The Meditations (mobi) by Marcus
Aurelius
Philosophy That Changed My Life
One measure, perhaps, of a books worth, is its intergenerational pliancy:
do new readers acquire it and interpret it afresh down through the ages?
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated and introduced by Gregory
Hays, by that standard, is very worthwhile, indeed. Hays suggests that its
most recent incarnation--as a self-help book--is not only valid, but may be
close to the authors intent. The book, which Hays calls, fondly, a
haphazard set of notes, is indicative of the role of philosophy among the
ancients in that it is expected to provide a design for living. And it does,
both aphoristically (Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life.
Now take whats left and live it properly.) and rhetorically (What is it in
ourselves that we should prize?). Whether these, and other entries
(Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life.) sound life-changing or like
entries in a teenagers diary is up to the individual reader, as it should be.
Hayss introduction, which sketches the life of Marcus Aurelius (emperor of
Rome A.D. 161-180) as well as the basic tenets of stoicism, is accessible
and jaunty. --H. OBillovich
Personal Review: The Meditations (mobi) by Marcus Aurelius
"Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option:
* to accept this event with humility
* to treat this person as he should be treated
* to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in"
With these words, Marcus Aurelius succinctly captures the philosophy he
shaped his worldview around. Practical philosophy such as this often gets
tagged with the phrase "common sense" but to me this does a great
injustice to both the underlying philosophy and to the clearly intense
struggle to live life by such a code. The ideals that Marcus articulates are
perhaps commonly understood, but rarely translated into practice because
human nature tends toward the opposite response: to act selfishly, to taint
our judgment with thoughts of "what if?" and "why me?", and to rail against
that or those we believe have caused us insult or harm. To live as a Stoic -
-to accept external events as outside of our control, to treat others with
justice and fairness and work toward the common good, and to be able to
separate objective fact from subjective evaluation--is incredibly difficult.
The fact that Marcus felt the need to write these notes down and often
repeat the same themes over and over again to himself gives proof to their
difficulty.
Marcus can seem a bit cold and a bit pessimistic at times, but I don't think
this need be the case. It is actually a rather liberating message, both
specific and demanding of its adherents. Want true happiness? Be
unselfish in your actions. Don't deny your emotions or sp eculations, but do
keep them distinct from objective fact. The things that are done and said
to you are only "bad" if you let them be. Improve what you can control,
accept what you can't. If you need help putting things in perspective,
Marcus reminds us that all is transient: this too shall pass. More sobering
than uplifting, the message is different than your typical modern "self -help"
book. Yet, it is these differences and the insights they produce that make
it a stimulating and rewarding read, especially in these turbulent days at
the beginning of the 21st century. Due to its excellent introduction and
general ease of reading, I particularly enjoyed this Hays translation but
encourage potential readers to compare several versions to see which fits
their needs best.
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