Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.29.2

. . . For who can change men's opinions? And without a change of opinions what else is there than the slavery of men who groan while they pretend to obey?

Come now and tell me of Alexander and Philippus and Demetrius of Phalerum. They themselves shall judge whether they discovered what the Common Nature required, and trained themselves accordingly.

But if they acted like tragic heroes, no one has condemned me to imitate them.

Simple and modest is the work of philosophy. Draw me not aside to insolence and pride.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 9.29 (tr Long)

See how they all stand at their podiums and on their pedestals. They have their credentials and their references. They wave their arms around with apparent conviction, they throw out the statistics of their choice to defend themselves, and they try to shame us to conform to their wills. They are charming and clever, not virtuous and wise.

And I wonder if there was ever a time, from those ancient times to the present, when an ideological bully ever actually changed anyone else’s mind.

A reasoned argument, within the context of sincere friendship, might help another man change his own ways. But a big man has never, I suspect, convinced a small man of anything. He may scare him, intimidate him, or coerce him, but he doesn’t convince him. It takes wisdom and charity to move a mind and a heart, not threats and intimidation.

This will sound uncomfortable to all of the important folks, obviously, because if we ever figured it out, they would stop being so important.

There have been philosophers with all sorts of names, members of all sorts of movements and schools. Some practiced true philosophy, working quietly together with Nature, while many others were another bunch of actors playing a game, sophists trying to manipulate our emotions. The tricksters want us to imitate them in their exaggerated drama.

Does that sound too familiar? We have all known them, but we don’t need to be like them.

A statesman is never on who poses for the camera. A philosopher is never one who works on his career. A good man is never one who likes to be recognized. Life is no game of appearances. Life is a duty to character.

Have you done what is right and good, in even the smallest way? Good. You are a far better man than the fellow who wants to be seen as having done right and good, in his own biggest way. 

Written in 11/2008