Why are the collections of meditations still relevant to our lives 2,000 years after they were written? In general, Meditations is a collection of Marcus Aurelius’ journal entries. The book is a collection of thoroughly considered and in-depth ideas that were never intended for publication. Marcus intended to accomplish two things with the notes:
to create a fictional persona he might emulate and a life philosophy for himself.
As a key component of his battle to live up to his own standards
In this work, Marcus touches on fundamental universal truths that still apply to us today. Every human being must have interactions with other people and deities as well as existence, virtues, morality, obligation, death, and reason.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor who reigned from 161 to 180 AD. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in Roman history and is often cited as one of the greatest stoic philosophers of all time. Marcus Aurelius is best known for his writings, which were compiled into a book called “Meditations”.
Born in 121 AD in Rome, Marcus Aurelius was the last of the “Five Good Emperors” and was adopted by his predecessor Antoninus Pius. Despite being the son of a wealthy and prominent family, Marcus Aurelius was not interested in material possessions. Instead, he dedicated his life to philosophy and the pursuit of knowledge. He was particularly drawn to stoicism, a philosophy that emphasizes self-control, rational thinking, and the acceptance of fate.
Marcus Aurelius was well-educated and studied under some of the most prominent philosophers of his time, including Herodes Atticus and Junius Rusticus. As a ruler, he was known for his fair and just policies, and he worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his subjects. He was also a military commander and led campaigns against the Germanic tribes in the north, which were threatening Roman territory.
However, it is Marcus Aurelius’ writings that have made him one of the most enduring figures in history. “Meditations” is a collection of personal reflections on philosophy, morality, and the nature of existence. It was written during Marcus Aurelius’ campaigns against the Germanic tribes and was never intended for publication. Instead, it was a way for the emperor to reflect on his own life and to find solace in the face of adversity.
The writings in “Meditations” are deeply personal and offer insights into the mind of a great thinker and leader. The book is divided into 12 separate “books”, each of which deals with a different aspect of stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius reflects on everything from the impermanence of life to the importance of self-discipline and the need to avoid excess. He also offers advice on how to deal with difficult people and situations and how to find inner peace in the midst of chaos.
One of the most enduring themes in “Meditations” is the idea that we should focus on the present moment and live in the here and now. Marcus Aurelius believed that the past was gone and the future was uncertain, and that we should focus our attention on the present moment. He also believed that we should accept the world as it is, without trying to change it. This philosophy of acceptance and self-control has resonated with readers for centuries and continues to be a source of inspiration for many people today.
Despite his philosophical insights, Marcus Aurelius was not immune to the struggles and hardships of life. He suffered from chronic illness throughout his life and faced many personal tragedies, including the deaths of his wife and children. However, he remained stoic in the face of adversity and continued to lead with wisdom and compassion.
In Simple Words, Marcus Aurelius was a remarkable figure in Roman history and a great philosopher. His writings in “Meditations” continue to inspire and enlighten readers today, offering insights into the nature of existence and the importance of self-discipline and acceptance. Despite the passage of time, his ideas remain relevant and continue to influence people around the world.
If you react negatively to what others do to you, it will only make things worse.
What do you do when someone tries to hurt you physically or psychologically? Do you let them go or do you pursue retribution?
In either case, the harm done to you will have an impact on your emotional, physical, or mental health. But the degree of your suffering is based on how you respond to the circumstance. It would be better if you sought to change the bad people, as bad things are frequently done by people who are unaware of how they affect other people. If they choose not to alter, though, accept it and go on.
Yet one thing you shouldn’t permit is going against your morals. It would be beneficial if you constantly protected your thoughts from being tainted by the bad conduct of others.
Your capacity for logical thought will be hampered if you concentrate on their behaviour.
You shouldn’t be shocked by other people’s evil, urges Aurelius. Because your wishes cannot be granted, it would be best if you did not wish that men were not as prone to evil as they are. Individuals reveal their depravity because they are ignorant of right and wrong. It would be better if you offered them forgiveness for what they had done to you, even though you were hurt. Aurelius argues that people are social creatures designed for peaceful coexistence.
Spending a lot of time getting even won’t help you. Forgive them for the harm they have caused and set aside any good or bad that they may be doing. Instead, concentrate on yourself, assess your behaviour, identify any potential areas for improvement, and make any necessary corrections. Once the issue has been resolved, spend more time doing what is important to you. Focusing on what other people are doing is a waste of time, energy, and value.
Be a protector of your inner self.
Do you want to stay in bed all day? It’s not just you. We all have a voice inside of us that only wants to be lazy and keep doing pointless things. Ask yourself, “So you were born to feel nice instead of accomplishing things that important to you?” in such situation. Don’t you realise that birds, ants, and bees do the best they can to go about their everyday lives?
Concentrate like a Roman and give every task the willingness, seriousness, and concentration it requires. Eliminate all distractions, both internal and external, that can prevent you from completing the task at hand.
According to Aurelius, we only have a finite amount of time to do our tasks, and each minute we waste not completing them is a loss to ourselves. Thus, no matter what the circumstances are, carry out your tasks skillfully and fairly.
Certainly, you can attain your goals, but only if you approach each endeavour as if it were your final one and have a clear focus, a plan, and objectives. It would also be preferable if you didn’t let your emotions control you or make place for irrational or deceptive actions that would diminish the worth of what you do.
You reduce the likelihood of losing sight of your objectives when you take on the role of protector for your inner self. You give oversight to constantly assess what you’re doing and alert you if you start to stray from the main objective.
It’s acceptable for you to have internal conflicts. For instance, you might need to sleep till eight in the morning in order to arrive at work on time. But despite your best efforts, you can’t stop devouring doughnuts. You want to get an A+ on your test while also getting the best score possible in your most recent video game.
Aurelius recognized this struggle and underlined the need of facing the inner critic who undermines your desire to do something worthwhile. Your inner guardian should behave more like a parent who forbids their children from playing when they have schoolwork to complete.
To stop worrying about other people, keep in mind that death exists.
Do you consider dying? The idiom “memento mori,” which means you’re only there for a minute, is sadly ignored by the majority of people.
You can no longer waste time on activities that don’t improve your quality of life once you realise that you can stop existing at any time. You won’t be affected, for instance, by what others think of you. You won’t squander your free time watching TV or doing other passive activities.
Keep in mind that although you are there right now, you might not be in a minute. Aurelius highlights the necessity of doing only what is important to you in light of this. When pursuing your passions and fulfilling your personal goals, you are constantly in a race against time.
Therefore make extra time for your loved ones and cut out the things and people who aren’t worth your time.
It will help you focus if you constantly remind yourself that you’re about to die. To find a perfect example of doing only the important things in life, you don’t need to look to Marcus Aurelius. You don’t, you do! Do you recall when a friend or relative found out they had cancer? They abandoned everything that didn’t add value to their lives once they knew they were in danger and that death might be just around the corner, and they concentrated exclusively on what was crucial to them.
Aurelius was an emperor, which put him under a lot more stress than most of us have or ever will.
In addition to the fact that many ancient emperors were poisoned by individuals close to them, he experienced threats and public humiliations at the hands of his foes, like many other leaders in today’s world.
Aurelius reminded himself of the personal accomplishments he needed to attain before he died, knowing that death could come at any time. You will soon pass away, and so will everyone you know. It is easiest to stop worrying about what other people do if you continually remind yourself of this. Instead, you’ll face off against the clock to realize your goals.
How would your reputation help you when you pass away, even if you have a good one now? Soon, nobody will even recall your name. What benefit do you therefore have from concentrating on what other people do?
This is arguably the most important lesson that Aurelius has taught us. It’s crucial to remember when meditating that nothing in our environment, including ourselves, is everlasting. In order to lead happier lives, we should only pay attention to the vital things.
You will be able to distance yourself from many things that cause you to lose focus on attaining your goals if you measure the reality of death against your worries.
Realize Yourself and Appreciate Your Viewpoint
Your reality is shaped by your opinions. You create your reality; you don’t need an objective reality to tell you who you are or what to do.
Even if you become a billionaire and have all you want materially, if you continue to compare yourself to others, your life will be miserable. Yet, if your soul is filled with thankfulness, you can be destitute and still be joyful.
Every aspect of your life is based on your viewpoint because life is an opinion. What is good or terrible for your life is entirely up to you. While we place greater weight on objective reality than on ourselves, our view of ourselves has a significant impact on how we see the world.
Aurelius observed that humans are more interested in making up stories and discussing them with others in order to get their approval. Few people would live through a single day if a god forbade us from showing others what goes on in our imaginations. We cherish external praise in that way. But how does it benefit us? Merely a viewpoint that might influence your actual reasoning.
You should respect your views and keep them free from outside interference, such as the opinions of others. Determine the true situation of your life and your subjective assessment of it in order to hide your opinion from the outside world.
Create a distinct viewpoint that prevents you from responding to everything that happens to you and confines you to using facts rather than assumptions made by other people. While false perception hinders your capacity for thought and subjective perception of life, facts provide you a realistic view of the world.
Let’s say you aspire to be the perfect philosophy student. In that situation, you must realise that the only thing that counts in your life is what you think, and that’s the only thing that can offer you the peace of mind and drive you need to face challenges. Unfortunately, outside confirmations taint your rational thought.
The most valuable skill you possess is rational thought.
We differ from other animals in that we have the capacity for reasoning thought. So, in order to control the environment around us, we must utilise this feature efficiently.
The ability to reason allows you to accept nature even when it exhibits unpleasant aspects, which is your greatest benefit in understanding it. Even your opinions can be controlled by your rational mind, which can also assess whether your desires are compatible with nature. You can only harm your mind by developing wants for particular results.
Aurelius found strength in the knowledge that he was in control of his thoughts and not other forces.
He consciously reminds himself that the mind guards itself from outside views. Since it is isolated from the outside world, it cannot be impacted by worldly events unless it sets itself up to do so. You don’t have to agree with everything nature says because it has given you the freedom to pursue individual goals. It would be preferable to approach everything logically in order to decide whether it is important enough to pay attention to.
Do you comprehend the source of your distress? Most issues originate in our imaginations. Little things are amplified by our minds until they become major problems. If we consider the events that are taking place in our lives logically, we cannot make them stronger than they can be.
You have an obligation to work for humanity.
Humans are social creatures designed to coexist peacefully with others. We learn more about the genuine meaning of life and reap more rewards as we assist others. It is very ironic. Imagine, though, that each day you get up early to help others, which makes you happy.
You should pay more attention to things that make other people happy than those that make them unhappy, in any case. Respectfully serving others brings enjoyment and value in return.
True happiness does not come from pleasure. Yet, the way you view your assistance to others is what truly makes you happy. Humans are designed to help one another.
What skill do you have? What talent do you possess? You must decide what you are meant to do to help others because when they are pleased as a result of your actions, you too become happy. Worrying about things that don’t truly make you happy is a waste of time.
Consider the positive aspects of the events taking place around you.
What do you think of all the things that occur every day? How do you decide what is right and wrong?
The mind exists independently of events taking place in the outside world. It decides what impact the outside world will have on it. This suggests that your mind can choose how to interpret everything that happens to you. You can decide not to feel like a victim when something seems to damage your desire or get in the way of your efforts to achieve your goals.
You have to decide whether to be hurt when people say things that could harm you. Your interpretation of every experience matters to your thinking. Your attention will stay focused on crucial aspects of life rather than on things that damage your spirit if you make the decision to locate at least one good thing from even the worst situations. The intellect will transform into a sieve that only allows harmless and helpful things to pass through for the benefit of the heart.
Everything that belongs to you can be taken away, yet you retain control over how you will react in any given situation.
It’s not worth your time and effort to pursue fame and pleasure.
Our minds lead us to believe this, but pleasure is not necessary for our survival.
We shouldn’t waste our limited time seeking approval from other people’s validations since pursuing pleasure and fame is foolish.
No matter how enjoyable it may feel, fame is fleeting, and striving for it simply serves to highlight our flaws.
Nothing but the beauty of things that result from your solid reasoning may make your life better. The only true happiness comes from having a positive outlook on life and being in charge of your environment.
If you believe that receiving approval from others would help you in any meaningful way, you are mistaken. When you have done something excellent and others have benefited, why do you desire appreciation for it? Your own confirmation and conviction that you made the proper decision are the only things that matter.
You are one step away from losing your ability to reason if you crave acclaim and glory. Yet sadly, having a lot of desires for attention will only cause you to behave immorally. For instance, when someone is harmed, we are expected to provide them with unwavering support and work to enhance their wellbeing. But sadly, we frequently hold back from offering assistance until we feel that our needs for attention and fame have been satisfied.
Meditations Book Review
“Meditations” is a collection of personal writings by the Roman emperor and philosopher, Marcus Aurelius. Written during his campaigns against the Germanic tribes in the second century AD, the book is a reflection on stoic philosophy and a guide to living a good life.
At its core, “Meditations” is a book about self-improvement and the pursuit of wisdom. The writings are deeply personal, and Marcus Aurelius shares his innermost thoughts and reflections on life, death, and the human condition. He draws heavily on stoic philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of self-discipline, rational thinking, and the acceptance of fate.
One of the most striking things about “Meditations” is its relevance to modern readers. Despite being written almost two thousand years ago, many of the ideas and insights in the book are still applicable today. For example, Marcus Aurelius emphasizes the importance of living in the present moment and accepting the world as it is, rather than trying to change it. He also stresses the importance of developing self-control and avoiding excess in all things.
Another important theme in the book is the idea that we should focus on what we can control, rather than worrying about things outside of our control. Marcus Aurelius believed that we should not be attached to external things, such as wealth or status, but should instead focus on developing our own inner qualities, such as courage, wisdom, and kindness.
Overall, “Meditations” is a powerful and thought-provoking book that offers insights into the nature of existence and the importance of living a good life. While the language and style of the writing can be challenging at times, it is a book that rewards careful reading and reflection. Whether you are interested in philosophy, history, or self-improvement, “Meditations” is a book that is well worth reading.
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