It’s one those days that I can’t quite describe. A day beyond any lazy day.
It’s that time that your mind wanders across the mysteries of the universe. Perhaps one of the reasons that we don’t like absolute silence is because we don’t like where our minds go.
That’s me today. I am sitting on my carpet having a Cuba Libre (Rum and Coke) listening to music and thinking about death.
I end up reading a history book on Marcus Aurelius. Marcus was the Roman Emperor in the 2nd century AD during one of Rome’s less prosperous times, with a decade of plague going across Europe.
The plague — most likely smallpox — was named the Antonine Plague, after the emperor, and saw the decimation of empires and with a massive death toll of around five million people.
Historians write how carts would leave the city piled with thousands of bodies each day. Marcus wasn’t particularly a religious or superstitious man but as the leader of the Empire, he had to perform his religious duties as a way of comforting his people.
He was also a man who sought truth and over time became one of the proponents of stoicism.
FEAR
The plague, which they referred to as the pestilence, had ravaged the cities and trade, decimated the population and there was famine.
Many people turned to religion and others became charlatans or con men. Two con men stood out. One preached on wild fig trees in Campus Martius, talking about how the plague was a sign that the gods would strike the earth with fire and that it was the end of the world.
The famous of the two was Alexander of Abonoteichus, who faked a talking snake which he would use to pass “prophecies” and made a fortune. Everyone was looking for answers.
Death and despair became part of their daily life and over time the emperor’s views shifted to taking death as a natural part of life that no one should be afraid of.
That’s when the emperor took up stoicism. The philosophy called for people to focus on things within their control and not death, which was out of their sway. To emperor Marcus, fear was harmful.
MENTAL STRENGTH
Back to my thoughts about life. I thought about all the people who are processing life now without the right words.
I feel like I’m more stoic and I deal with death and bad things as part of life and not part of a bigger plan or punishment, or a lesson.
Everyone is processing the pandemic today through different lenses. It’s important to figure out how you are processing the bad news to be able to cope.
I’m sure that many men connect with me at this point, especially because right now my income streams all froze in two seconds.
It looks bleak and indefinite and we are all starting to feel the effect and the grief.
You may not hold my school of thought, but you need to process this self-isolation period healthily and get through this alive.
It’s okay to feel different things at the same time. If you feel it’s beyond what you can handle and its overwhelming you, seek help from friends and family and if that doesn’t work, seek professional help.