Stoicism is more than just a philosophy for discourses. It is a way of life. An ideal that you might not be able to reach but that you can work towards in this short life of yours to achieve happiness, contentment, freedom, and purpose. “Meditations” written by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius can be a bit repetitive of a read (I think that was the point for Marcus to remind himself repeatedly of the same principles) but it has some incredible gems in it. In this Part 1, I will share my favourite passages from Book 2 and Book 3 along with some of my explanations/thoughts. I am not writing anything about Book 1, as Marcus has simply written what he has learned from others in his life. It is sort of a book of gratitude for the people and things he has had in his life.
Following are portions of the text from Meditations that I like the most and find most useful to think about every day. Some of these I struggle with every day and try to improve myself.
[…] But as if you were now dying, despise the flesh. […](Book 2-2)
Remind yourself that your body is perishable and do not overly busy yourself with it because what happens to it is out of your control.
[…] And you will give yourself relief, if you do every act of your life as if it were the last, laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason, and all hypocrisy, and self-love, and discontent with the portion which has been given to you. […](Book 2-5)
You don’t know when death will come for you so do every act in your life without all these characteristics. A rational person on death’s door would have none of these characteristics in their actions.
Through not observing what is in the mind of another a man has seldom been seen to be unhappy but those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must necessarily be unhappy. (Book 2–8)
We are lucky that we can’t see in another person’s mind as this spares us from a lot of potentially tormenting thoughts and emotions. But you can’t achieve sustained happiness and contentment if you don’t know how your own mind works. So take some time every day and think about why you think and behave the way you do. What are the underlying causes and reasons? Understanding yourself is the only way to being content.
Since it is possible that you may depart from life this very moment, regulate every act and thought accordingly. But if there are gods, going away from among men is not a thing of which to be afraid because the gods will not involve you in evil. But if indeed they do not exist, or if they have no concern about human affairs, what is it to me to live in a universe devoid of gods or devoid of Providence? (Book 2–11)
What if you were going to die tomorrow? Wouldn’t that make you more tempered, benevolent, and selfless? What kind of worldly struggles would you busy yourself with if you were dying soon?
If there is a God then going away from this world is no loss but if there isn’t, what difference does it make? Why do you cling so dearly to this life? You’d eventually have to depart from it anyway?
[…] For a man cannot lose either the past or the future: for what a man has not, how can anyone take this from him? … the one who lives longest and the one who will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived […] (Book 2–15)
The present is the only thing any person has. You can only lose what you have. Thus present is the only thing that a person can lose by spending this time thinking about the past or imagining the future. Be content with what you have now and find peace with it.
[…] We must make haste then, not only because we are daily nearer to death, but also because the conception of things and the understanding of them cease first. (Book 3–1)
Busy yourself with thinking about how your mind works and with what principles you want to live your life. Find your purpose. Because with old age your mind would go before your body fails. So, do this before it is too late.
Do not waste the remainder of your life in thoughts about others, when you do not refer your thoughts to some object of common utility[…] (Book 3–4)
Why are you wasting your time thinking about others and what others think of you? Is your time and your thoughts such a cheap public utility that anyone can use?
[…] a man should use himself to think of those things only about which if one should suddenly ask, What have you now in your thoughts? With perfect openness you might, immediately answer, This or That […] (Book 3–4)
Strive to have such thoughts in your head that you will not be hesitant to share them with anyone openly. Your thoughts should be such that you are not ashamed of them if they were to be exposed publicly.
Do not labour unwillingly or without regard to the common interest, or without due consideration, or with distraction. Do not let studied ornament set off your thoughts, and be neither a man of many words nor busy about too many things […] (Book 3–5)
Do not do anything without due consideration or a purpose. Don’t be distracted by useless things or things that the crowd values. Speak only as much as necessary and do fewer things so you can do them well.
[…] Be cheerful also, and do not seek external help or the tranquillity which others give. A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others. (Book 3–5)
Have a cheerful and benevolent disposition regardless of what other people do. Do not rely on others for happiness or tranquility. What others do is out of your control. Find these things in your own mind and choose to be free.
Never value anything as profitable to yourself which shall compel you to break your promise, to lose your self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to behave hypocritically, to desire anything which needs walls and curtains […] (Book 3–7)
Things gained by breaking promises, losing self-respect, hatred, suspicion, and ill will towards your fellow humans are not profitable to you. If you have to gain something by doing things that you would like to remain hidden then this is not something that you should consider as valuable.
[…] Short then is the time which every man lives, and small the nook of the earth where he lives and short too the longest posthumous fame. Even this only continues through a succession of poor human beings, who will very soon die, and who do not even know themselves, much less one who died long ago. (Book 3–10)
Think about how short is the life of Earth in relation to the life of the universe. How short is the history of humans in relation to the life of this earth? Then how short your life is in comparison?
You are alive for less than the blink of an eye on the universal timescale. Remember this and you will find how useless are the things that people choose to busy themselves with for their whole existence. Remind yourself of your mortality.
The posthumous fame that people often spend their whole lives for also barely survives that long (if at all). How many Emperors, Generals, Kings, philosophers, writers, and poets have already been forgotten? Death is the ultimate equalizer. There have been more than 100 billion humans that have ever existed so far, according to some estimates. How many of them are still remembered and even if they are remembered, to what end?
Who are these people in the future that you hope will remember you? Why does it matter to you? They’ll die soon just like you and most of them won’t even know themselves, let alone know you, who has long been dead.
What is your favourite passage or part of Stoic Philosophy?
