“Robbers, perverts, killers, and tyrants — gather for your inspection their so-called pleasures!”
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.34
It’s never a great habit to judge others, but as Ryan Holiday points out in today’s chapter, it can be excused for this exercise as we inspect the results of a life filled with so-called pleasures.
When you look more closely at the effects of regularly giving into vices, you find some pretty sad results. Ruined lives, broken trust, squandered opportunities. That’s because vices are their own punishment. You surrender to them at your own risk, and they make you feel crummy in the end because you know you didn’t do the right thing. It ends up not feeling all that pleasurable, actually.
You eventually have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. At the end of their life, does a dictator or a grifter feel satisfied and content? Or do they wish instead that they had gotten their pleasure from virtue instead of giving into their desires?
Instead of seeking so-called pleasures, work on learning how to conquer your temptations. Work on taking care of yourself, body and soul, so that you can look back on your life and smile.
