47.

"To watch the courses of the stars as if you revolved with them. To keep constantly in mind how the elements alter into one another. Thoughts like this wash off the mud of life below."

This meditation was valuable and relevant to me. When I think about the intricacies and vastness of the universe I am so humbled. Reading this, I cannot help but place less emphasis on my day to day worries and anxieties.

Although I thought most of the meditations were valuable, or I could at least see where he was coming from, I disagreed with his wanting to eliminate all pain from his life.

43.

"No chorus of lamentations, no hysterics."

I think it is important and healthy to experience deep sorrow along with joy. How can you have one without knowing the other? Seemingly, Aurelius's goal was to remain emotionally neutral to all his surroundings and anything that happened to him. He says in his second meditation, "What is outside my mind means nothing to it." Although, this may be true in theory, we live in a society where the things that happen around us define how we think, live, and function. Denying your emotions would be harmful and counter productive.

just a thought.

-To blame the other is easy enough.

-Their eyes are not your eyes; trust that their views will be different and remain open to individual interpretation.

-Burnt toast would be ok with a bit of butter.

Meditations

I loved reading Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It seemed like I could apply each of them to some aspect of my life. I think this was the first time I really connected with a reading. I also really sympathized with him, especially in his later years after his wife had died and he was preparing to turn over control to a son that clearly lacked his same passion. I can imagine myself in that situation almost and turning to writing would be something that I would definitely do. It really feels to me like Aurelius was really just any other ordinary man, he clearly shared the same struggles but it is the eloquence he has that sets him apart. I really found this reading to be encouraging and thought provoking, and definitely a piece of philosophy that I want to further explore.

People are People

26. 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?

I agree with the first two sentences entirely. However, where Marcus Aurelius believes it should be this way because everything follows the power of logos and moving outside this power harms people, I believe that all people have essentially the same core, and understanding the reason someone you dislike does something, allows you to see yourself in them, and in this way they become less an evil person and more someone to feel empathy for.

For example, if you overhear someone saying something bad about you, you tend to rush to the conclusion that they are a horrible person. However, if you consider the situation, you've probably felt the same urge to complain about people behind their backs if you feel you've been wronged.

We all have a natural tendency to assume we are always in the right, and see the faults in other people as if we have no faults of our own. For this reason we should not only analyze the actions of others, but our own actions as well. If we admit we are doing something for the wrong reason, we are less likely to judge others when they do the same.

Meditations

You will stay the same within your skin unless you decide to overpower a medical condition with a ray of sunshine across your face.

Travel through the clouds using a positive mental attitude as your vehicle to gain a calming outlook, and live a vivid life of reality.

One can’t rely on chocolate and shallow dreams as the source to rise above stress. Be real and victorious within your bodily abilities.

A Late Meditation

Well I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but as you can see I am behind on some of my blogs. This is because on February 3rd my father passed away from a freak accident and I had to rush home to be with my family and attend his funeral. His death drowns my heart in sorrow, but I have come back to school to continue and make him proud. After his death I have contemplated the fragility of human life greatly and now that I have had the chance to read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations I have picked two that I feel are pretty solid and timeless.

#7 Don't be afraid to need help. Like a solider storming a wall, you have a mission to accomplish. And if you have been wounded and you need a comrade to pull you up? So what?

This meditation resonates with me especially since I have been wounded greatly this month. In my past I have refused help and sacrifice because I wanted to be independent. Now that I am feeling real deep pain and sorrow I understand that asking for help is actually the right thing to do and receiving the gift of help and love is good. Receiving doesn't make me any less of a solider. If I have a mission to accomplish and the best way for me to get it done efficiently and correctly is by help than so be it. I have realized that it takes true maturity to accept genuine help and to accept that you can't do it alone.

#59 Dig deep; the water-goodness-is down there. And as long as you keep digging, it will keep bubbling up.

When I read this meditation I agreed because I believe that we are all born good and it is our experiences that can expose us to evil and we can choose to believe in that evil. I think we have all encountered that annoying person or rude individual and assume that they are just that way. Marcus Aurelius tends to meditate on how he can get along with people he can't stand maybe because he has trouble finding the good in them. I think I was drawn to this meditation because maybe I too struggle to get along with people I don't jive with. When I encounter people I try to remember that we all carry a unique story. We have all suffered and rejoiced and to keep in mind that we are all equal, we are all good! If we expose ourselves and dig into the hard shells we are all softies!

Meditating on Meditations

From what I can see in the blog, mostly everyone had the same reaction to Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" as I did. Reading these little bits of wisdom was inspiring, and I find it intriguing that almost everyone found quotes that were relatable and applicable to their lives. Even though so much time has passed since this was written, and even though these were Marcus Aurelius's personal reflections, we can still take away a lot of inspiration from it.
As I was reading I found myself getting stuck once in a while, reading some quotes over and over, letting my thoughts drift to my own life and in effect, meditating on "Meditations". This reading made me realize how rarely I inspect my own thoughts and feelings like Marcus Aurelius did. He wrote these things as personal reminders to himself, always keeping in touch with his thoughts, so that he could be a better person. I realized that meditating on my own thoughts is one of the most important things I can do, especially as an artist. "I can control my thoughts as necessary; then how can I be troubled?"

Marcus Aurelius Meditations

After Reading the book for wednesday I chose a couple of my favorite quotes.

18. Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? What's closer to nature's heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the free wood as it was? Eat food without transforming it? Can any vital process take place without somthing being changed?
Can't you see? It's just the same with you - and just as vital as nature

I took this as him saying we need change in order to live a succesfull life. I agree with this statement completely, i think without change, life isn't worth living. I don't want to the same unchanged lifestyle the rest of my days, i want each day i spend on earth to be different and exciting.

56. Think of yourself as dead. you have lived your life. Now take whats left, and live it properly.

Simple. Live life to the fullest

57. To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony.

I think he's saying that you s hould love only what has happened so far in your life and not compare on what others have. Humans appreciate things more when they don't compare on the better things other people have.

31. Wash yourself clean. With simplicity, with humility, with indifference to everything but right and wrong.
Care for other human beings. Follow God.

I love this quote because its such a simplified version on how everyone should live their life. This is my absolute favorite quote.

An overt thinker over thinking things over.