“Just as when meat or other foods are set before us we think, this is a dead fish, a dead bird or pig; and also, this fine wine is only the juice of a bunch of grapes, this purple-edged robe just sheep’s wool dyed in a bit of blood from a shellfish; or of sex, that it is only rubbing private parts together followed by a spasmic discharge—in the same way our impressions grab actual events and permeate them, so we see them as they really are.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.13
April 24, 2021 12:00 PM
Marcus takes time to dismantle things that tend to provide pleasure, into their most animalistic and repugnant parts.
These callous descriptions can be meaningful for someone struggling with overindulgence of these activities.
Conclusion
A useful approach to take what little pleasure out of something that we are abusing. A power to look at our activities with objectivity and sobriety.