Marcus Aurelius “Meditations”: 5 Lessons From Stoic Roman Emperor to Live Peaceful and Fulfilling Life
Marcus Aurelius was an emperor of Rome during the 2nd century AD when the Roman Empire faced many difficult situations and worries. He reigned in the extremely harsh conditions for the empire, such as wars, floods, earthquakes, but also famine, street riots, fires, epidemics, and the danger from the Germanic tribes.
Additionally, the emperor philosopher had to face numerous misfortunes in the imperial family, such as the death of his loved ones. And all these events are the vivid background of his personal diary that initially was named “To Himself”.
“Meditations” was never meant to be published, he wrote them to himself as the kind of guidance and self-improvement writings during his tough campaign on Germanic tribes and coping with personal tragedies.
In my opinion, the fact that “Meditations” might have never seen print is what makes this work even more authentic and relatable. We can see how one of the most powerful men in the world went through the same problems we face today.
"Meditations" shows the need to make everyday decisions, a kind of daily pragmatism, and on the other hand, reflections of a general human nature. Events in the emperor philosopher's life provide a context. But the main topic is the intellectual and emotional state of a person and his struggle to achieve internal balance.
My learnings from an insightful and timeless guide to a peaceful and fulfilling life.
1. Focus on your mind, not the outside events.
“Everything is interwoven, and the web is holy; none of its parts are unconnected. They are composed harmoniously, and together they compose the world. One world, made up of all things. One divinity, present in them all. One substance and one law—the logos that all rational beings share. And one truth . . . If this is indeed the culmination of one process, beings who share the same birth, the same logos. “ [Meditations, book VII]
One of the most important convictions is the Stoic worldview. They believed that the world is organized rationally and coherently. More specifically, the all-pervading force called “logos” rules the world and constantly strives to achieve its goal.
Logos is the absolute power that connects two worlds - individuals and the universe as a whole. So, humans shouldn’t be focused on external circumstances but instead shift their perspective and primary focus on what they can control. What they can control is the mind, not the outside world.
All events are determined by the Logos and follow an unbreakable chain of cause and effect. Aurelius was deeply convinced that Stoic philosophy shows that human life, despite its apparent vanity, has a very definite sense. And all the hurtful events and changes in the world constitute a one, uniform process that realizes a greater goal.
Aurelius painted a new, shining example of a man who lives in accordance with Nature and Reason because he knows that it frees him from sorrows, vanity, uncertainty, and fears. In short, he lives in harmony, walks on the road, and accepts what the universe is about, heads or tails.
All the events can’t hurt us because that would be contrary to the views on the rationality and purposefulness of logos, which rules the world. Nature itself excludes events that man wouldn’t be able to cope with.
A man should throw away the fears of challenges because all the hardships are unnatural:
“To a being with logos, an unnatural action is one that conflicts with the logos“
A similar approach is offered by Christian ethics, justifying the conflict that God is merciful, but on the other side, some of our experiences are sorrowful and painful. Christians believe that each of us has a cross that has to bear, but God wouldn't send us a burden that we couldn't bear. The common ground between Aurelius' stoicism and the Christian faith is that human's goal is to work on how to react to the events and lay all the trust in the universe.
Therefore, you should be focused on your mind because you have power over it, and you should leave the external events since they happen because they have to fulfill the greater mission. This is how Logos manifests itself. The events don't even think about you, and they shouldn’t be perceived in moral terms as bad or good because there always is a greater mission behind them that we may don't see.
2. Attitude is foundational.
“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.“ [Meditations, book VII]
Aurelius believed in the driving force of thoughts. He was clear that thoughts, both from an individual and a general perspective, influence the shape of the world.
Following stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius was deeply convinced of the purposefulness and the rationality of the universe. But what reveals that the rational side of the universe is so-called “pneuma”, a divine force that permeates everything.
Therefore, he believed that everything is linked, particularly highlighting the connection between a man and the universe. But what turns out to be more important in terms of the quality of the thoughts is the close connection within a man itself.
According to the emperor philosopher, humans are linked not only to the universe but also within themselves. Mind and thoughts are tied and manifest in the quality of our lives. So he was convinced that is better to have more positive thoughts than the opposite.
Aurelius thought that each human creates a small world, the own micro-cosmos by ideas and thoughts. Therefore, each human is capable of controlling his thoughts but also using them in a highly-productive way.
"It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet. What’s in my thoughts at this moment? Fear? Jealousy? Desire? Feelings like that?“
By following the thoughts of the Stoic philosopher, we can also conclude that the quality of life is independent of external factors.
In “Meditations” he stated that anywhere you can lead a good life because what speaks to the quality of life is the quality of the thoughts that shape it, regardless of any events.
3. Happiness is a skill you can develop.
“But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions.“ [Meditations, book V]
Roman Emperor granted everyone the right to happiness, which depends exclusively on himself. Aurelius stated that the happy one is the one who has prepared for that, but at the same time, he adds that nobody can be sure of happiness, as long as it depends on external circumstances.
Aurelius was in favor of that human beings have more causative power on their happiness and life in general than they may imagine. He leaves external factors and events for Nature, and he deals with practicing happiness on his own because he can control it.
Coming to a state of pure happiness, according to the Stoic, is a type of spiritual exercise, connected to that part of the soul that relates to everyday life. Feeling happiness is the natural state because it is felt by a rational soul who belongs to the same world order as logos. Therefore, a happy human is content with everything that surrounds him.
Achieving a state of happiness is possible by choosing the right path of thinking, but also by fulfilling daily duties without complaining. Additionally, Aurelius gives us some practical tips:
“Make sure you remain straightforward, upright, reverent, serious, unadorned, an ally of justice, pious, kind, affectionate, and doing your duty with a will. Fight to be the person philosophy tried to make you.”
When a person is dissatisfied, he should think that the soul does not succumb to any influence, neither mild nor violent, until it closes up and become aware of its own power. The human soul does not feel any pain, except the man himself will make it pass that judgment.
If a person is troubled by something external, what bothers him is his judgment, not the actual state of the event. And that’s why the Stoic Emperor was encouraged us to train control over the mind because the appropriate attitude and the ability to control it can do wonders for our happiness.
“Your ability to control your thoughts—treat it with respect. It’s all that protects your mind from false perceptions—false to your nature, and that of all rational beings. It’s what makes thoughtfulness possible, and affection for other people, and submission to the divine.”
Happiness is a skill that we can develop by practicing various forms of exercise, from fulfilling duties, restraining judgments to mental exercises based on controlling thoughts. Appropriate attitude also plays a crucial role because it prevents us from making false statements toward the rational universe.
4. Objective judgment.
“The mind is the ruler of the soul. It should remain unstirred by agitations of the flesh—gentle and violent ones alike. Not mingling with them, but fencing itself off and keeping those feelings in their place. When they make their way into your thoughts, through the sympathetic link between mind and body, don’t try to resist the sensation. The sensation is natural. But don’t let the mind start in with judgments, calling it “good” or “bad.” [Meditations, book V]
Stoic Roman Emperor was in a favor of defining the quality of life by how we take care of our mind. Because the mind is a ruler of the soul and influences all aspects of our everyday life.
Following stoic philosophy, Aurelius stated that reason guides the moral activities of human beings while overcoming their false or any judgments.
Stoic Philosopher in “Meditations” concludes that everyone should beware of making judgments because they come from emotions, not the rational side of a human being. Therefore, it’s counter-productive and not beneficial to make judgments.
Marcus Aurelius was deeply convinced that it is within our power to not disturb minds by making judgments.
If a sensation of making judgments occurs, we should approach it naturally without resentment. But take into consideration that every event happens for a higher reason. In short, there’s always a mission behind any event that is fulfilling the purpose of the universe.
Following Aurelius’ thoughts, we can conclude that everything is neither good nor evil, both life and death, pleasure and pain. Therefore they are no more good than they are evil.
5. Know yourself and value your opinion.
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. If a god appeared to us—or a wise human being, even —and prohibited us from concealing our thoughts or imagining anything without immediately shouting it out, we wouldn’t make it through a single day. That’s how much we value other people’s opinions—instead of our own.“
The emperor philosopher pointed out that we as human beings have a deeply-seated tendency to share our thoughts with people, impatiently waiting for their opinion. The lesson that comes from his thoughts is an encouragement to get to know yourself at first.
There’s another Stoic quote that reflects on his belief in the power of human thoughts to shape the world. So Aurelius wanted to warn us not to fall into constantly listening to opinions because these very opinions will become our thoughts, which can negatively affect our quality of life.
We should treat thoughts with respect and protect them from external influences, such as the opinion of others. Aurelius encouraged us to take care of the mind by deeply figuring out what’s the actual state and what are only subjective judgments.
He admonished us not to become a puppet that reacts to everything. And encouraged us to limit ourselves to the facts, not the misperceptions that often come from others.
“Discard your misperceptions. Stop being jerked like a puppet. Limit yourself to the present. Understand what happens—to you, to others. Analyze what exists, break it all down: material and cause. Anticipate your final hours. Other people’s mistakes? Leave them to their makers“
The ethical ideal of Aurelius's philosophy is a wise man who can control himself and is self-sufficient. He found good within himself and is always calm. The philosophy of Marcus Aurelius gives the man some support in a world of passing and uncertainty.
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Summary:
Focus on your mind because you can control it, and what you’re not capable of controlling are the external events. And they happen to fulfill the greater mission.
“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind” - your thoughts have the power to shape your small reality.
Happiness is the skill you can develop by fulfilling duties, controlling thoughts, doing mental exercises, and having a productive attitude. Happiness is built by habits.
Everything is neither good nor evil, both life and death, pleasure and pain. Therefore they are no more good than they are evil.
Don't succumb to misperceptions, value your opinion, and know yourself.