Almost every other piece of literature is a kind of performance-it’s made for the audience. And it’s funny to think that his writings may be as special as they are because they were never intended for us to be read. Meditationsoriginally had no title and was written by Marcus Aurelius for his own benefit, not for an audience. They have become one of the most influential philosophy books in the history of the world. He is an inspiring example for us to think about today if we get tired, frustrated, or have to deal with some crisis.Īnd during those years of struggle, particularly while he was directing military campaigns, Marcus would write twelve books of his private journals, which is estimated to has been between 170 and 180 A.D. 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. Machiavelli considers the time of rule under Marcus “golden time” and him the last of the “Five Good Emperors.” Machiavelli would also describe Marcus Aurelius as “unassuming, a lover of justice, hater of cruelty, sympathetic and kind”ĭespite his privileges as an Emperor, Marcus Aurelius had a difficult life. Matthew Arnold, the essayist, remarked in 1863, that in Marcus we find a man who held the highest and most powerful station in the world-and the universal verdict of the people around him was that he proved himself worthy of it. It is worth remembering that Marcus is one of history’s most exemplary leaders and one worth emulating in our own lives. So, who was Marcus? A Roman emperor from 161 to 180 A.D., Marcus practiced Stoicism and wrote about his own Stoic practice in his journals. Read it, it is practical philosophy embodied. You cannot read this book and not come away with a phrase or a line that will be helpful to you the next time you are in trouble. It is imminently readable and perfectly accessible.
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Trained in Stoic philosophy, 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.
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It is the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions.
Meditationsis perhaps the only document of its kind ever made.
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