[SanderNL]

That sounds like it would complicate life, not make it easier? His wealth and power is predicated on him being the leader of the friggin’ Roman Empire. I don’t see that as an easy life.

Being an emperor and even trying to do a good job is damn near impossible in my eyes. Lot of respect for that. My tiny life sometimes overwhelms me already.

[latexr]

> My tiny life sometimes overwhelms me already.

Because you (presumably) have to deal with every tiny thing in your life. Even having to buy and cook food can feel overwhelming when you’re busy trying to accomplish other things.

Marcus Aurelius had slaves. He was the emperor. He did not have to worry about the multitude of minutiae required just to continue to exist.

When it seems to you rich people are able to achieve more, remember that’s because they need to do less. If you did not have to think about basic necessities, you too could do more of what you dream about.

[SanderNL]

No, because I am less capable. It’s sometimes simple like that.

He wasn’t “rich people” like some Russian oligarch. He had shit to do and deep moral obligations. Millions of lives depended on it. Things of vast strategic importance stretching both thousands of miles and many decades.

Slaves don’t manage your long term ambitions and juggle your various mental and moral anguishes. They keep your house clean and provide you with food, sure. But to be honest, as a rich Westerner, I’m not too far off that.

He didn’t dream about standing knees deep in foreign horse shit managing the nitty gritty of brutal wars for the continued existence of an empire that looked solely at you.

All this could be handled with great nonchalance and incompetency which would have made his life relatively easy. But he decided to try and do a good job, now that’s something to take serious.

I get that “rich people” have some leverage, but this is another thing altogether.

[JohnFen]

> No, because I am less capable

You know yourself better than I, obviously, but if you're assuming that because your path differs from theirs, I think you should have some doubt that the difference is because you are less capable. It may be that you have different values.

[SanderNL]

While I believe in equal value of human life, I don't think we are in any way equal in abilities both inborn and acquired. People like Aurelius are rare and dismissing him and his accomplishments as "rich people have it easy" doesn't do justice to both his skills and rather significant sacrifices. More importantly, it absolves us from taking a look at ourselves and the state of our lives.

He seems to have resisted, or rather, his particular ethical framework provided the power to resist two very big and very real problems:

"Mo money mo problems" (~Socrates)

"Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely" (~Shania Twain)

[JohnFen]

> I don't think we are in any way equal in abilities both inborn and acquired.

Well, sure, I didn't say anything that disagrees with that at all. But you phrased it in a more general sense of being less capable.

Perhaps I read it wrong, but that didn't sound like you were saying "I'm less capable at X", rather that you were saying you were less capable in general. That was the sentiment I was pushing back on.

And I wasn't even saying that assessment was wrong. I was just saying that it's the sort of sentiment that can easily come from incorrectly underestimating one's self and so deserves a deeper look.

[SanderNL]

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification. I was going for “less capable at X”, but an emperor is quite a big job so he’s better at 75% of things that actually matter in practical life: planning, strategizing, managing, coercing, negotiating.

He was a fine emperor, but I have my specialties. Also, I have a good simple life for which I am grateful. Being an emperor sucks.

[perilunar]

> Shania Twain

Lol. Actually Lord Acton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton%2C_1st_Baro...

[JohnFen]

I believe he was making a pretty decent joke there. At least, I'm pretty sure he knew that Socrates didn't literally say "Mo money mo problems", either.

[darkerside]

Managing people is a lot more complicated than you seem to realize