In Stoicism there is the idea that seeking fame, power, and wealth can lead you into a type of self generated captivity. It’s not that being famous, powerful, or wealthy is inherently bad, but the consequences of obtaining those prizes can be subtle and binding.
Think of the restrictions placed on the famous by society. If you want to keep your fame you had better conform to what the masses expect of you. Stray but a little and risk becoming a pariah… a fallen star. Do you really get to be yourself?
If you have sought and obtained power either through influence, position, or expertise what must you now do to sustain and hold this position? Whose ass do you have to kiss, whose ego do you have to fluff… whose dreams do you have to step on… What is the moral cost you paid and must continue to pay?
The accumulation of wealth often comes with hidden demands as well. Let’s take a car as an example. When you own a car you also own the responsibility of caring for it, storing it, putting gas in it. All of which comes at an additional cost. These “additional costs” grow as we accumulate more and more stuff and ultimately bind us up with obligations and commitments to care for the “things” we have.
If we aren’t careful in our pursuits of fame, power, and wealth we can find ourselves overwhelmed and subjected by our success. Or worse, failing in our pursuits we end up down-fallen because we can only perceive ourselves as “failures.”
So what is the remedy? Afterall, we need some notoriety in our lives to attract friends and allies. We need enough power to protect ourselves and those closest to us. We need some money as the fuel that enables us to provide for our sustainment and flourishing.
The answer can be found in understanding the purpose in your pursuit and then using your purpose to calibrate your decisions and actions. This idea is often distilled down to the very potent question of “why?”
If you find yourself bound up and captured by the pursuit of fame, power, or wealth I would suggest to you that it is time to break out this question and start using it to get a baseline understanding of what you are up to. Use it like a scalpel to cut through the layers of your perception until you get to the root of your motivations. Once you have a sense of what is driving your behavior you can dispute its validity, question its moral alignment, and challenge its effectiveness.
Then, if it is warranted, you can change and set yourself free.
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