What a soul that is which is ready,
if at any moment it must be separated from the body, and ready either to be
extinguished, or dispersed, or continue to exist.
But let this readiness comes from
a man's own judgment, not from mere obstinacy, as with the Christians, but
considerately and with dignity and in a way to persuade another, without tragic
show.
—Marcus
Aurelius, Meditations, Book 11.3 (tr
Long)
Oh, how certain of my Christian
friends hate this passage, because they think it paints them in such a bad
light! I remind them that I too try to be a Christian, but they will have none of it.
“You either need to embrace Jesus,
or abandon your heathen Stoics!” I don’t see it that way at all, but I suppose
I am in a minority of those who think that all truth is truth, regardless of
the tribe. Some of us choose to first find what is shared, instead of stomping
our feet at what is different.
False dichotomies are so very tempting.
I still stand with St. Thomas Aquinas, who told me that Aristotle, and so many
other great philosophers, had such profound insight, and that all insight
serves both God and men.
The narrow ideologues don’t
understand that their own stubborn exclusion is exactly what I suspect the
Philosopher-Emperor found so frustrating.
I try to look a little deeper, and
do a little bit of thinking on my own time. Any decent man, from whatever
school or creed, will hopefully understand that a soul is best when it bows to
what is true, and does not seek to lord over it.
A good part of this is learning to
accept that life will not follow my preferences. I may well die in just a moment,
by no design or choice of my own. As I still breathe, it is also very possible
that it will all hurt quite a bit. Sometimes, I will even be asked to live far
longer than I might wish. I am only left to ponder if I have done my best to
live with the character my nature demands of me.
Have I been fair, kind,
compassionate, and caring? No, I have not always done that. Then let me fix it
right now, since I must treat this moment as being all that I am guaranteed to
have.
“But my God will reward me later, if
I put you in your place right now!” I’m sorry, but I do not understand your conception of
God, or why He would make it your job to determine anyone's place but your own. Leave it at that, because I have no wish to fight you.
Virtue is never, I suggest, about
throwing one’s weight around, or stepping on other people’s lives. Do I want someone
else to be happier, to find his peace, to change his ways? Let me love him, not
hate him.
Let me reason with him in
friendship, not condemn him from resentment. All the melodrama only draws
attention to our own vanity, and assists no one else.
I never actually sat down and spoke
to Jesus, but as a Roman Catholic I believe I meet him whenever I receive the
Blessed Sacrament. Still, I do not presume to speak for Him. How rude! I never
read a bit in the Gospels that told me to make a scene about how much better I
am than you.
We’re all going to die; what was
actually noble within us while we still lived?
Written in 4/2009
Very interesting reading and profound thinking. Thank you for your web page. It brings a number of perspectives into the discussion. Further to your writing, I thought I would add my two-cents' worth.
ReplyDeleteAs a Christian, I see tremendous value in Stoicism. Christian ethics is a Moral Theology, with aspects of both Deontological Ethics and Virtue Ethics. So much of the practical ethical exercises can be used to become a more virtuous human being, which is a key point in Christianity (e.g. Colossians 3:12-14; Galacians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-8). God doesn't force virtue down our throats. It is a cooperative affair, where our will, thoughts, motivation and actions play a part. Stoicism uses rationality and critical thinking, God-given traits, to help us make choices. It is clear in Meditations 11:3 that Marcus Aurelius had no notion of the reasons for martyrdom and why Christians made the choices they made (e.g. Matthew 10:33). Hence, what is written is a misunderstanding of Christian choice to die. Ryan Holiday has written two very good articles (IMHO) regarding the Christianity and Stoicism. If you get the chance, read the articles as they are thoughtful and analytical. And note Mr. Holiday's personal comment, "In the name of Marcus Aurelius, at the order of Rusticus, this poor man [Justin] was sent off to be cruelly beaten, whipped until the skin was torn from his body, and then beheaded. It would be a stain on two otherwise flawless reputations." I also included two other articles I found interesting but I'm sure you can find many more.
Stoicism and Christianity: The History of the Stoics and the Christians:
https://dailystoic.com/stoicism-christianity-history/
Stoicism and Christianity: Lessons, Similarities and Differences:
https://dailystoic.com/stoicism-and-christianity/
Stoicism and Christianity: Professor Joseph Dodson on Similarities & Differences
https://dailystoic.com/joseph-dodson/
Faith and philosophy in the Early Church
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/faith-and-philosophy-in-the-early-church/
Let me say that there are many examples of very similar or identical concepts between the two. Of course, as a Christian, I test everything against the revealed Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:21). But that doesn't mean I'm oblivious to truth, wherever I may find it and especially if it is useful.
Armando S. Valdes