Are You Allowed To Cry?

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2:26Are you allowed to cry? A Stoic is invulnerable. A Stoic is tough. A Stoic is emotionless. A Stoic can't cry, right? Well, Marcus Aurelius sure seemed to think otherwise. Here we have him weeping over the death of a beloved tutor. Here we have him breaking down at the thought of becoming emperor. Here we have him crying over the loss of so many during the plague. Here we have him tearing up at the assassinated body of his rival, Ovidius Cassius, mourning the murdered opportunity to grant the man clemency. The point is, Marcus Aurelius didn't see any contradiction with these shows of emotion. He didn't think it was unmanly to be sad or to mourn.

3:03In fact, the only time we do have Marcus Aurelius talking about an emotion not being manly is in reference to losing your temper. Besides that, the Stoics would say, it's okay to let it out. Don't feel bad if that's what you need. Life can be a pressure cooker at times. And like an actual pressure cooker, you've got to hit the release valve every so often so the whole thing doesn't explode in your face. You are only human. So be human, not just once, but all the time. Let yourself feel.