According To Wes
Finding the humor in everyday life and trying to understand what that means to me.
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According To Wes
I Tried To Be Immortal; My Calendar Disagreed
A single quote from Marcus Aurelius can reset how you see your day, your people, and your purpose. We unpack “be your own master” by rotating through four practical lenses—person, human being, citizen, and mortal creature—and show how each one shifts the choices you make under pressure.
Welcome to the According to West Podcast, the podcast that explores the ancient wisdom that empowers us to live more intentional and meaningful lives. I'm your host Wes, and today we're diving into a powerful and multifaceted quote from the Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, which is be your own master and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, and as a mortal creature. This isn't just one piece of advice. Marcus Aurelius gives is giving us a step-by-step guide to self-mastery by teaching us how to view our lives and the world from uh four distinct but very interconnected viewpoints. He's telling us to be to be he's telling us to be in control of our in control of ourselves. We we need to understand our place in the world from a personal and universal social and finite perspective. So let's let's unpack each of these perspectives and discover how they can help you become your own master. The first perspective is deeply personal. Um, looking at things as a man in context, man or woman, refers to our unique individual identity. It's about seeing things from the viewpoint of our own character, our own integrity, our own inner virtue. This perspective is a call to self-awareness and personal responsibility. It means asking questions like: what is my role in this situation? What are my principles? And am I acting in alignment with them? Is this action an expression of my best self? This perspective is the foundation. It's about building a strong inner fortress of character that is guided by reason, not emotion or external pressures. By first acting with personal integrity, we set the stage for all other perspectives to flourish. If we can't master ourselves, we can't truly be effective in any role. The second perspective broadens our view. Look at things as a human being. This is a universal viewpoint that asks us to see our shared humanity. It's a move away from our individual ego-driven concerns and toward a recognition of our common ground with every other person on the planet. This perspective is a call to empathy and compassion. It means asking questions like: What is the common human experience at play here? How is this person's suffering similar to my own? How can I act with kindness and understanding, recognizing our shared vulnerability? By seeing others as fellow human beings, we break down the laws of judgment and difference. It reminds us that no matter our individual circumstances, we all share the same basic fears, hopes, and struggles. This perspective is the antidote to arrogance and isolation. It grounds our personal integrity and a universal sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. The third perspective is about our place in society. Look at things as a citizen. This viewpoint focuses on our role and responsibility within a community, whether that's our family, our workplace, our country, or the global community. This perspective is a call to civic duty and mutual benefit. This means asking questions like: What is the duty to the people around me? Does this action serve the greater good of my community? How can I contribute to the harmony and justice of the whole? This viewpoint challenges us to move beyond our own selfish desires and consider the impact of our actions on others. It reminds us that we are a bigger part of a larger, interconnected whole and that our well-being is tied to the well-being of the collective. It's a powerful motivator for selfless action, compromise, and collaboration. It's the practical application of our human compassion. And finally, the fourth perspective brings everything into a sharp relief. Look at things as a mortal creature. This is the ultimate timeless viewpoint that reminds us of the fragility and brevity of life. It's the final check on all other perspectives. This perspective is a call to urgency and wisdom. It means asking questions like: Is this truly important given the limited time I have? Am I living a life that I will be proud of at the end? What truly matters? This viewpoint is the antidote to pettiness, procrastination, and a life lived on autopilot. By remembering our own mortality, we gain clarity about what's truly worth our energy and what is not. It compels us to focus on our character, to be kind to others, and to contribute meaningfully to our community. Because we know our time is short. It gives our actions purpose and our relationships depth. So I would say the the first three perspectives, I have everything on lock. Well, at least I would like to think I do. Um the one that I actually struggle with is uh the fourth perspective, which is you know what I just discussed, uh uh seeing things, uh looking at things as a mortal creature. Like as a citizen, you know what you should do as an upstanding citizen, right? As a man, you know what, you know the things that come with being a man, you know, protector, uh soft when you need to be soft, hard when you need to be hard. As a human being, you know, empathy, practicing that, having sympathy, uh things of that nature. But this mortal creature thing, it's I struggle with that every day. Like, am I living a life that I will be proud of at the end? And some days, you know, like anybody else, you're like, Yeah, I'm doing what I need to do. And some days you just witness people being their trashiest ways, and it on sometimes it gets you to be even trashier, you know. You're not so proud of some of the things you say or some of the things you do throughout your day or even throughout your week just because life is hitting you upside your head. Um practicing living life with an urgency. And when I say urgency to me, it doesn't mean like, oh, everything is needs to be uh it's one of those tricky things where living life with an urgency to me means not everything is urgent. And some things are. Sounds weird. I guess I should explain that. The things that I think are urgent most likely are not. Uh but what I'm starting to realize is that those simple things are that's the urgency. Experience more of that, have more of that, you know, spreading my wisdom or uh being around friends, experiencing joy, that's what I want at the end of the day. Could I, you know, be living a life that I was proud of? Did I did I matter or did I did I affect um people in a good way? Did I do good things? Was I a good thing? So I'm still working that out. I don't quite know how to get there in that regard to be a uh to have that fourth perspective just like there, you know. But yeah. So how does this all tie back to the first part of the quote? Be your own master. True self-mastery isn't just about controlling our impulses, it's about having a clear, comprehensive understanding of our place in the world. By consciously moving between these four perspectives, from the personal to the universal, from the social to the timeless, we gain the clarity and wisdom needed to make good decisions. You act with integrity as a band, you act with compassion as a human being, you act with purpose as a citizen, and you act with urgency as a mortal creature. This framework prevents us from getting stuck in any single narrow perspective. It keeps our actions grounded in a complete understanding of our full identity and our role in the world. By practicing this, you are no longer a victim of circumstances or a slave to your emotions or even a drifter without purpose. You become the master of your own life. Thank you guys for joining me on this episode of the According to West Podcast. Until next time, may you find strength and clarity by looking at the world through these timeless lenses.