much for myself. 

Those poor folks who know me well will also know that line from a great film I appeal to about this very question. Yes, you’ll need to hear it at least one more time:

Aqaba is over there. It’s only a matter of going. 

Written in 2/2007