An ancient philosopher, 3D glasses, and a Cactus

“It’s not enough to simply hear these lessons once, instead, one practices them over and over again,

turns them over in their mind, and most importantly, writes them down and feels them flowing through their fingers in doing so.” -The Daily Stoic

I love to read and one of the most recent books I read is called, “Stillness in the Key” by Ryan Holiday.  In the book the author draws on many timeless philosophies to endeavor us to be “steady while the world spins around you.”  He uses examples from leaders and visionaries throughout history up until the present day and they all share this common quality of “steadiness”.  One such person was a Roman philosopher named Marcus Aurelius.  The author's representation and revere for this man peaked my curiosity and I decided to follow it and read some of Aurelius' own writings, specifically Meditations.

Marcus Aurelius was the Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher.  His most well known written work was actually a journal, recording his private notes to himself, that he kept throughout his rule. These writings take the form of actionable advice varying in length from one sentence to a long paragraph and it was written for no one but himself.  Aurelius shares a multitude of wisdom and pages of insight into the human experience in this book.  But what struck me the most about it was the clear pattern he had for repeating himself.  He was reminding himself over an over, in slightly different ways, how he wanted to live and who he wanted to be.  It was clear that he was working hard on these things and giving himself regular admonitions.

I can relate.

I've expressed my confusion about this with Edna recently.  It doesn't make a whole lot of sense that I've learned things about myself and “seen the light” so to speak –  then somehow find myself right back there learning them all over again.  I used the analogy of a 3-D movie to explain it.  When you watch a 3-D movie without the appropriate eyewear everything looks...off.  You can make out what's happening and follow along just fine and probably even enjoy the film.  And if you never knew there were some (rather unattractive) glasses you could use, you'd likely be content with your movie experience.  But once you are given the chance to put those plastic pieces of wizardry on your face it's a whole new world!  Taking them off now and seeing the movie in its original state isn't quite the same as it was before.  Because, of course, you've seen what it could be.

I told Edna, I know what my movie looks like with those glasses on and that's what I want.  But for some reason my 3-D glasses are repeatedly "losing their effectiveness”.  And I don't even realize it's happened until I'm ¾ of the way through Inception and I can no longer tell if Leonardo DiCaprio is on the 3rd or 4th level of the dream world.  Inevitably, I will recognize at some point that the glasses on my face have “worn out”.  Then I'll then realize that in my hand is a brand new pair, bringing with it relief and the accompanying frustration.

In my most recent volunteer day out at the preserve, Ranger Matt and I headed to a different part of the back country to check on a closely monitored endangered plant species, the Bakersfield cactus.  Much of the historical habitat for the species has been destroyed and fragmented by impacts associated with human activities.  Bakersfield cactus continues to be threatened by those factors and is expected to be further threatened in the future by climate change (also from humans, I might add, ahem).  So the Wildlands Conservancy has made it a priority to do everything possible to mitigate future threats, as the Wind Wolves Preserve is home to one of the largest stands of this endangered species anywhere.

One of the responsibilities these rangers have is to check on these plants once a month.  Each cactus has their own tag number, GPS location, protective metal casing and a variety of data that allows the caretakers to keep tabs on the little fellas.  Our job was to walk around the grasslands with a special iPad to locate each one.  Once identified, we would carefully pull the invasive grass out from between each cactus pad and enter data points about the plant's health and size.  Ranger Matt very patiently taught me how to asses the health index number and how to tell the difference between a primary, secondary or tertiary pad.  It simultaneously required time, critical thinking, delicate care and patience to do this job.  I was out with them for 3 hours and we only got to about 15% of the plants on site.

Because of its history, this is the cactus' current reality.  Over time their environment has been affected by circumstances and the elements and made the cactus vulnerable and in need of some attention.  The cactus have no consciousness, certainly.  But if they did I'm sure they would be throwing their little spiky pads up into the air and saying, “Wait a second, what the hell!?”  The cactus would know that they need to be rid of these choking grasses that bring extra fires and additional insects and microclimates that cause rotting.  They would recognize the need to have regular evaluation and attention to keep them healthy and thriving.

I marvel often at the things nature can teach us.

Through all of I've read of him, Marcus Aurelius has never lamented his necessity to continually remind himself of these truths in his life.  Not a single entry in his Meditations is referencing the fact that he's just had another day in which he needed to remind himself again of some compelling wisdom.  Not once is he saying, in so many words, “I can't believe I'm having to learn this again. Ugh!”  He knows those choking grasses of our human experience can get in the way and need to be pulled out.  Aurelius seems to understand that relearning each new day is what creates the beauty of what it means to be alive -- that that is valuable and worthy and not a failure or frustration.  That beloved philosopher accepts that it's beneficial to check in routinely to give ourselves a health index number, fully aware that there will most likely be spots of sun damage and bits of rot that need to be monitored and tended to.

And most importantly he taught me, like that endangered Bakersfield cactus, that it's worth it.