Saturday Letters
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Aug 16 • 1 min read
The Fruit of Comparison - Saturday Letter #2
The Fruit of Comparison - SL#2 You’ve probably heard about Marcus Aurelius. The Philosopher King. He ruled the Roman Empire between 161 to 180 AD. Under his reign, the Roman Empire knew a wonderful period of peace and stability, but this was soon about to come to a devastating end… Marcus Aurelius had a son, Commodus. He became co-emperor in 177 at age 16 and took full charge of the empire 3 years later, in 180, upon his father’s death. Commodus styled himself as a living Hercules, commissioned statues, and even went on to change the name of Roman months in his honor. Cassius Dio (Roman senator and historian) described him as “not naturally wicked, but cowardly, and very simple-minded.” These traits made him into a capricious, spoiled leader who abused his power. He even renamed Rome after himself: “Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana,” which meant: “the Colony of Commodus.” His obsession with games, glory, and personal extravagance was starting to severely damage the empire. He was becoming paranoid, ordering the execution of anyone that threatened his power. He alienated the Senate and terrified his closest allies. Until December 31, 192, when his mistress Marcia, chamberlain Eclectus, and praetorian prefect Laetus plotted to poison his wine after they saw their names in Commodus’s execution list. But when that failed, they sent in an athlete named Narcissus, one of Commodus’s wrestling partners, to finally strangle him to death in his bath. Once his reign ended, Rome entered a brutal civil war called “the Year of the Five Emperors (193 AD).” Commodus’s story is the story of a spoiled abuser of power reigning in the shadows of his father. Comparison consumed him to death. We must learn from Commodus’s errors as much, if not more, than Marcus Aurelius’s successes. Especially today, in the digital and globalized world that we live in, where we are bombarded by thousands of “Marcus Aureliuses” that can make us feel like Commodus in their shadow. We must remember that everyone is on their own unique journey. To compete, don’t obsessively compare. Improve. All the best, Hugo Ares, |
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