Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.23

Socrates used to call the opinions of the many by the name of Lamiae—bugbears to frighten children.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 11.23 (tr Long)

As a child, I was actually quite terrified of the bogeyman, in whatever form the story was told. My Austrian family had a number of wonderfully frightening versions, old traditions I sadly suspect will soon be lost to future generations. They all had a certain moral lesson behind them, and could be quite effective in scaring us away from all sorts of mischief.

My favorite was “Der Wassermann”. Do you know that gurgling sound you hear when water goes down the sink? That is the cry of the “Water Man”, who lurks in the pipes of your house. Will he do you any harm? Only if you play around with water carelessly, and then he will suck you down the drain.

“Das Gankerl”, a sort of imp or goblin I suppose, would live inside all the mirrors of the house. He was quite friendly, as long as you didn’t stare at yourself vainly too often, at which point he’d drag you through the glass, never to be heard from again. I swear to this day, after testing my luck once to often, that I saw his face peering back at me in my parent’s bedroom.

The Greeks had their Lamia. They say Hera cursed her to eat children, after she was caught up in yet another one of Zeus’ many trysts. It became a fable to scare children into behaving, and eventually also referred to a creature that seduced young men who could not control their passions. Oh, and she apparently would also eat them after the fact.

I at first wonder how popular opinion could be like the bogeyman, but then a moment of reflection shows me how it can be one of the most dangerous things of all, for people both young and old. It is thoughtless, when we should be thoughtful. It tempts us to be rash when we should be prudent. It appeals to everything base, and neglects everything noble. It seduces us away from temperance.

I don’t see this as any sort of snobbery, as some might, because the problem isn’t just that many people may think this way, but rather that too many people simply choose not to think for themselves at all. It is too easy to conform without actual awareness, where the force of submission numbs our sense of personal accountability.

Good things might be popular, but things are hardly good because they are popular. As soon as I am moved by the voice of the mob, I am no longer myself. I have entered into a willing slavery, where I lower my eyes, shut off my mind, and become no more than an animal in the herd. I should be more than that, better than that.

Yes, I may indeed then deserve to disappear into the sewers for my foolishness, or get lost in the mirrors of my vanity. This is the sort of bogeyman I should truly fear, ceasing to rule myself.

Written in 6/2009