meditations.htm
Notes on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Glossary
- Daimon: The daimon is then equivalent to the Reason, to the self, to the intellect (nous), to the power of reflection (dianoia), and to the guiding principle (hegemonikon). [1]
- Ruling power: when Marcus Aurelius says "our ruling power," he is referring to the human mind, and he is reminding us that we have the power to choose how we live our lives
Book 3
Marcus Aurelius starts with a reflection on the shortness of life and the importance of a sense of urgency and a zest to cultivate knowledge and live according to nature
We ought to consider not only that our life is daily wasting away, but also that if a man should live longer, it is quite uncertain whether the understanding will still continue sufficient for the comprehension of things
... we must make hast then, not only because we are daily near to death, but also because the conception of things and the understanding of them cease first
He also encourages us to observe that even the things which follow after the things that are produced according to nature contain something pleasing and attractive
In his life, he seemed to have to remind himself how if we appreciate the nature in everything, we will see with no less pleasure the real gaping jaws of wild beasts than those that painters and sculptors show by imitation. We are able to look at the comeliness of old men and to look at young beauty with chaste eyes.
He continued with emphasizing to not waste the remainder of your life in thoughts about others. When we care too much about what a person is doing, why, and what is he saying, and what he thinks of us, we steer away from our ruling power.
Our activity should concentrate in our own lot, making your own actions fair and being persuaded that your portion is good.
He recommends us to to be cheerful, and "do not seek external help or the tranquility others give. A man then must stand erect, not be kept erected by others."
All that we have in this life is the present moment, an indivisible point; the rest of our life is either past or uncertain.
Being in the present moment allows us to apply ourselves to the task before us, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything to distract us.
We finish this book with a reminder to live in our own terms and come to the end of life pure, tranquil, ready to depart, and without any compulsion, perfectly reconciled with our lot.
Book 4
This book starts with a focus on maintaining our own inner tranquility. Marcus Aurelius emphasizes that it doesn't matter where you travel, no retreat is more pure than your own soul.
When we face difficulties, we must realize that enduring is part of justice and that men do wrong involuntarily.
He emphasizes this with a beautiful quote:
Things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; so our perturbations come only from our own inner opinions
The other is that all things you see around will change immediately and will no longer be; and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes we have witnessed
The universe is transformation, life is opinion