“Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine than what causes the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet. What thoughts now occupy my mind? Is it not fear, suspicion, desire, or something like that?”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 12.19
January 14, 2021 7:37 AM
Marcus Aurelius did not have to concern himself with the corruption of modern society as we know it, but the distractions of his day existed. Excess of food or work. Gossip. Fear. Lust. These all existed 1,800 years ago.
The odds seem even further stacked against us. Advertisers track us through various media channels. Game and app developers use every technique available to addict us to their product. In a time when so much information is freely available, we often struggle to find truths as it is lost in the half-truths and lies that have sexier titles and stories.
Internal and external forces are constantly tugging at our psyche with such power that resistance can almost seem futile.
Conclusion
Stoicism is not a shield from the forces that compel us to stray. Stoicism is the guide, that asks us to use reasoned choice as we strive to be better. A choice, announcing we will not be used to further the purposes of others. Paying careful attention will be difficult, but when we are aware, we can free ourselves from the strings of those trying to manipulate us.