Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.40

In the constitution of the rational animal, I see no virtue that is opposed to justice; but I see a virtue that is opposed to love of pleasure, and that is temperance.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 8 (tr Long)

I’m not certain if Marcus Aurelius directly intends a dig at the Epicureans here, those Ancients who defined pleasure as the highest good, but I do know that I can relate to his point immediately.

I have never gone wrong by caring for the dignity of another, while I have very often gone wrong by only wanting to be satisfied. Instead of being good, I merely wanted to feel good. The difference is not a play on words; it reflects one of the most fundamental choices I must make.

This fellow is dragging me down, and he is cramping my style. This girl asks for too much, and is interfering with my plan of life. All these folks, here and there, are just getting in the way of my gratification. So I will dispose of them, because my sense of justice only goes as far as my convenience.

That makes me a grasping man, unwilling to temper my passions, and as a consequence it makes me a user and abuser of others. Even as I decide not to rule myself, I am happy to rule my fellows, and I think it right to cast aside the very people I am called to love.

Make me the king over my neighbor, I demand, instead of his servant, oblivious to the fact that I have made myself a slave to my lust, instead of its master.

Decency and respect for others never have any conditions attached to them in order to be good, even as wants and passions must always be conditioned by the measure of virtue. Justice never needs to be tempered, while longing must constantly be tempered.

I am learning that ordering my greed is not a burden. It is a liberation. Once I can think for myself, I am no longer chained to feelings alone, and I can also show reverence to others, simply for their own sake.

This extends to letting go of resentment when others don’t treat me fairly. I should practice fairness at all costs, with no requirement beyond that in return.

It doesn’t have to just be about me, and what I want. It can be about us, and what we all need. 

Written in 4/2008

IMAGE: Benjamin West, The Choice of Hercules Between Virtue and Pleasure (1764)