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Contributing Writer Classical Philosophy & the Long View

Dominic Aurelius

Dominic Aurelius is a writer and classicist whose lifelong conversation with ancient philosophy — the Stoics above all — has given him an unusual lens for contemporary experience. He has contributed to Light & Composition since 2018. For Dominic, every photograph confirms something Marcus Aurelius already said, which is less about the ancients being right and more about how little the essential human situation has changed in twenty centuries.

206 Published Reflections

Reflections by Dominic Aurelius

Showing 12 of 206 essays
The Weight of the Heights Photo of the Day
February 10, 2020

The Weight of the Heights

Seneca once remarked that we should climb to the heights not to be seen, but to see. There is a profound humility in standing before that which does not care for our presence. The mountain does not acknowledge the traveler; it does not shift its posture to accommodate our fatigue or our wonder. We are […]
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The Alchemy of the Mundane Photo of the Day
January 22, 2020

The Alchemy of the Mundane

Epictetus once remarked that it is not things themselves that disturb us, but our judgments about those things. We walk through our days labeling the world into categories of the useful and the discarded, the beautiful and the mundane. We assume that grace is found only in the cathedral or the mountain peak, forgetting that […]
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The Weight of Our Making Photo of the Day
January 3, 2020

The Weight of Our Making

Seneca once observed that we are not given a short life, but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of what we have. We look upon the world we have fashioned—the structures we build, the rivers we navigate, the air we share—and we often fail to see the reflection of our […]
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The Weight of Small Joys Photo of the Day
December 29, 2019

The Weight of Small Joys

Epictetus once remarked that we ought to be like the sun, which does not wait for prayers or incantations to shine, but simply gives its light to all. There is a profound, quiet dignity in the act of existing without the need for an audience. We spend so much of our lives performing for a […]
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The Architecture of Desire Photo of the Day
December 20, 2019

The Architecture of Desire

Seneca once remarked that we are often more concerned with the appearance of our pleasures than with the substance of our contentment. We build elaborate structures around our desires, treating the objects of our affection as if they were monuments to be preserved rather than fleeting experiences to be savored. It is a peculiar human […]
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The Mirror of the Mind Photo of the Day
December 11, 2019

The Mirror of the Mind

Seneca once observed that the mind is like a pool of water; when it is agitated by the winds of desire or the storms of anxiety, it cannot reflect the truth of the world. We spend our lives throwing stones into our own stillness, wondering why the image of reality appears fractured and distorted. We […]
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The Grace of Transit Photo of the Day
December 2, 2019

The Grace of Transit

Seneca once observed that we are like travelers on a ship; whether we sit or stand, whether we pace the deck or remain still, the vessel carries us forward regardless of our posture. We often imagine that our significance lies in our destination, in the arrival at some fixed point of safety or success. Yet, […]
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The Vigilant Soul Photo of the Day
December 2, 2019

The Vigilant Soul

Epictetus often reminded his students that the faculty of sight is not merely a physical tool, but a means of discernment. He argued that we must learn to see not just the object before us, but the nature of the object itself—to look past the surface and understand the purpose behind the form. In our […]
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The Weight of Presence Photo of the Day
November 9, 2019

The Weight of Presence

Epictetus taught that the chief task in life is simply to distinguish between what is within our control and what is not. We spend our days agitated by the opinions of others, the shifting tides of fortune, and the inevitable decay of the world around us—all things that remain stubbornly indifferent to our desires. To […]
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The Architecture of Stillness Photo of the Day
November 6, 2019

The Architecture of Stillness

Seneca once observed that we are often more afraid than we are hurt, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality. He understood that the human mind is a restless traveler, forever leaping ahead to anticipate storms or lingering behind to mourn shadows. We build our lives upon this shifting sand, forgetting that the […]
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The Virtue of Standing Alone Photo of the Day
October 22, 2019

The Virtue of Standing Alone

Seneca once observed that a tree which has been exposed to the wind becomes sturdier and more deeply rooted. He understood that growth is not a matter of comfort, but of resistance. We often fear the open field, the lack of shelter, and the exposure that comes with standing apart from the crowd. We seek […]
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The Stillness Within Photo of the Day
October 20, 2019

The Stillness Within

Epictetus taught that we are not disturbed by things themselves, but by the views we take of them. In a world that demands our constant attention, where noise is mistaken for progress and speed for success, the ability to retreat into one’s own mind is the ultimate freedom. We often look for sanctuary in physical […]
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