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Day #2 of ‘Fame Week” at The Napkin Dad Daily. Today we move into the Roman Empire with a quote by my favorite Emperor, Marcus Aurelius.
So, we started with Socrates talking about the perfume of heroic deeds being what fame is made of. Now, 500-600 years later we read the Emperor Aurelius saying it will all fade away, fame and the famous. What happened to make that transformation?
Well, most likely it was Marcus Aurelius’ own observations of the history of his time. The golden age of Greece was ancient history to him by then, they were unearthing old remnants of that era and reconstructing some element of it but overall they saw it as long gone. Even the rich and famous and powerful of his day were supplanted and forgotten. The death of Caesar was already almost 200 years in the past. That is roughly akin in our era to remembering back to the death of George Washington in 1799.
Yes, George is still famous. Yes, Caesar is still famous. But the Emperor is not really talking about those exceptions to the rule. He is talking about the hundreds and thousands and millions of others who thought themselves so important, so indispensable who are now forgotten by all.
It’s a sad thought in some ways, but it is a good thought in many more ways. It keeps us focused on the reality of now. We may be remembered for a while, maybe hundreds or even thousands of years in some cases. but it’s not likely and it’s not something to depend on.
What we can depend on is now. You are here now. What deed can you do now? What obscure and unseen gesture can you do now to help a friend, encourage a co-worker? Will it lead to fame? Not likely. But will it lead to love and kindness growing? Yes, it will. And that is worth more than all the fame you could ever gather for yourself.
Drawing by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Marcus Aurelius, 121-180 CE, Stoic philosopher, Emperor of the Roman Empire
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