Roman Emperors, Lobsters of the Titanic, and the Power of Perspective

“The whole universe is change and life is but what you deem it.”

- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Junior year of high school, my research class was tasked with reading the Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. This year, I revisited his writing with a new context and a different mindset. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor and philosopher who both practiced and preached stoicism. A stoic, as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is someone “free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submissive to natural law.” 

Let me be clear: I’m not a self-proclaimed stoic. Nor do I think anyone should move through life passively, as Merriam-Webster would define it. If anything, I’m a deep feeler. Small ripples of emotion easily turn into swells, painting my whole day the color of a single tide. I used to think I could be carried away by small ripples of these moments. A car horn honked on the highway, a misunderstanding with a stranger, a poor grade on a calculus quiz. These small moments each had the power to shift my mood far more than they deserved. While strong feelings could bring moments of joy too, I often felt I was at the mercy of the tides. Which made me think: how could someone like me ever relate to someone like Marcus Aurelius, a man who preached emotional restraint and passivity? 

Flowers in my room bring me so much joy during crazy weeks!

But after actually reading Meditations, I realized I had misunderstood the great Emperor. His work is grounded, honest, and so deeply human. In contrast to Miss Merriam-Webster, he never meant, don’t feel. He was saying, don’t let your feelings define the world around you. Life is composed of billions of moments, some tranquil waves and some uncontrollable rip currents, but it is up to us to give each one meaning. That’s the difference between spiraling and staying steady. 

That’s a lesson I’ve seen come to life in a few unexpected ways, one being this weird, maybe-not-true-but-who-cares kind of story about the Titanic. 

Picture this: It’s 1912 and you’re a lobster in a tank aboard the Titanic, set sail for New York City. Except you’re having trouble enjoying the journey because your final destination is slightly different. You’re set sail for someone’s plate. Amidst your contemplation and stages of grief, all of a sudden, the ground shakes and the glass breaks. Next thing you know, you’re back in the ocean. One moment you’re dinner-bound, the next, you’re free.

Same disaster. Completely different perspective. 

That story stuck with me. Sometimes, perspective doesn’t have to come from ancient philosophy. It can come from imagining a lobster having the best day of its life during one of the world’s great tragedies. 

Post big little reveal! (Emma, Alyssa, Olivia)

That image has popped into my mind more than once, especially in moments where things feel like they might be unraveling. Recently, those moments have shown up more than I’d like to admit. College is messy. The people closest to us can be weird. The world can feel so loud and heavy, but it’s also absurd and beautiful, depending on how you choose to see it. Lately, I’ve seen this play out very clearly in the relationships I have with my Chi Omega sisters. 

Coffee breaks with sisters!

This semester especially, there have been moments where I’ve felt overwhelmed by classes, clubs, jobs, friends, family, basically just life! But then someone texts me to check in, or offers coffee on a bad day, or simply sits with me and listens. In those smaller moments, I’m reminded to zoom out. To reframe. To breathe. 

They remind me that I’m never alone amidst the waves of life, and that sometimes what feels like an impossible current is actually a chance to grow stronger, more grounded, and more connected. 

So no, I’m not a stoic in the dictionary sense. And I’m definitely no Roman emperor. But I’m learning to feel deeply without being consumed. To hold space for hard days, but never to hand them the steering wheel. And to shift my perspective, thanks in no small part to the wisdom of a Roman emperor, the image of a lucky lobster, and the real-life love and steadiness of the people in my sisterhood. 

Because maybe the most powerful kind of perspective is remembering we’re never swimming alone. 

Xoxo,

Olivia (MC 24.5)