I have no friends in proximity. My cat is my friend. My diary is my friend. They don't reciprocate. But better not to as compared to humans whose affections are either half-intended are difficult to read. I think of the stoic emperor, in a position so high that he might have contemplated constantly on who his true friends are. Maybe he invented the concept and discipline of stoicism exactly because he had to protect his feelings. That he didn’t know what to make about people trying to befriend him. He might have also developed stoicism because running an empire is an unimaginably monstrous task that he needed a mix of detachment, austerity and peace just to cope.
I Am Aurelius
I Am Aurelius
I Am Aurelius
I have no friends in proximity. My cat is my friend. My diary is my friend. They don't reciprocate. But better not to as compared to humans whose affections are either half-intended are difficult to read. I think of the stoic emperor, in a position so high that he might have contemplated constantly on who his true friends are. Maybe he invented the concept and discipline of stoicism exactly because he had to protect his feelings. That he didn’t know what to make about people trying to befriend him. He might have also developed stoicism because running an empire is an unimaginably monstrous task that he needed a mix of detachment, austerity and peace just to cope.