Marcus Aurelius: The 5 Ways The Human Soul Degrades Itself: The Human Soul Degrades Itself:
1. To be disgruntled at anything that happens is a kind of secession from nature, which comprises the nature of all things.
2. When it turns its back on another person or sets out to do it harm, as the souls of the angry do.
3. When it is overpowered by pleasure or pain
4. When it puts on a mask and does or says something artificial or false
5. When it allows its action and impulse to be without purpose, to be random or disconnected: even the smallest things ought to be directed toward a goal.