"Think by way of example on the times of Vespasian, and you'll see all these things: marrying, raising children, falling ill, dying, wars, holiday feasts, commerce, farming, flattering, pretending, suspecting, scheming, praying that others die, grumbling over one's lot, falling in love, amassing fortunes, lusting after office and power. Now that life of theirs is dead and gone...the times of Trajan, again the same...."

Ibn Khaldun was a court official turned historian in 14th century North Africa. He watched Iberian dynasties rise, soften in luxury, and collapse, and recorded it. The same marriages, intrigues, wars, and office-seeking repeated in cycles. What each age swore was new, he treated as the old pattern under fresh names.

Historicize: Look back to Vespasian, Trajan, any era. The same human motions repeat: birth, trade, scheming, celebrations, office-seeking. They thought it urgent. It vanished. So will ours. This kills the illusion of novelty and the tyranny of "now".

Universalize: Swap emperors for CEOs, influencers, ministers. Same script, new costumes. It becomes clear that fame is a current in a river that forgets its own water. Outrage cycles. Customs flip. Human nature persists. Therefore, anchor to what does not depend on fashion: virtue.

Prioritize: If all these pursuits are alike, measure them by use to the common good and discipline of your self-control. Keep what trains character, and drop the rest as noise.

Common Errors to Discard

1. Infatuation with office and applause: They are indifferent forms of a fleeting pursuit. Use them, don't crave them.
2. Despair or nihilism: Transience does not make virtue pointless; it makes it urgent.
3. Contempt for others: Their follies are yours in other seasons. Correct yourself, then serve others.
4. Humility as vanity: Performing "humility" can be a new form of vanity in disguise to win approval.

Modern Life

• Career ladder: Pursue competence and service. Accept your title the same as the weather. If you cheat to climb, you fall twice: once in character, once in time.
• Politics: Fulfill civic duties. Refuse theatrical rage. Regimes change, but your justice must not.
• Social media churn: Treat trends as "the times of Trajan." Post, if useful, with the reserve clause. Never outsource your mood to metrics.
• Wealth: Earn and deploy as a trustee, not a hoarder. Fortune is borrowed. Character is forged.

Maxims

• Same theater, new masks.
• Do not be driven by what will soon be dust.
• Measure by virtues, not verdicts.