Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library Classics)

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Now, going forward, the words of Marcus Aurelius will be forever in my mind, guiding me and showing me that there is a better path. This document was uploaded by our user. The uploader already confirmed that they had the permission to publish However, it wasn’t necessarily the impoverished view of humanity that bothered me, so much as the structure and length of the writings. It is written in almost bullet-point journalistic format. When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you’ll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they’re misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard? Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: 9780812968255 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: 9780812968255

Thus, I give this a 5 for the historical significance and relevant advice. But I give it a 3 due to aforementioned issues with clarity. We are providing our personal opinion and it should not be taken as legal, financial, or tax advice. Can’t you see? It’s just the same with you-and just as vital to nature. Meditations by Marcus AureliusI found many of his ideas more common sense than something divine. But his analogies and clarity set him apart. A difficult aspect of the book is that it's made up of scraps of Aurelius's personal accounts - hence the translations also reflect an incompleteness. But that doesn't take away the value of the book. He also confronts death, change, nature, human interactions. As put by Hays, Meditations recurring themes are: Live in the present moment. Don't dwell on the past or worry about the future. Focus on the present moment and make the most of it. When faced with people’s bad behavior, turn around and ask when you have acted like that. When you saw money as a good, or pleasure, or social position Your anger will subdue as soon as you recognize that they acted under compulsion (what else could they do?). Meditations by Marcus Aurelius It was a good read. The main themes were repetitive. The intro/foreword were a good explanation of the stoic philosophy.

Meditations: A New Translation - Gregory Hays, Marcus Meditations: A New Translation - Gregory Hays, Marcus

Today I escaped my anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions – not outside. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius If you want to do a deeper dive into the Stoics, then I recommend all of the following. Start first with A Guide to the Good Life, and proceed from there. For all of the pessimism at times in the work, I find that Meditations is very quotable and that is where Meditations shines. I can take a thought, an entry, and I can revisit it later on down the road. That is where the true value of Meditations comes into play for me. Best Quotes from Meditations: Life happens" is a very stoic modern phrase, and I think it sums it up fairly well. Of course there's more to Stoicism, but a constant theme throughout Meditations is the need to not push against the flow of life; to accept what "Nature" has done. Your car breaks down? Well, getting upset about it is causing you unnecessary suffering and grief. Accept what life has thrown at you and move on with it. Alexander Pope said, "whatever is, is right."Live a simple life. Don't be materialistic. Focus on the things that are truly important in life, such as your relationships, your health, and your happiness. When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on . Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them. It’s good to keep this in mind. This doesn't mean that I agree with nor do I believe everything Aurelius says. Of course, this is the beauty of philosophy—it simply begs you to think. Don't be afraid of death. Death is a natural part of life. Don't be afraid of it. Instead, embrace it and live your life to the fullest.