Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.70

The perfection of moral character consists in this, in passing every day as the last, and in being neither violently excited, nor torpid, nor playing the hypocrite.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 7 (tr Long)

These three guidelines will remind me how and why I get confused about a good life, and what I need to do in order to get myself back on track.

Notice, of course, that at no point does Marcus Aurelius discuss how important it is in life to build up financial security, or gain leverage over others, or seek conveniences and pleasure over obstacles and pain. That is because these are aspects that, however much I may have a preference for them, will not determine anything about the real quality of my life.

No, it’s all much more fundamental than that, and actually quite a bit simpler than that. Am I living well right here and now, content with being who I am at this very moment, asking for nothing else than the goodness of my own thoughts and deeds, and demanding nothing at all from the future?

If my attention is directed at what has been, at what possibly could be, or at whatever has nothing to do with me, how is this a measure of who I am? If it is important enough to do, I should be doing it right now. If it isn’t important enough to do, it need not be a part of my grand plans.

Am I seeking a balance in my character, or am I swinging back and forth between extremes of thoughts, emotions, and actions? To be driven by too much at one moment, and by too little at another, reveals that I am not in control of my own judgments. I have surrendered my authority to either aggressive and violent passions, or weak and submissive passions.

Instead of being brave, for example, I end up being reckless or cowardly. Instead of being temperate, I end up a glutton or insensitive. Instead of being just, I end up taking too much, or asking for too little. Walking a tightrope seems awfully hard, but like riding a bicycle, it can become second nature with practice.

In everything I do, am I doing it for its own sake, or am I concerned with the appearance of doing? The former builds character, while the latter destroys it, the difference between the man of conscience and the hypocrite. Many people believe that giving the impression of virtue will bring them profit, but the sheen on the outside is only a cover for the rot on the inside.

Do it now if you can, do it as well as you can, and do it all for the right reasons. As my father would often say when I was younger, “See? That wasn’t so hard!”

Written in 1/2008