He wrote this for himself in his Meditations. So he wasn’t telling this to anyone but himself, therefore not ‘gaslighting’ anyone. Beyond being a roman emperor, he is also a pretty respected philosopher, and that generally doesn’t happen without having something interesting to say on the subject.
I kind of understand the objection, though. It’s a short step from “it isn’t manly to be enraged” to “just pull yourself up from your bootstraps.” I don’t think that’s what Marcus Aurelius was saying, but I can see how someone might read it that way.
He wrote this for himself in his Meditations. So he wasn’t telling this to anyone but himself, therefore not ‘gaslighting’ anyone. Beyond being a roman emperor, he is also a pretty respected philosopher, and that generally doesn’t happen without having something interesting to say on the subject.
I kind of understand the objection, though. It’s a short step from “it isn’t manly to be enraged” to “just pull yourself up from your bootstraps.” I don’t think that’s what Marcus Aurelius was saying, but I can see how someone might read it that way.