Towards the end of the first volume of Montaigne essays, there are some clearly unfinished pieces thrown in for reasons I cannot understand. This essay is the worst culprit of that batch—four paragraphs Montaigne lifted from Valerius Maximus, Plutarch, Tiberius Gracchus and Seneca that tell instances of leaders eschewing the trappings of leadership and power and living without luxuries.
My first time through the essays, I did Montaigne’s work for him and offered some of my own examples of leaders I’ve known who lived for more frugal lives than they could have if they’d fully leveraged their positions. But I’m not in the mood to co-dependently finish Montaigne’s thoughts today, so I’m going to pass on that effort. Some people take very little, others go completely crazy and grab everything they can get when the opportunity arises.
I am also unsure that, as long as people stay within the law and the rules of whatever organization they lead, it really matters all that much. Today, our entire economy seems to be built around the concept of fake luxury. Sure, you could just grab a coffee and go in the morning, but why not order a latte with some beautiful foam art on top that you will immediately sip and destroy?
But I need to stop because I’m doing Montaigne’s work for him again. Bad speechwriter’s habit. If you are thumbing through Montaigne’s essays and come across this piece, know in advance that it goes nowhere. Just like you can quickly scan this essay in my collection and take back time in your day.
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