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February    11th

HERO    OR  NERO?

“Our    soul    is  sometimes   a   king,   and sometimes   a   tyrant. A   king,   by  attending   to  what    is  honorable,

protects    the good    health  of  the body    in  its care,   and gives   it  no  base    or  sordid  command.    But an

uncontrolled,   desire-fueled,  over-indulged   soul    is  turned  from    a   king    into    that    most    feared  and

detested    thing—a tyrant.”

—SENECA,    MORAL   LETTERS,    114.24

here is that saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely. At first glance, that’s true. Seneca’s pupil
Nero and his litany of crimes and murders is a perfect example. Another emperor, Domitian,
arbitrarily banished all philosophers from Rome (Epictetus was forced to flee as a result). Many of
Rome’s emperors were tyrants. Yet, not many years later, Epictetus would become a close friend of
another emperor, Hadrian, who would help Marcus Aurelius to the throne, one of the truest examples of a
wise philosopher king.
So it’s not so clear that power always corrupts. In fact, it looks like it comes down, in many ways, to
the inner strength and self-awareness of individuals—what they value, what desires they keep in check,
whether their understanding of fairness and justice can counteract the temptations of unlimited wealth and
deference.
The same is true for you. Both personally and professionally. Tyrant or king? Hero or Nero? Which
will you be?