The Death of Marcus Aurelius

The Death of Marcus Aurelius

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Musonius Rufus, Lectures 16.6


“And so you, my young friend, do not fear that you will disobey your father, if when your father bids you do something which is not right, you refrain from doing it, or when he forbids you to do something which is right you do not refrain from doing it.

“Do not let your father be an excuse to you for wrongdoing whether he bids you do something which is not right or forbids you to do what is right. For there is no necessity for you to comply with evil injunctions, and you yourself seem not unaware of this.

“You would certainly not submit to your father in musical matters if, with no knowledge of music, he should order you to play the lyre incorrectly, or if he knew nothing of grammar and you did, he should order you to write and read, not as you had learned but otherwise; and if, finally, with no knowledge of how to steer a ship, he should order you who did understand to handle the helm in the wrong way, you would not heed him. Well, then, enough of that.”

“I was just following orders!”

The phrase has sadly become quite hackneyed, and it has even taken on something of a comic quality, not unlike Bart Simpson’s “I didn’t do it!” Nevertheless, it should serve me as a powerful reminder that passing the buck is only a way to cover for my own ignorance and cowardice.

Because I am ruled by my own judgments, and by no one else’s, I am also responsible for my own actions. This includes choosing whose guidance I will trust, and whose directions I will follow. If I can be reasonably expected to comprehend for myself, I can also be reasonably expected to give my assent or dissent.

“I didn’t know any better!” is not in itself an excuse; the more important question is “Should I have known any better?” And yet to think how many times I have hidden behind what others told me, without doing any thinking for myself, or been quick to point the finger, when the weakness lay squarely within myself.

It is not necessary for me to despair over this, but it is necessary for me to improve from this. Mistakes will indeed be made, though they are only compounded when they are ignored.

I would trust the authority of a doctor to heal me, not that of a lawyer. I would listen to a mechanic when it comes to fixing my car, not some loud guy at the end of the bar. So why, then, should I take advice about being virtuous from a wicked man? Why am I tempted to imitate those who lie, cheat, and steal?

The adulterer can teach me nothing about loyalty, precisely because he lacks love. The profiteer can teach me nothing about business, precisely because he has no sense of justice. The social climber can teach me nothing about character, precisely because he cares only for himself.

And I, turn, do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who is who. Becoming a stand-up guy is only uncomfortable when I’ve gotten lazy from too much sitting down.

Written in 3/2000

No comments:

Post a Comment