Besides being one of the most
accessible Stoic writings, Meditations
also has some of the best examples of how to practice Stoicism. This
week, we're going to focus on one such tactic: deconstruction.
Break It Down
The idea behind deconstruction is simple: break down an object to
simple terms. Marcus did this well, to the point that the stuff he
deconstructed looked disgustingly absurd. For example, he took his
royal robes, dyed purple, and explained to himself that it was
nothing more than sheep's hair and urchin blood.
Oh,
that's not that bad. I
hear you. But what about what he said about the fancy foods he ate at
dinner? He thought of them as bits and pieces of rotting flesh and
plant matter, warmed up. Wine is nothing more than smashed and rotten
grapes. Sex is nothing more than two people rubbing genitalia
together and making odd noises in the hopes of inducing muscle
contractions and the secretion of certain bodily fluids.
All I'm saying is, Marcus Aurelius ruined my sex life.
Buddhist Overlap
Some readers might recognize this exercise in Buddhism. In order to
help break our attachment, Buddhists say we should imagine things in
a decaying state, much in the same way Marcus did. See the food as
moldering. When having sex, see your partner turn old and decay into
nothingness.
Enlightenment, it seems, is learning how to hate sex.
You know, this doesn't seem all
that fun.
Yeah, no, it isn't. But it is valuable.
Like Buddhists, Stoics cation against placing too much value into
anything. For Buddhists, it's about avoiding attachment. For Stoics,
it's for making sure we don't believe something other than virtue to
be a good.
But this can also go the other way, too. Breaking things down can
prove to you something isn't bad, either. What is pain but your brain
letting you know something is wrong with your body? Fever is just the
warming of the body.
Jealous of someone? Is it because of their money? Nothing more than
little bits of paper. No, not even that, not anymore. Just little
bits of data on some bank's computer. Their job? I'm sure you can
find a way.
Like a lot of Stoic practices, the more you do something, the easier
it becomes. Forcing yourself to see food as rotting might turn your
stomach. That is, until it doesn't anymore and it's just one of those
things you do.
Do this long enough and it'll become second nature. At least, it did
for me. You won't even have to try.
The Challenge
In your journal, I want you to do your best to deconstruct something.
Start small: try a food you've been wanting to avoid or a gadget you
want to distance yourself from. It doesn't have to be intentionally
disgusting, though when it comes to organic objects, odds are it'll
end up that way. There's just no way to see meat as something other
than a dead animal.
Next Thursday, I want us all to share one entry.
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