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“On the loftiest throne in the world we are still sitting only on our own rump.” 

Michel de Montaigne from “Of Experience,” The Essays

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Well. We all park our ass in some seat. Sometimes it comes with some lofty title, sometimes its just a seat in the room, sometimes its really cushy & comfortable and sometimes its really uncomfortable.

But here’s the deal. Each seat, throne as it were, cannot tell who and what you are. An ass is an ass.

Now. Montaigne hung out with kings & queens and dukes & duchesses. Most of my friends are normal schmucks.

Doesn’t matter.

His words are relevant to any and all and I wish more people would remember these words <and the thought>. Some people may want to talk about ‘humility’ here. I will not. I will mention “awareness.” Awareness of situation and how you fit into the larger picture and larger narrative. 

Look. Thrones are tricky things. Not only can you get really comfortable in them, but they also tend to be placed on pedestals. Pedestals on which you are higher than others and can view things from a greater height.

Because of that you may begin thinking your ass is better than someone else’s.

Because of that you may begin thinking your throne’s greater height & its grander view means you  actually have an ability to see better than someone else.

Because of that you may begin confusing what you offer versus what the throne itself ‘offers.’

Because of that you may lose some self awareness.

Yeah.

Thrones are clever little shits. They seem to suck awareness right out of your ass as you sit there and, well, you become an ass.

To be clear. Your lofty throne may simply be one moment in the spotlight or a lifetime in the spotlight. And on occasion you may even gain a glimpse of true greatness. You may even deserve to be on such a lofty throne <even if but for a moment>.

My point? None of that really matters.

Even the highest of thrones simply is a comfortable seat for a simple, common, every day rump. Think about that every time you have a seat in the room.

Written by Bruce