#65 – Enchiridion Ch 6: How to Stop Taking Pride in What Isn’t Yours, The Handsome Horse, Gladiator, and How to Avoid Patricide

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A horse can be proud of its own beauty. But if you’re proud of owning a beautiful horse, you’ve already confused what’s yours with what isn’t.

In this episode, we break down Enchiridion 6 and the Stoic warning against borrowed pride, deriving self-worth from status, outcomes, or association. What is actually yours is far narrower. Your judgment, your choices, your discipline, your restraint.

We bring in Gladiator as a case study. Maximus embodies owned excellence, character that survives the loss of everything external. Commodus represents borrowed identity, collapsing when applause fades.