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April 24th

A PRODUCTIVE USE FOR CONTEMPT

“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

here is one Stoic exercise that might well be described as
contemptuous expressions. Stoics use an almost cynical language as a
way to dismantle some of the fanciest or most coveted parts of life.
Marcus’s joke about sex—why would he say something like that? Well, if
you take a second to consider sex in such an absurd light, you may be less
likely to do something shameful or embarrassing in the pursuit of it. It’s a
counterbalance to the natural bias we have toward something that feels
really good.
We can apply this same way of thinking to a lot of things that people
prize. Consider that envy-inducing photo you see on social media—imagine
the person painstakingly staging it. What about that job promotion that
means so much? Look at the lives of other so-called successful people. Still
think it holds magical power? Money, which we want more of and are
reluctant to part with—consider how covered in bacteria and filth it is. That
beautiful, perfect person you’re admiring from afar? Remember that if
they’re single, other people must have dumped them at some point. There
must be something wrong with them.