To be, rather than to seem

It is a custom within the United States for each state government to adopt a Latin motto to express their dedication to the citizens that created them. I am particularly fond of our own North Carolina’s choice: Esse quam videri. It means, “to be, rather than to seem.” Putting aside whether the motto is suitable for a state which passed HB2, I think there exists real wisdom in the phrase. For the purpose of this column, however, I will be turning to the moment when I first encountered the phrase and how it applies to Duke.

In Sallust’s “Cataline’s War,” the Roman historian sets up a distinction between the virtues of Roman leaders, those of Julius Caesar and Cato the Younger. At the time both were prominent names within the Roman Senate, and Caesar had yet to cross the Rubicon, initiating his civil war. While Sallust acknowledges that both men have achieved greatness, he illustrates that their paths there could not have been more different. While Sallust describes Caesar as a man of noble virtue, he still maintains that Caesar’s ultimate goal was both popularity and power. For Cato the path to popularity came not through direct pandering or ostentation but through an acceptance of modesty. In this portrayal, Sallust describes Cato as desiring to be, rather than to seem virtuous. It is his very rejection of seeming that ultimately drives Cato’s political and personal success.

In my Duke career so far I have too often taken the path of Caesar rather than Cato. I have looked outward rather than inward for validation. I have been more concerned with external perception than with my own performance.

For me it is not that I feel trapped within the classic idea of “effortless perfection.” I could not care less about what people thought of the way I achieved my goal—instead I frequently only cared about how others perceived me in the end. I did not care about figuring out what I believed in favor of adopting views I thought other people wanted me to hold. As I get closer to my final curtain at Duke, I hope to achieve (through this only slightly serious soul-searching in the pages of the Chronicle) some form of final clarity in regards to the issue of my own seeming.

Consider this first column a public apology. It represents my first step towards acting more like a Cato than a Caesar, to being rather than seeming and to expressing what values I truly wish to uphold. This phrase is more than relevant to Duke as well. What I like most about the phrase “esse quam videri” is that it applies as much to an institution as it does to a person. As an individual, I want to try to place being before seeming. As a columnist, I want to ask Duke to try to do the same.

The more observant among you might have noticed that Stephen Colbert is himself a fan of the phrase, “esse quam videri.” However, he puts it backwards. Above the fireplace on his set lies the inscription, “videri quam esse,” to seem rather than to be. I think we at Duke tend to do exactly the same thing minus the satire. As a community we tend to prioritize seeming over being.

Sometimes this campus is a cesspool of seeming.

Individuals and organizations more often than not sacrifice their own beliefs so that they can seem to be a part of a group. Putting my own personal opinions against HB2 aside, it is worth considering the ways in which we treat those on both sides of the HB2 debate. If someone were to openly support HB2 on this campus, they would essentially be committing social suicide. Some voices on this campus have such a presence that to hold an opinion against them is to not only disagree with them but to risk being socially ostracized. Consequently, that individual must make the decision to either conform to the societal standard (to seem respectable) or hold their own opinion and sacrifice potential social benefits (to be true to themselves).

Here’s to not causing too much controversy, and hopefully making room for a few more Catos on this campus.