Our condition may be compared to the gathering at a public festival.
Cattle and oxen are brought thither for sale, and the mass of men come to buy or to sell; only some few come to look at the assembled people and see how and why the assembly gathers and who instituted it and with what object.
It is just the same here, in this assembly of the world: some are like cattle and trouble themselves about nothing but their fodder, for you who busy yourselves with property and lands and servants and public offices are busy with fodder and nothing else.
There are but few who come to this assembly with a desire to see what really is the meaning of the Universe and Who governs it.
Cattle and oxen are brought thither for sale, and the mass of men come to buy or to sell; only some few come to look at the assembled people and see how and why the assembly gathers and who instituted it and with what object.
It is just the same here, in this assembly of the world: some are like cattle and trouble themselves about nothing but their fodder, for you who busy yourselves with property and lands and servants and public offices are busy with fodder and nothing else.
There are but few who come to this assembly with a desire to see what really is the meaning of the Universe and Who governs it.
—from Epictetus, Discourses 2.14
This passage speaks to me immediately, because I have never much enjoyed following the herd, and I am always at my best after I first stand back to observe. What is that fellow up to? What makes her tick? Who is being sincere, and who is putting on an act? How can I understand the deeper motives, through the relationship of their words and deeds? All that glitters is not gold.
There is, however, the danger of an eccentricity out of pride, a weirdness for the sake of show, as distinct from simply going against the grain as a consequence of an informed conscience. I don’t have to be different to be special, but I should be prepared for some odd glances once I start thinking for myself. By their fruits shall you know them.
I sometimes wonder how the little green men from outer space might see us: are they confused by the way we frantically rush about, forever enthralled by images of money, power, and sex, unwilling to imagine a life beyond the rat race? How odd when creatures gifted with the freedom of understanding behave like livestock, fattened up to be sold at the market!
I could easily stop right there, bemoaning the fate of society and falling in line with the snarky cynics, but then wouldn’t I just be hiding away in yet another clique? I could instead choose to embrace the very qualities that I claim are lacking; I can be in the world, but not of the world. I could choose to pursue wisdom in the presence of ignorance, love in the face of lust, and liberty while surrounded by conformity. Though I won’t make the front page, I will also have learned why that never mattered much to begin with.
Whether I find myself in the office, or on the subway, or at the shopping mall, I remain free to ask “Why?” If you tell me I will be alone, I assure you that there are others, who will stand with me, in the spirit if not in the flesh. You do not take notice of them, for they do right without asking to be reimbursed, and they watch carefully without demanding attention. Take a snapshot of any crowd, and you are guaranteed to discover at least one thinking man.
What sort of questions does he ask, as everyone else is occupied with petty business? He looks for the truth behind the appearance, for the good within the annoyance, for the beauty underneath the drabness. He gazes at anyone, and he seeks out the face of God. Having a sense of the beginning and the end, he knows that nothing is in vain.
As helpful as it is to go to work, to pay your taxes, and to save up for the house with the white picket fence, those are not the things for which you were made.
This passage speaks to me immediately, because I have never much enjoyed following the herd, and I am always at my best after I first stand back to observe. What is that fellow up to? What makes her tick? Who is being sincere, and who is putting on an act? How can I understand the deeper motives, through the relationship of their words and deeds? All that glitters is not gold.
There is, however, the danger of an eccentricity out of pride, a weirdness for the sake of show, as distinct from simply going against the grain as a consequence of an informed conscience. I don’t have to be different to be special, but I should be prepared for some odd glances once I start thinking for myself. By their fruits shall you know them.
I sometimes wonder how the little green men from outer space might see us: are they confused by the way we frantically rush about, forever enthralled by images of money, power, and sex, unwilling to imagine a life beyond the rat race? How odd when creatures gifted with the freedom of understanding behave like livestock, fattened up to be sold at the market!
I could easily stop right there, bemoaning the fate of society and falling in line with the snarky cynics, but then wouldn’t I just be hiding away in yet another clique? I could instead choose to embrace the very qualities that I claim are lacking; I can be in the world, but not of the world. I could choose to pursue wisdom in the presence of ignorance, love in the face of lust, and liberty while surrounded by conformity. Though I won’t make the front page, I will also have learned why that never mattered much to begin with.
Whether I find myself in the office, or on the subway, or at the shopping mall, I remain free to ask “Why?” If you tell me I will be alone, I assure you that there are others, who will stand with me, in the spirit if not in the flesh. You do not take notice of them, for they do right without asking to be reimbursed, and they watch carefully without demanding attention. Take a snapshot of any crowd, and you are guaranteed to discover at least one thinking man.
What sort of questions does he ask, as everyone else is occupied with petty business? He looks for the truth behind the appearance, for the good within the annoyance, for the beauty underneath the drabness. He gazes at anyone, and he seeks out the face of God. Having a sense of the beginning and the end, he knows that nothing is in vain.
As helpful as it is to go to work, to pay your taxes, and to save up for the house with the white picket fence, those are not the things for which you were made.
—Reflection written in 9/2001
IMAGE: Francesco Bassano the Younger, Market Scene (c. 1585)
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