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.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to the According to West Podcast, the

(00:02):
podcast that explores theancient wisdom that empowers us
to live more intentional andmeaningful lives.
I'm your host Wes, and todaywe're diving into a powerful and
multifaceted quote from theStoic philosopher and Roman
Emperor Marcus Aurelius, whichis be your own master and look

(00:25):
at things as a man, as a humanbeing, as a citizen, and as a
mortal creature.
This isn't just one piece ofadvice.

(00:45):
Marcus Aurelius gives is givingus a step-by-step guide to
self-mastery by teaching us howto view our lives and the world
from uh four distinct but veryinterconnected viewpoints.
He's telling us to be to be he'stelling us to be in control of

(01:09):
our in control of ourselves.
We we need to understand ourplace in the world from a
personal and universal socialand finite perspective.
So let's let's unpack each ofthese perspectives and discover
how they can help you becomeyour own master.

(01:34):
The first perspective is deeplypersonal.
Um, looking at things as a manin context, man or woman, refers
to our unique individualidentity.
It's about seeing things fromthe viewpoint of our own
character, our own integrity,our own inner virtue.

(01:58):
This perspective is a call toself-awareness and personal
responsibility.

It means asking questions like: what is my role in this (02:04):
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situation?
What are my principles?
And am I acting in alignmentwith them?
Is this action an expression ofmy best self?
This perspective is thefoundation.
It's about building a stronginner fortress of character that

(02:26):
is guided by reason, not emotionor external pressures.
By first acting with personalintegrity, we set the stage for
all other perspectives toflourish.
If we can't master ourselves, wecan't truly be effective in any
role.

(02:52):
The second perspective broadensour view.
Look at things as a human being.
This is a universal viewpointthat asks us to see our shared
humanity.
It's a move away from ourindividual ego-driven concerns
and toward a recognition of ourcommon ground with every other

(03:13):
person on the planet.
This perspective is a call toempathy and compassion.

It means asking questions like: What is the common human (03:22):
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experience at play here?
How is this person's sufferingsimilar to my own?
How can I act with kindness andunderstanding, recognizing our
shared vulnerability?
By seeing others as fellow humanbeings, we break down the laws

(03:42):
of judgment and difference.
It reminds us that no matter ourindividual circumstances, we all
share the same basic fears,hopes, and struggles.
This perspective is the antidoteto arrogance and isolation.
It grounds our personalintegrity and a universal sense
of brotherhood and sisterhood.

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The third perspective is aboutour place in society.
Look at things as a citizen.
This viewpoint focuses on ourrole and responsibility within a
community, whether that's ourfamily, our workplace, our
country, or the globalcommunity.
This perspective is a call tocivic duty and mutual benefit.

(04:27):
This means asking questionslike: What is the duty to the
people around me?
Does this action serve thegreater good of my community?
How can I contribute to theharmony and justice of the
whole?
This viewpoint challenges us tomove beyond our own selfish
desires and consider the impactof our actions on others.

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It reminds us that we are abigger part of a larger,
interconnected whole and thatour well-being is tied to the
well-being of the collective.
It's a powerful motivator forselfless action, compromise, and
collaboration.
It's the practical applicationof our human compassion.

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And finally, the fourthperspective brings everything
into a sharp relief.
Look at things as a mortalcreature.
This is the ultimate timelessviewpoint that reminds us of the
fragility and brevity of life.
It's the final check on allother perspectives.

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This perspective is a call tourgency and wisdom.

It means asking questions like: Is this truly important given (05:41):
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the limited time I have?
Am I living a life that I willbe proud of at the end?
What truly matters?
This viewpoint is the antidoteto pettiness, procrastination,
and a life lived on autopilot.

(06:03):
By remembering our ownmortality, we gain clarity about
what's truly worth our energyand what is not.
It compels us to focus on ourcharacter, to be kind to others,
and to contribute meaningfullyto our community.
Because we know our time isshort.

(06:23):
It gives our actions purpose andour relationships depth.
So I would say the the firstthree perspectives, I have
everything on lock.
Well, at least I would like tothink I do.
Um the one that I actuallystruggle with is uh the fourth

(06:49):
perspective, which is you knowwhat I just discussed, uh uh
seeing things, uh looking atthings as a mortal creature.
Like as a citizen, you know whatyou should do as an upstanding
citizen, right?
As a man, you know what, youknow the things that come with
being a man, you know,protector, uh soft when you need

(07:11):
to be soft, hard when you needto be hard.
As a human being, you know,empathy, practicing that, having
sympathy, uh things of thatnature.
But this mortal creature thing,it's I struggle with that every
day.
Like, am I living a life that Iwill be proud of at the end?

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And some days, you know, likeanybody else, you're like, Yeah,
I'm doing what I need to do.
And some days you just witnesspeople being their trashiest
ways, and it on sometimes itgets you to be even trashier,
you know.
You're not so proud of some ofthe things you say or some of

(07:53):
the things you do throughoutyour day or even throughout your
week just because life ishitting you upside your head.
Um practicing living life withan urgency.
And when I say urgency to me, itdoesn't mean like, oh,

(08:15):
everything is needs to be uhit's one of those tricky things
where living life with anurgency to me means not
everything is urgent.
And some things are.
Sounds weird.
I guess I should explain that.

(08:35):
The things that I think areurgent most likely are not.
Uh but what I'm starting torealize is that those simple
things are that's the urgency.
Experience more of that, havemore of that, you know,
spreading my wisdom or uh beingaround friends, experiencing

(09:00):
joy, that's what I want at theend of the day.
Could I, you know, be living alife that I was proud of?
Did I did I matter or did I didI affect um people in a good
way?

(09:20):
Did I do good things?
Was I a good thing?
So I'm still working that out.
I don't quite know how to getthere in that regard to be a uh

(09:40):
to have that fourth perspectivejust like there, you know.
But yeah.
So how does this all tie back tothe first part of the quote?

(10:02):
Be your own master.
True self-mastery isn't justabout controlling our impulses,
it's about having a clear,comprehensive understanding of
our place in the world.
By consciously moving betweenthese four perspectives, from
the personal to the universal,from the social to the timeless,

(10:26):
we gain the clarity and wisdomneeded to make good decisions.
You act with integrity as aband, you act with compassion as
a human being, you act withpurpose as a citizen, and you
act with urgency as a mortalcreature.

(10:50):
This framework prevents us fromgetting stuck in any single
narrow perspective.
It keeps our actions grounded ina complete understanding of our
full identity and our role inthe world.
By practicing this, you are nolonger a victim of circumstances
or a slave to your emotions oreven a drifter without purpose.

(11:15):
You become the master of yourown life.
Thank you guys for joining me onthis episode of the According to
West Podcast.
Until next time, may you findstrength and clarity by looking
at the world through thesetimeless lenses.