Don't become attached to unnecessary things. Marcus Aurelius 6.16
Marcus
advises himself to avoid attributing value to things that are
unnecessary to life. Placing great value on excellence that goes
beyond what nature requires makes it harder to be content with having
our real needs met. We want to do our best work, and then be happy
with that. Not wishing it to be better than our need, nor caring what
others make of it in the markets.
Οὔτε
τὸ διαπνεῖσθαι ὡς τὰ φυτὰ τίμιον οὔτε
τὸ ἀναπνεῖν ὡς τὰ βοσκήματα καὶ τὰ
θηρία οὔτε τὸ τυποῦσθαι κατὰ φαντασίαν
οὔτε τὸ νευροσπαστεῖσθαι καθ’ ὁρμὴν
οὔτε τὸ συναγελάζεσθαι οὔτε τὸ
τρέφεσθαι· τοῦτο γὰρ ὅμοιον τῷ
ἀποκρίνειν τὰ περιττώματα τῆς τροφῆς.
τί οὖν τίμιον; τὸ κροτεῖσθαι; οὐχί.
οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τὸ ὑπὸ γλωσσῶν κροτεῖσθαι·
αἱ γὰρ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν εὐφημίαι
κρότος γλωσσῶν. ἀφῆκας οὖν καὶ τὸ
δοξάριον· τί καταλείπεται τίμιον; δοκῶ
μὲν τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν κατασκευὴν
κινεῖσθαι καὶ ἴσχεσθαι, ἐφ’ ὃ καὶ
αἱ ἐπιμέλειαι ἄγουσι καὶ αἱ τέχναι·
ἥ τε γὰρ τέχνη πᾶσα τούτου στοχάζεται,
ἵνα τὸ κατασκευασθὲν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχῃ
πρὸς τὸ ἔργον πρὸς ὃ κατεσκεύασται·
ὅ τε φυτουργὸς καὶ ὁ ἐπιμελούμενος
τῆς ἀμπέλου, καὶ ὁ πωλοδάμνης καὶ ὁ
τοῦ κυνὸς ἐπιμελούμενος τοῦτο ζητεῖ.
αἱ δὲ παιδαγωγίαι, αἱ δὲ διδασκαλίαι
ἐπὶ τί σπεύδουσιν; ὧδε οὖν τὸ τίμιον·
καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἂν εὖ ἔχῃ, οὐδὲν τῶν
ἄλλων περιποιήσεις σεαυτῷ (†). οὐ παύσῃ
καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τιμῶν; οὔτ’ οὖν
ἐλεύθερος ἔσῃ οὔτε αὐτάρκης οὔτε
ἀπαθής· ἀνάγκη γὰρ φθονεῖν, ζηλοτυπεῖν,
ὑφορᾶσθαι τοὺς ἀφελέσθαι ἐκεῖνα
δυναμένους, ἐπιβουλεύειν τοῖς ἔχουσι
τὸ τιμώμενον ὑπὸ σοῦ· ὅλως πεφύρθαι
ἀνάγκη τὸν ἐκείνων τινὸς ἐνδεῆ,
προσέτι δὲ πολλὰ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς
μέμφεσθαι. ἡ δὲ τῆς ἰδίας διανοίας
αἰδὼς καὶ τιμὴ σεαυτῷ τε ἀρεστόν σε
ποιήσει καὶ τοῖς κοινωνοῖς εὐάρμοστον
καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς σύμφωνον, τουτέστιν
ἐπαινοῦντα ὅσα ἐκεῖνοι διανέμουσι
καὶ διατετάχασιν.
Plants
put no explicit value on breathing, whether inhaling or exhaling,
just as cattle and wild beasts put none on representing things to
their imagination, or responding to impulses in timely fashion: they
herd together and nourish themselves without fixing any price for
these activities, or taking any pride in them. Whatever remains to us
after our basic needs are met, we should address it as the plants and
animals do. What is the point of marking value, fixing prices, taking
pride? Are we merely making noise? No, for the commotion caused here
is not simply a matter of wagging tongues. Popular praise is
certainly pointless buzz, the rattle of idle tongues, so you have
already gotten rid of the little scrap of glory that was your public
image. But what real value remains to you, beyond your reputation? I
think you will find it in your personal character, the preparation
that allows you to move and hold positions, where your attention and
skills lead you.
Every
skill or art that we cultivate aims at the same general end: having
something prepared, in good condition for the work that requires it.
Planter and cultivator have this in mind when they address themselves
to the vine, placing it and training it to grow well in the
particular ground that they have chosen, and the horsebreaker and
dogtrainer also prepare their charges with tasks in mind. What is the
purpose, then, for tutoring and schooling amongst us, if not this same end, that we have attention and skill sufficient for the work we
must confront? Once you have attained this, you need no more and will
stop adding to your training or cultivation. Why do you not cease,
then, to attribute value to so many other things, unnecessary to your
life and purpose? You will not be spiritually free, materially
independent, or emotionally untroubled until you release these extra
things, which compel you to envy others, to become jealous and
suspicious of everyone capable of separating you from your stuff, to
plot against those who have a superfluous thing that you have decided
to value. The man who needs something unnecessary must always be
utterly confused, and will have to blame the gods for many things. A
decent sense of shame, combined with a proper respect for yourself,
will make you good enough: well-suited to your associates, whom you
will not overburden with your own private understanding, and
agreeable to the gods, praising whatever they bestow and ordain.
---
(†)
Farquharson gives ἑαυτῷ instead of the MSS σεαυτῷ. The
sense would not change much, either way, though the second pronoun
makes better sense in context.