“Regain your senses, call yourself back, and once again wake up. Now that you realize that only dreams were troubling you, view this 'reality' as you view your dreams.” Marcus Aurelius
The dreams in the above quote could be interpreted as feelings or emotions. In Marcus Aurelius' meditations, he also hints at the source of our pain.
“If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgement of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgement now.”
Marcus Aurelius dove into the practicalities in life, trying to sort out the source of his emotions and feelings, he discovered that mankind simply chases after the fleeting sensations that pop up in our interactions with the world save for the act of looking inward and the transcendental. He was considered to be the last good King in the Roman Empire. After him, more corrupt Emperors took the throne, the most notable was Emperor Nero. Nero chased those feelings to no end. He had been overwhelmed by a sense of inferiority in himself, never at ease.
In our culture now, I think inferiority and humility often get jumbled and used in the same way. Humility is to not indulge in externals and to have internal peace. Inferiority is to degrade oneself. It is the same as having an exhausting want that will never be fulfilled. Being a perfectionist can also lead a person to tire themselves on nothing but chasing emotions.
I often find in myself a sense of inferiority. The feeling of needing to increase my sense of worth easily leads to an unconscious need to boast and compare. Feelings of envy and loss can easily arise. There is a sense of never being satisfied or being able to compromise.
In our modern culture, we can easily develop a sense of inferiority with ourselves. To calmly accept as is, to not pursue externally is the greatest confidence. Marcus Aurelius led Rome wisely and confidently as he was at peace with himself. He knew to let things be as they are, to not chase the sensations that give rise to our wants and desires...
"Everything that happens happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so."
