Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Reading | Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius stopped almost every night to practice a series of spiritual exercises—reminders designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever he was dealing with. You cannot read this book and not come away with a phrase or a line that will be helpful to you and let you think.
The Roman emperor
Marcus Aurelius, in full Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, original name (until 161 ce) Marcus Annius Verus, (born April 26, 121 ce, Rome [Italy]—died March 17, 180, Vindobona [Vienna, Austria] or Sirmium, Pannonia), Roman emperor (161–180).
When he was born, his paternal grandfather was already consul for the second time and prefect of Rome, which was the crown of prestige in a senatorial career. His father’s sister was married to the man who was destined to become the next emperor and whom he himself would in due time succeed. And his maternal grandmother was heiress to one of the most massive of Roman fortunes. The child Marcus was thus clearly destined for social distinction but how he came to the throne, however, remains a mystery.
Despite his privileges as an Emperor, Marcus Aurelius had a difficult life. The Roman historian Cassius Dio mused that Marcus “did not meet with the good fortune that he deserved, for he was not strong in body and was involved in a multitude of troubles throughout practically his entire reign. But throughout these struggles he never gave up.
- Change.
- Death.
- The shortness of life.
- The role and importance of the rational mind and will.
- Dealing with others and accepting their shortcomings.
- Avoiding the chase for pleasure and fame.
- Living according to nature and fully accepting its course.
The most important lesson to take away from Meditations is that our minds have great power. We can choose how we perceive events and we can always choose to be virtuous. It is also what to take away from Victor Frankl's - Man Search for meaning.
If we practice, we can instantly erase any bad impressions from our mind. In complete control of our thoughts and actions. Two quotes from the book about that: “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
People will always do awful (or at least unpleasant) things but we are only responsible our own virtue. There is a choice to be good even when surrounded by wrong. When others harms us, we can react with kindness, advising them of their errors if possible and being okay with it if they ignore this advice. When people anger us, immediately consider their point of view, remember that we have our own faults, and respond with positivity and indifference.
The deepest lesson in Meditations relates to human mortality and the shortness of life. Soon we shall be replaced, and should not waste our lives being distressed. Focus on doing good for others with the unknowable amount of time we have left to live. To make this a part of our lives we must reflect regularly on the fact that we will die. This can result in some of the deepest understandings available to you, therefore death should be confronted no matter how unpleasant it may be to think about. We should reflect on all the people that have come before us, what is left of them now, and what will later be left of us.