Tag: Marcus Aurelius

1. Focused on the three "disciplines": the disciplines of perception, of actions and of the will
   1. Perception - absolute objectivity of thought
   2. Action - humans are social animals and must act as nature intended us to
   3. Will - discipline of will governs attitude of things not in our control
2. At every instant the objects and events in the world around us bombard us with impressions. As they do so they produce a phantasia, a mental impression. From this the mind generates a perception (hypolepsis), which might best be compared to a print made from a photogenic negative. Ideally this print will be an accurate and faithful representation of the original. But it may not be. It may be blurred, or it may include shadow images that distort or obscure the original. Chief among these are inappropriate value judgments: the designation as "good" or "evil" of things that in fact are neither good nor evil. It is, in other words, not objects and events but the interpretations we place on them that are the problem
3. Aim for "Gravity without airs"
4. To be free of passion and yet full of love
5. You need to avoid certain things in your train of thought: everything random, everything irrelevant
6. "...if you find there's nothing more important or valuable...then don't make room for anything but it - for anything that might lead you astray, tempt you off the road, and leave you unable to devote yourself completely to achieving the goodness that is uniquely yours."
7. "No random actions, none not based on underlying principles"
8. "Do less, better"
9. "Things have no hold on the soul"
10. "Things ordinary people are impressed by fall into the categories of things that are held together by simple physics...Those admired by more advanced minds are held together by a living soul...Still more sophisticated people admire what is guided by a rational mind...But those who revere that other mind - the one we all share, as humans and as citizens - aren't interested in other things. Their focus is on the state of their own minds - to avoid all selfishness and illogic, and to work with others to achieve that goal"
11. "You take things you don't control and define them as "good" or "bad." And so of course when the "bad" things happen, or the "good" ones don't, you blame the gods and feel hatred for the people responsible - or those you decide to make responsible. Much of our bad behavior stems from trying to apply those criteria. If we limited "good" and "bad" to our own actions, we'd have no call to challenge God, or to treat other people as enemies."
12. "The only thing that isn't worthless: to live this life out truthfully and rightly. And be patient with those who don't."
13. "Things can't shape our decisions by themselves"
14. "Straight, not straightened"
15. Helping them isn't yet its own reward. You're still seeing it only as The Right Thing To Do. You don't yet realize who you're really helping
16. "External things are not the problem. It's your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now."
17. "What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness"
18. "To stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be one."
19. "That no one can say truthfully that you are not a straightforward or honest person. That anyone who thinks that believes a falsehood. The responsibility is all yours; no one can stop you from being honest or straightforward. Simply resolve not to go on living if you aren't. It would be contrary to the logos"
20. "I am released from those around me. Not dragged against my will, but unresisting"
21. "It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own"

  What I got out of it  

1. The principles that Marcus Aurelius lays out here are just as relevant, if not more so, today than they were almost 2000 years ago. Dozens of powerful yet succinct messages that I believe can help anybody in any walk or stage of life. Highly recommend

Read Meditations