This is a very keen and important point Marcus makes here. Sure, it is easy to have good will towards other Stoics and moral people. But what is a Stoic reaction to those whose philosophy is counter to everything Stoicism claims to stand for? And what of those who actively try to divert your focus from right living? The Stoic reaction must be the same: you must have goodwill toward them. No need to react harshly, but rather, respond gently. To act Stoically in one moment, but then in the next to be angry with someone who is trying to knock you out of your citadel, is certainly not Stoic. To be Stoic means to be Stoic all the time to all people. In brief, Stoicism would have to think and live with equanimity all the time. When confronted with events or strong emotions from other people, remain calm and composed. In all aspects of life and in all situations, remind yourself to always retain your equanimity. Give yourself the space and time to rationally assess the situation and to rationally respond to an event.
Monday, February 5, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B11:9
Just as those who try to block your progress along the straight path of reason will not be able to divert you from principled action, so you must not let them knock you out of your good will towards them. Rather you should watch yourself equally on both fronts, keeping not only a stability of judgement and action but also a mild response to those who try to stop you or are otherwise disaffected. To be angry with them is no less a weakness than to abandon your course of action and capitulate in panic. Both amount equally to desertion of duty - either being frightened into retreat, or setting yourself at odds with your natural kinsmen and friends.
This is a very keen and important point Marcus makes here. Sure, it is easy to have good will towards other Stoics and moral people. But what is a Stoic reaction to those whose philosophy is counter to everything Stoicism claims to stand for? And what of those who actively try to divert your focus from right living? The Stoic reaction must be the same: you must have goodwill toward them. No need to react harshly, but rather, respond gently. To act Stoically in one moment, but then in the next to be angry with someone who is trying to knock you out of your citadel, is certainly not Stoic. To be Stoic means to be Stoic all the time to all people. In brief, Stoicism would have to think and live with equanimity all the time. When confronted with events or strong emotions from other people, remain calm and composed. In all aspects of life and in all situations, remind yourself to always retain your equanimity. Give yourself the space and time to rationally assess the situation and to rationally respond to an event.
This is a very keen and important point Marcus makes here. Sure, it is easy to have good will towards other Stoics and moral people. But what is a Stoic reaction to those whose philosophy is counter to everything Stoicism claims to stand for? And what of those who actively try to divert your focus from right living? The Stoic reaction must be the same: you must have goodwill toward them. No need to react harshly, but rather, respond gently. To act Stoically in one moment, but then in the next to be angry with someone who is trying to knock you out of your citadel, is certainly not Stoic. To be Stoic means to be Stoic all the time to all people. In brief, Stoicism would have to think and live with equanimity all the time. When confronted with events or strong emotions from other people, remain calm and composed. In all aspects of life and in all situations, remind yourself to always retain your equanimity. Give yourself the space and time to rationally assess the situation and to rationally respond to an event.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B11:7-8
How clearly it strikes you that there is no other walk of life so conducive to the exercise of philosophy as this in which you now find yourself!
A branch cut from its neighbouring branch is necessarily cut away from the whole tree. In the same way a human being severed from just one other human has dropped from the whole community. Now the branch is cut off by someone else, but a man separates himself from his neighbour by his own hatred or rejection, not realizing that he has thereby severed himself from the wider society of fellow citizens. Only there is this gift we have from Zeus who brought together the human community: we can grow back again to our neighbour and resume our place in the complement of the whole. Too often repeated, though, such separation makes it harder to unite and restore the divided part. In sum, the branch which stays with the tree from the beginning of its growth and shares its transpiration is not the same as the branch which is cut off and then regrafted, whatever the gardeners say. Share their stock, but not their doctrines.
A branch cut from its neighbouring branch is necessarily cut away from the whole tree. In the same way a human being severed from just one other human has dropped from the whole community. Now the branch is cut off by someone else, but a man separates himself from his neighbour by his own hatred or rejection, not realizing that he has thereby severed himself from the wider society of fellow citizens. Only there is this gift we have from Zeus who brought together the human community: we can grow back again to our neighbour and resume our place in the complement of the whole. Too often repeated, though, such separation makes it harder to unite and restore the divided part. In sum, the branch which stays with the tree from the beginning of its growth and shares its transpiration is not the same as the branch which is cut off and then regrafted, whatever the gardeners say. Share their stock, but not their doctrines.
Chapter 7 of Book 11 seems to say that he (Marcus) is in a great position as Roman Emperor to practice his Stoic philosophy.
Humans have a unique opportunity to rejoin the community if they self-separate. Unlike many appendages which, if cut off, cannot be re-joined, humans can rejoin the community.
And then there is another dimension of this chapter. In the very last part of this chapter, Marcus closes with the quote "share their stock, but not their doctrines." Here, he clearly states that we must be a part of the tree (the community), but we don't have to partake in the mindlessness of society. Be engaged but also be mindful not to imitate the less philosophical aspects of society. To cite an example from modern-day, there is a major movement that runs counter to consumerism. The minimalist movement seeks to educate people not to make life about buying things, but rather to find a life of meaning. The author of the site becomingminimalist.com is Joshua Becker. He does not separate himself from society (i.e. live on mountain or remote ranch), rather he engages and attempts to educate and truly help others.
And how interesting I came across this section today, Super Bowl Sunday. The Super Bowl is almost as famous for its halftime commercials as it is for the actual game. If there were a holiday that celebrated consumerism, it would be Super Bowl Sunday. Feel free to attend and engage with friends and family at Super Bowl parties but be mindful not to be caught up in the philosophy of seeking happiness in owning and consuming things. Be a part of the stock of the tree, but don't embrace or share the doctrines.
(see also Citadel p. 49, 258, 292)
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B11:4-6
Have I done something for the common good? Then I too have benefited. Have this thought always ready to hand: and no stopping.
What is your profession? Being a good man. But this can only come about through philosophic concepts - concepts of the nature of the Whole, and concepts of the specific constitution of man.
First, tragedies were brought on stage to remind you of what can happen, that these happenings are determined by nature, and that what moves you in the theatre should not burden you on the larger stage of life. You can see the way things must turn out and that even those who cry 'Oh Cithaeron!' must bear them. There are some useful sayings too in the tragedians. A prime example is:
'If I and my two sons are now no more The gods' concern, this too will have its cause.'
Again: 'Mere things, brute facts, should not provoke your rage.' And: 'Ripe ears of corn are reaped, and so are lives.' And many others like that.
After tragedy the Old Comedy was introduced. There was educational value in its unbridled frankness, and this plain speaking was of itself a useful warning against pomposity Diogenes too adopted this trait to a similar end. After this, examine the nature of Middle Comedy and the purpose of the subsequent adoption of New Comedy, which gradually slipped into the mere artistry of imitation. True, it is recognized that these writers too said some useful things - but what was the whole thrust and aim of this sort of poetry and drama?
What is your profession? Being a good man. But this can only come about through philosophic concepts - concepts of the nature of the Whole, and concepts of the specific constitution of man.
First, tragedies were brought on stage to remind you of what can happen, that these happenings are determined by nature, and that what moves you in the theatre should not burden you on the larger stage of life. You can see the way things must turn out and that even those who cry 'Oh Cithaeron!' must bear them. There are some useful sayings too in the tragedians. A prime example is:
'If I and my two sons are now no more The gods' concern, this too will have its cause.'
Again: 'Mere things, brute facts, should not provoke your rage.' And: 'Ripe ears of corn are reaped, and so are lives.' And many others like that.
After tragedy the Old Comedy was introduced. There was educational value in its unbridled frankness, and this plain speaking was of itself a useful warning against pomposity Diogenes too adopted this trait to a similar end. After this, examine the nature of Middle Comedy and the purpose of the subsequent adoption of New Comedy, which gradually slipped into the mere artistry of imitation. True, it is recognized that these writers too said some useful things - but what was the whole thrust and aim of this sort of poetry and drama?
The discipline of action outlines how Stoics translate philosophy into social action. Humans, as rational beings (what makes us unique) are duty-bound to turn rational thought into action. This is our true nature and what we are supposed to do. Just as an apple tree is supposed to produce apples, humans are supposed to rationally think about life and translate that logic into helping others. And when we, as individuals or communities, help others, we, as individuals have also benefited. In essence, this is what chapters 4 and 5 of Book 11 are alluding to.
In chapter 6 of Book 11, Marcus talks about the theater arts and how they remind us of the concepts that we need to apply in life. "Tragedies" place extra burdens on the mind of the audience, who in turn, when they return to real life, appreciate more their lesser burdens. Then he talks of the benefits of the "Old Comedy" which is frank and plain speaking against people being pricks and full-of-themselves. Then came the "Middle" and "New Comedy" which were intended to mimic actual life.
In chapter 6 of Book 11, Marcus talks about the theater arts and how they remind us of the concepts that we need to apply in life. "Tragedies" place extra burdens on the mind of the audience, who in turn, when they return to real life, appreciate more their lesser burdens. Then he talks of the benefits of the "Old Comedy" which is frank and plain speaking against people being pricks and full-of-themselves. Then came the "Middle" and "New Comedy" which were intended to mimic actual life.
(see also Citadel p. 200)
Friday, February 2, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B11:2-3
You will think little of the entertainment of song or dance or all-in wrestling if you deconstruct the melodic line of a song into its individual notes and ask yourself of each of them: 'Is this something that overpowers me?' You will recoil from that admission. So too with a comparable analysis of dance by each movement and each pose, and the same again with wrestling. Generally, then, with the exception of virtue and its workings, remember to go straight to the component parts of anything, and through that analysis come to despise the thing itself. And the same method should be applied to the whole of life.
What a noble thing is the soul ready for its release from the body, if now must be the time, and prepared for whatever follows - extinction, dispersal, or survival! But this readiness must come from a specific decision: not in mere revolt, like the Christians, but thoughtful, dignified, and - if others are to believe it - undramatic.
What a noble thing is the soul ready for its release from the body, if now must be the time, and prepared for whatever follows - extinction, dispersal, or survival! But this readiness must come from a specific decision: not in mere revolt, like the Christians, but thoughtful, dignified, and - if others are to believe it - undramatic.
Chapter 2 is a perfect example of one way to apply the discipline of assent. We should not allow ourselves to be allured and fascinated by life and the things in life. To strip them of the appeal, we can deconstruct them into their parts. Once we have deconstructed things, we then give ourselves the space to make a proper judgement of the thing or the event. Once given that space or gap, we can then choose which moral virtue we should exercise.
Marcus provides a few examples in music, dance, and the sport of wrestling. If you break the whole of it into parts, the allure is greatly diminished. Once you do this, you may ask, "should I be overcome by this single note? This wrestling move? This dance move?" This exercise should break the allure. Do this with everything, except virtue. As you do this, you will soon discover you despise things that don't matter.
As for death, we must always be mentally prepared for it. How sad to see frenzy at death. How distinct and noble to meet death as an old friend.
(see also Citadel p. 133, 165, 272)
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B11:1
Further, the rational soul traverses the whole universe and its surrounding void, explores the shape of it, stretches into the infinity of time, encompasses and comprehends the periodic regeneration of the Whole. It reflects that our successors will see nothing new, just as our predecessors saw nothing more than we do: such is the sameness of things, a man of forty with any understanding whatsoever has in a sense seen all the past and all the future.
Particular qualities too of the rational soul are love of neighbour, truthfulness, integrity, no higher value than itself. This last is a defining quality of law also. There is thus no difference between the true principle of philosophy and the principle of justice.
Of all the objects and creatures in the universe known to humans, only humans are fully rational agents. No other living organism known to humankind has the ability to think about itself the way humans do. To use a fruit tree analogy, just as the ultimate purpose of an apple tree is to produce apples, so too for humans, our purpose is to live with moral excellence. In other words, for Stoics, the ‘fruit’ is producing a virtuous life. And not only can humans produce their ‘fruit’ by being virtuous, but they also reap the benefits.
Furthermore, humans can achieve what we were designed for the moment we act with virtue. There is no long process that leads to a pinnacle and then it is over. Rather, humans constantly live in the now. Whereas a concert, movie or play reaches an end and it is fully developed and complete, humans, on the other hand, always live in the now - in this time and this space. Eternity is not some far distant future or past. It is now. If you were to draw a line that represents eternity, at what point do you reach it? The answer is: the moment you are at it - which is now.
Humans have the capacity to think about time and space and ponder the cosmos. I don't think Marcus means we physically travel the whole universe, rather we can contemplate it and see that all that has happened before, happens now and will happen again. However, with the advance of science and technology, we are on the cusp of human exploration travelling beyond the moon and on to Mars and then even further. Even as enticing as this prospect sounds, Marcus still appreciates that all things tend to be the same. A forty-year-old man has seen just as much as a man who could live ten-thousand years. I can’t help but think about how the movie Ad Astra conveys a similar message. Despite our technological progress, philosophy teaches us that, ultimately, all that we have is the present moment and our circles of concern, and how our focus should be on the now and how our actions can not only benefit ourselves, but others. Humans fulfill their design when they act rationally out of love for neighbor, when they speak and act truthfully and are full of integrity (consistent in thought, speech and actions).
(see also Citadel p. 41, 147, 213-214, 275)
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:37-38
As far as you can, get into the habit of asking yourself in relation to any action taken by another: 'What is his point of reference here?' But begin with yourself: examine yourself first.
Remember that what pulls the strings is that part of us hidden inside: that is the power to act, that is the principle of life, that, one could say, is the man himself. So never give any equal thought to the vessel which contains it or the organs built round it. These are an instrument like an axe, differing only in their attachment to the body. There is no more use in these parts without the agency which starts or stops them than in the shuttle without the weaver, the pen without the writer, the whip without the driver.
Always check your own assumptions first (examine yourself) and then try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This will help you have empathy and kindness towards all.
The body is only a vessel - a means to act. What truly is you is your directing mind - your hegemonikon. This is what is truly ours - we get to choose.
Remember that what pulls the strings is that part of us hidden inside: that is the power to act, that is the principle of life, that, one could say, is the man himself. So never give any equal thought to the vessel which contains it or the organs built round it. These are an instrument like an axe, differing only in their attachment to the body. There is no more use in these parts without the agency which starts or stops them than in the shuttle without the weaver, the pen without the writer, the whip without the driver.
Always check your own assumptions first (examine yourself) and then try to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This will help you have empathy and kindness towards all.
The body is only a vessel - a means to act. What truly is you is your directing mind - your hegemonikon. This is what is truly ours - we get to choose.
Commentary on Meditations: B10:36
No one is so fortunate as not to have standing round his death- bed some people who welcome the fate coming on him. Was he the earnest sage? Then maybe there will be someone at his final moment saying to himself: 'We can breathe again now, rid of this schoolmaster. He was not hard on any one of us, but I could feel his silent criticism of us all.' So much for the earnest sage: but in our own case how many other reasons are there for a general wish to be rid of us? You will think of this when you are dying, and your departure will be the easier if you reason to yourself: 'I am leaving the sort of life in which even my colleagues - on whose behalf I have expended so much effort, prayer, and thought - even they want me out of the way, doubtless hoping for some relief from my death.' So why should anyone cling to a longer stay here on earth?
Do not, though, for that reason feel any less warmth for them as you depart this life, but keep true to your own character friendly, kind, generous. Again, your leaving of them should not be any wrench from life, but rather that easy slipping of the soul from the body's carapace experienced by those dying at peace. Nature bound you to them and made them your colleagues, but is now releasing you. My release is like parting from kinsmen, but I do not resist or need to be forced. This too is one of the ways to follow nature.
Do not, though, for that reason feel any less warmth for them as you depart this life, but keep true to your own character friendly, kind, generous. Again, your leaving of them should not be any wrench from life, but rather that easy slipping of the soul from the body's carapace experienced by those dying at peace. Nature bound you to them and made them your colleagues, but is now releasing you. My release is like parting from kinsmen, but I do not resist or need to be forced. This too is one of the ways to follow nature.
Chapter 36 of Book 10 is a deep dive into Marcus' thoughts specific to his death. There seems to be a lot of loaded ideas in this meditation of his. He seems to want to be called a sage, but yet, if people are grateful that he is now dead, perhaps he did not quite pull off the feat of becoming a sage since he was not able to successfully persuade people to be better. In which case, he is simply grateful he is leaving this sort of life, despite giving it his best effort to help those around him.
In the second part, he still reminds himself to continue to help and "feel warmth" for them even as he is preparing to die. He wants to life life fully to the end - being friendly, kind and generous all the way to the end. He does not want to die bitterly.
Pierre Hadot takes 3 to 4 pages to decompose this passage and it is well worth the read.
(see also Citadel p. 30, 228, 293-295)
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:34-35
One bitten by the true doctrines needs only a very short and commonplace reminder to lose all pain and fear - for instance:
The wind scatters one year's leaves on the ground ... so it is with the generations of men.
Your children are no more than 'leaves'. 'Leaves' too these loud voices of loyal praise, these curses from your opponents, this silent blame or mockery: mere 'leaves' likewise those with custody of your future fame. All these 'come round in the season of spring': but then the wind blows them down, and the forest 'puts out others' in their stead. All things are short-lived - this is their common lot - but you pursue likes and dislikes as if all was fixed for eternity. In a little while you too will close your eyes, and soon there will be others mourning the man who buries you.
The healthy eye must look at all there is to be seen, and not say 'I only want pale colours' - this is a symptom of disease. The healthy ear and nose must be ready for all sounds or smells, and the healthy stomach must accept all food in the same way that a mill accepts all it was made to grind. And so the healthy mind too must be ready for all eventualities. The mind which says 'my children must live', or 'there must be popular acclaim for all I do', is the eye demanding pale or the teeth demanding pap.
The wind scatters one year's leaves on the ground ... so it is with the generations of men.
Your children are no more than 'leaves'. 'Leaves' too these loud voices of loyal praise, these curses from your opponents, this silent blame or mockery: mere 'leaves' likewise those with custody of your future fame. All these 'come round in the season of spring': but then the wind blows them down, and the forest 'puts out others' in their stead. All things are short-lived - this is their common lot - but you pursue likes and dislikes as if all was fixed for eternity. In a little while you too will close your eyes, and soon there will be others mourning the man who buries you.
The healthy eye must look at all there is to be seen, and not say 'I only want pale colours' - this is a symptom of disease. The healthy ear and nose must be ready for all sounds or smells, and the healthy stomach must accept all food in the same way that a mill accepts all it was made to grind. And so the healthy mind too must be ready for all eventualities. The mind which says 'my children must live', or 'there must be popular acclaim for all I do', is the eye demanding pale or the teeth demanding pap.
Life is short. And for me, the older I get, the more quickly life seems to pass. We look at leaves from a tree as fleeting. Buds on a tree in the spring, shade in the summer, brilliant colors in the fall and then dead and blowing on the ground - soon to be mulch for future generations of growth. Similar too is the life of humans as well as the voices of others, be they loyal or blaming. All of this is "short-lived" and all too soon, you and I will be dead, perhaps mourned by our children, and then soon enough, our children will be dead too. Do not let this passage overcome you with morbidity! Rather, wake up and appreciate the life you have now! Live and "suck out all the marrow of life!"
Part of being resilient is being able to accept anything and everything that is tossed your way. A person who is resilient could be said to be "healthy" in mind and spirit. This is what Marcus means when he says a healthy eye can take and see all the colors. It would be ridiculous for the eye to say it only wants to see some colors. The same goes for ear, nose, and stomach. Therefore, to apply this to the mind, we cannot dictate what is out of our control. We can do much to ensure our children live long lives, but in absolute terms, we cannot control everything. We cannot control with 100% certainty whether they get ill or not. Therefore, our healthy mind is only healthy when we are prepared and can accept these things.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:33
In any given material circumstance what can be done or said to soundest effect? Whatever that is, it is in your power to do it or say it - and make no pretence of 'obstacles in the way'. You will never cease moaning until you experience the same pleasure in making an appropriately human response to any circumstance you meet or face as the hedonist does in his indulgence - a response, that is, in keeping with man's constitution. Because you should regard as enjoyment any action you can take in accord with your own nature; and you can do that anywhere.
Now the roller does not have the gift of following its own movement wherever it will, nor does water or fire, or anything else subject to a nature or life without reason: there are many barriers or impediments in their way. But mind and reason have the power, by their nature and at their will, to move through every obstacle.
Keeping clear in your view this easy facility of reason to carry through all things - like fire rising, a stone falling, a roller on a slope - stop looking for anything more. Any remaining hindrances either come from the corpse which is our body, or - without the judgement and consent of our own reason itself - have no power at all to break or harm.
Otherwise, anyone meeting such hindrance would immediately become bad himself. With all other organisms any harm occurring to any of them makes them worse in themselves. But in our case, to put it so, a person actually becomes better and more praiseworthy for the right use of the circumstances he meets. Generally, remember that nothing harms the citizen of nature other than what harms the city: and nothing harms the city other than what harms the law. None of our so-called misfortunes harms the law. So what is not harmful to the law does not harm either city or citizen.
Chapter 33 of Book 10 is one long-winded way of explaining the unique nature of humans, who have the ability to reason, which enables us to turn any perceived obstacle into an opportunity for growth to be better. Life, therefore, is viewed an a cauldron of experience. Humans proceed from one learning experience to the next, until any experience they face is consumed and becomes a part of them - like an unquenchable fire.
I read this really neat science fiction book as a sophomore in high school, called Ender's Game. In a nutshell, the books is about a boy who is recruited by a global military, whose goal is to defend the world from an invasion of aliens akin to insect hoards. The commanders of the military school that Ender is sent to, are tasked with shaping brilliant children into killing machines. Ender's education quickly heats up to the point when the commanders throw anything and everything at him. After establishing rules, the commanders break the rules and force Ender and his squad to act and react to unfair situations. They are trying to prepare him for anything that he will have to face when he battles the alien hoards.
Our lives may not require us to fight alien hoards, but our mindset should be similar - that when any obstacle or event happens to us, we are mentally resilient to meet it head on. Stoicism aims to prepare us for all events and obstacles.
Now the roller does not have the gift of following its own movement wherever it will, nor does water or fire, or anything else subject to a nature or life without reason: there are many barriers or impediments in their way. But mind and reason have the power, by their nature and at their will, to move through every obstacle.
Keeping clear in your view this easy facility of reason to carry through all things - like fire rising, a stone falling, a roller on a slope - stop looking for anything more. Any remaining hindrances either come from the corpse which is our body, or - without the judgement and consent of our own reason itself - have no power at all to break or harm.
Otherwise, anyone meeting such hindrance would immediately become bad himself. With all other organisms any harm occurring to any of them makes them worse in themselves. But in our case, to put it so, a person actually becomes better and more praiseworthy for the right use of the circumstances he meets. Generally, remember that nothing harms the citizen of nature other than what harms the city: and nothing harms the city other than what harms the law. None of our so-called misfortunes harms the law. So what is not harmful to the law does not harm either city or citizen.
Chapter 33 of Book 10 is one long-winded way of explaining the unique nature of humans, who have the ability to reason, which enables us to turn any perceived obstacle into an opportunity for growth to be better. Life, therefore, is viewed an a cauldron of experience. Humans proceed from one learning experience to the next, until any experience they face is consumed and becomes a part of them - like an unquenchable fire.
I read this really neat science fiction book as a sophomore in high school, called Ender's Game. In a nutshell, the books is about a boy who is recruited by a global military, whose goal is to defend the world from an invasion of aliens akin to insect hoards. The commanders of the military school that Ender is sent to, are tasked with shaping brilliant children into killing machines. Ender's education quickly heats up to the point when the commanders throw anything and everything at him. After establishing rules, the commanders break the rules and force Ender and his squad to act and react to unfair situations. They are trying to prepare him for anything that he will have to face when he battles the alien hoards.
Our lives may not require us to fight alien hoards, but our mindset should be similar - that when any obstacle or event happens to us, we are mentally resilient to meet it head on. Stoicism aims to prepare us for all events and obstacles.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:31-32
When you see Satyrion or Eutyches or Hymen, picture them in Socrates' circle; when you see Eutychion or Silvanus, picture Euphrates; when you see Tropaeophorus, picture Alciphron; when you see Severus, picture Crito or Xenophon; and when you look at yourself, picture one of the Caesars - for each, then, a parallel in the past. Then let this further thought strike you: Where are those men now? Nowhere, or wherever. In this way you will always look on human life as mere smoke and nothing, especially if you remind yourself also that what has once changed will be no more for the infinity of time. Why then this stress? Why not be content with an orderly passage through the brief span you have?
And what material situation, what role are you seeking to escape? What is all this other than an exercise for that reason which has looked at all of life with close and scientific inquiry? Stay on, then, until you have assimilated all this too, just as a strong stomach assimilates all food, or a bright fire turns all that you throw on it into flame and light.
Let no one have the chance to accuse you, with any truth, of not being sincere or a good man: make sure that anyone taking this view of you is a liar. This is wholly up to you - who is there to prevent you being good and sincere? You must just decide to live no longer if you won't have these qualities. And reason too abandons the man who won't.
In chapter 31 of Book 10, Marcus contemplates the great men of the past and asks, "Where are those men now?" They are dead and forgotten. It's all "smoke and nothing." This is an important mental exercise for anyone. I read history books for a few reasons. History is fascinating, deep, complex, vast. History repeats itself (Marcus alludes to this often). And if history repeats itself, perhaps we can learn from it to avoid the mistakes of the past or to attempt again its successes. But going back to the vast and complex nature of history. If you really take the time to dive into a history book and think about the people who lived hundreds and thousands of years ago, you find a kinship with them and you really appreciate the breath-taking scale of time! It's like looking down a corridor of two mirrors facing each others - it never ends! And were it not for the history books, many of these people and the stories would be long forgotten. Despite all the history books we have, even the famous and notable historical figures are forgotten.
So what? Well, once you have this appreciation for the vast scale of history, put your life and your problems next to those stories. At least for me, all of the sudden these "problems" I have turn very insignificant, very quickly. And at that precise moment, there is a space for me to appreciate my life now - to "be content with an orderly passage through brief span" of time I have now.
Furthermore, Marcus asks, "why are you attempting to escape these problems you have now?" Face them! Keep being engaged until you have overcome. The mental visual he often refers to is a fire consuming everything that is thrown at it. That is what Stoicism is aiming for: to help you and me to be like the unquenchable fire - one than is gritty and resilient enough to take on anything.
In chapter 32 of Book 10, Marcus outlines the one way to ensure no one ever truthfully calls you a liar or insincere person: don't be one! It's entirely in your control to be a good and sincere person.
(see also Citadel p. 48)
And what material situation, what role are you seeking to escape? What is all this other than an exercise for that reason which has looked at all of life with close and scientific inquiry? Stay on, then, until you have assimilated all this too, just as a strong stomach assimilates all food, or a bright fire turns all that you throw on it into flame and light.
Let no one have the chance to accuse you, with any truth, of not being sincere or a good man: make sure that anyone taking this view of you is a liar. This is wholly up to you - who is there to prevent you being good and sincere? You must just decide to live no longer if you won't have these qualities. And reason too abandons the man who won't.
In chapter 31 of Book 10, Marcus contemplates the great men of the past and asks, "Where are those men now?" They are dead and forgotten. It's all "smoke and nothing." This is an important mental exercise for anyone. I read history books for a few reasons. History is fascinating, deep, complex, vast. History repeats itself (Marcus alludes to this often). And if history repeats itself, perhaps we can learn from it to avoid the mistakes of the past or to attempt again its successes. But going back to the vast and complex nature of history. If you really take the time to dive into a history book and think about the people who lived hundreds and thousands of years ago, you find a kinship with them and you really appreciate the breath-taking scale of time! It's like looking down a corridor of two mirrors facing each others - it never ends! And were it not for the history books, many of these people and the stories would be long forgotten. Despite all the history books we have, even the famous and notable historical figures are forgotten.
So what? Well, once you have this appreciation for the vast scale of history, put your life and your problems next to those stories. At least for me, all of the sudden these "problems" I have turn very insignificant, very quickly. And at that precise moment, there is a space for me to appreciate my life now - to "be content with an orderly passage through brief span" of time I have now.
Furthermore, Marcus asks, "why are you attempting to escape these problems you have now?" Face them! Keep being engaged until you have overcome. The mental visual he often refers to is a fire consuming everything that is thrown at it. That is what Stoicism is aiming for: to help you and me to be like the unquenchable fire - one than is gritty and resilient enough to take on anything.
In chapter 32 of Book 10, Marcus outlines the one way to ensure no one ever truthfully calls you a liar or insincere person: don't be one! It's entirely in your control to be a good and sincere person.
(see also Citadel p. 48)
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:30
Whenever you take offence at the wrong done by another, move on at once to consider what similar wrong you are committing - it could be setting value on money, or pleasure, or reputation, and so on through the categories. This reflection will quickly damp your anger, aided by the further thought that the man is acting under compulsion - what else can he do? Or, if you can, remove the cause of his compulsion.
Being resilient; shaping my soul and mind to desire virtue; having grit - these are the rewards I seek in trying to live a Stoic life. And whenever someone says or does something that may offend me, I'd like to think that instead of immediately reacting, that I'd pause and reflect upon my attitude. Is what they did truly a wrong? If so, how does that stack up against my wrongs? How well am I doing with my goal of living a life according to virtue? This, coupled with the idea of giving others the benefit of the doubt (that's how they are; they may not be able to help themselves; it seemed to be reasonable to them) should "dampen your anger" and get you focused on what matters.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:26-29
Constantly reflect that all the things which happen now have happened before: reflect too that they will happen again in the future. Have in your mind's eye whole dramas with similar settings, all that you know of from your own experience or earlier history - for example, the whole court of Hadrian, the whole court of Antoninus, the whole court of Philip, Alexander, Croesus. All the same as now: just a different cast.
Picture everyone voicing pain or discontent at anything, as like a pig at a sacrifice, kicking and squealing. Just the same is the man who keeps it to himself, silently resentful on his bed. Think of all the threads that bind us, and how only rational creatures are given the choice of submitting willingly to events: pure submission is forced on all.
Consider each individual thing you do and ask yourself whether to lose it through death makes death itself any cause for fear.
Marcus takes a deep dive into the human life with regard to the subject of change. Think of the many changes each individual human goes through. And Marcus is only talking about the physical changes. On top of the physical are the mental and intellectual changes we all go through. One of my favorite things to say whenever one of my kids does something not so great, I tell myself and my wife, "this is not the final version of <insert name of kid>." Each of us goes through a change every day and we really only see the change after weeks, months and years pass.
We need to think about this change; we need to think about it constantly. And if we widen the scope a bit and observe the change in the whole world, we begin to get a sense of the complex depth of human history. It boggles my mind to think of all that can happen in a decade, let alone a century, let alone an epoch. This exercise helps us to put things in the proper perspective. Today's mountains are tomorrow's molehills.
Chapter 28 of Book 10 is all about attitude. Two extremes - one, you complain so much you squeal like a stuck pig; two, you inwardly complain and resent your lot in life. Now, think of all the creatures in the world, how few have the ability to control their attitude whether in pain or in pleasure, they can arrive to a mental point of not only not complaining, but loving their fate. I used to carry a quote around with me all the time. It's by Charles Swindoll on the subject of attitude:
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes.In the last part, Marcus revisits death. Really, fear of death is only fear of not being able to do what you are doing today. Maybe its work, manual labor, school, playing games or something else. If you were ill and could not do those things, no different than death.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:23-25
What is my directing mind to me? What am I turning it into now, what use am I making of it? Is it drained of intelligence? Is it divorced and broken off from society? Is it so interfused and welded to the flesh that it sways with its tides?
A slave running from his master is a fugitive. Law is our master: the law-breaker is therefore a fugitive. But also in the same way pain, anger, or fear denote refusal of some past, present, or future order from the governor of all things - and this is law, which legislates his lot for each of us. To feel fear, then, pain or anger is to be a fugitive.
Live in the here and now. At this spot in time and space, you may be tempted to think that so-and-so has it better or that you wish you lived a 1000 miles from where you are, or that you wish it were Christmas or Summer. The grass is not greener on the other side. On the other side, you will find other, different problems. The local high school basketball team loved to gripe and complain about the head coach last year. For my part, I thought he ran a great program (won a state championship in 2006, runner up in 2007). I didn't "get" the complaining. Then he resigned and went to coach at another school. The boys were gleeful. This year, the new coach is an utter disaster. Boys are quitting right and life and more than once, I've heard expressed they wished the old coach were back.
In chapter 24 of Book 10, Marcus rhetorically asks what he's doing with his mind. We can pose the same questions to ourselves. Are you using your intelligence or mindlessly playing games or scrolling through social media? Are you socially engaged or disengaged from other people? Do you spend time and effort and thought fulfilling desires? The answers ought to be insightful.
If you are focused on virtue and you experience fear, pain or anger, then use those feelings to self-correct. However, if you are fearful of death or pain or angry at not getting your way with food or money, then you may be focusing on the wrong things.
(see also Citadel p. 57, 290)
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:19-22
What sort of people are they when eating, sleeping, coupling, shitting, etc.? Then what are they like when given power over men? Haughty, quick to anger, punishing to excess. And yet just now they were slaves to all those needs for all those reasons: and shortly they will be slaves again.
What universal nature brings to each is brought to his benefit. The benefit stands at the time of its bringing.
'Earth loves the rain, the proud sky loves to give it.' The whole world loves to create futurity. I say then to the world, 'I share your love.' Is this not the source of the phrase, 'This loves to happen'?
Either you live on here, used to it now; or you retire, your own decision to leave; or you die, your service done. No other choice. Be cheerful, then.
(see also Citadel p. 141, 230)
What universal nature brings to each is brought to his benefit. The benefit stands at the time of its bringing.
'Earth loves the rain, the proud sky loves to give it.' The whole world loves to create futurity. I say then to the world, 'I share your love.' Is this not the source of the phrase, 'This loves to happen'?
Either you live on here, used to it now; or you retire, your own decision to leave; or you die, your service done. No other choice. Be cheerful, then.
If you've ever taken a public speaking class, you may have been taught a few tricks to get over the butterflies or the feeling of anxiety. One of them is to imagine the audience in less flattering circumstances - being naked, for instance. Supposedly, that helps some people to remove the edge of anxiety. Similarly, Marcus advises us to imagine people as simply normal people who do normal things: eating, sleeping, having sex, going to the bathroom. Suddenly, their haughtiness (pride, ego) isn't so formidable; their anger is comical; their power to punish is diminished. They are slaves to eating, sleeping, pooping and soon they will be a slave to death.
In chapter 20 of Book 10, this is a theme Marcus oft repeats. Whatever the Universe creates, and all the byproducts of it, the benefit is self-evident. It is somewhat of a cryptic passage but falls under the domain of the discipline of desire.
Similarly, chapter 21 of Book 10 falls under the category of Universal nature. Things flourish on the earth when it rains, and one the sky's purpose is to send rain to the earth. Things are in harmony.
Live in the present or not at all. A bit extreme, but the point has a twofold message. 1. Love your fate - love what is happening now. In some form or fashion, it benefits you or makes you a better person. 2. Complaining accomplishes nothing. Contentment with the now or at least enduring the present moment, or nothing.
(see also Citadel p. 141, 230)
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:15-18
No more roundabout discussion of what makes a good man. Be one!
Keep constantly in your mind an impression of the whole of time and the whole of existence - and the thought that each individual thing is, on the scale of existence, a mere fig-seed; on the scale of time, one turn of a drill.
Consider any existing object and reflect that it is even now in the process of dissolution and change, in a sense regenerating through decay or dispersal: in other words, to what sort of 'death' each thing is born.
Life is short. Some will spend what little time they have left, filling their life with pleasures and desires. Stoics spend what little time they have left, trying to practice courage, temperance, carrying out justice and living wisely. Stoics will live this way whether living in a city or on a mountain - it makes no difference. The world is their city. To put this thought in modern day vernacular: the world is my safe zone. So many try to cut out a "safe zone" where they won't or can't be hurt. But by so doing, they cheat themselves of precious learning experiences. The world should be your safe zone - interact with everyone - treat everyone with respect and kindness - teach and help others to see wisdom. Marcus goes so far as to say that if the world can't bear you, then let it kill you! It's better to die free than live in slavery.
While you live - while you can - be a good man now!
Never, ever forget the little speck of dust you dwell on; and the minute speck of time you occupy in eternity. This puts everything in proper perspective.
Everything is in the process of changing and dying. Each second, minute, hour, day we march closer to decay and dissolution. Life is short. Use your time now to be a good human.
(see also Citadel p. 171, 291)
Monday, January 22, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:13-14
As soon as you wake from sleep ask yourself: 'Will it make any difference to you if others criticize what is in fact just and true?' No, it will not. You have surely not forgotten what these people who whinny in praise or blame of others are like in their bed and at their board, the sort of things they do and avoid or pursue, their cheating and stealing, not with hands and feet, but with the most precious part of themselves, the part where - if allowed - there grows trust, decency, truth, law, the spirit of goodness.
Nature gives all and takes all back. To her the man educated into humility says: 'Give what you will; take back what you will.' And he says this in no spirit of defiance, but simply as her loyal subject.
In chapter 13, Marcus notes what truly matters: truth, justice, decency and goodness. It does not matter what others criticize. If it doesn't stand up to the test of truth and justice, it deserves to be criticized and 'brought to justice.' But if others are going to criticize truth and justice, then don't forget how petty these people can be - what useless things they pursue and care about. They only cheat themselves out of virtue.
Regarding chapter 14, if one truly seeks to live according to Nature, then one will realize all that he has comes from Nature and all his possessions will be returned to Nature. This attitude is aligned with loving the fate one has been given.
(see also Citadel p. 121, 265, 217)
Nature gives all and takes all back. To her the man educated into humility says: 'Give what you will; take back what you will.' And he says this in no spirit of defiance, but simply as her loyal subject.
In chapter 13, Marcus notes what truly matters: truth, justice, decency and goodness. It does not matter what others criticize. If it doesn't stand up to the test of truth and justice, it deserves to be criticized and 'brought to justice.' But if others are going to criticize truth and justice, then don't forget how petty these people can be - what useless things they pursue and care about. They only cheat themselves out of virtue.
Regarding chapter 14, if one truly seeks to live according to Nature, then one will realize all that he has comes from Nature and all his possessions will be returned to Nature. This attitude is aligned with loving the fate one has been given.
(see also Citadel p. 121, 265, 217)
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:11-12
What need of prompt or hint when it is open to yourself to discern what needs to be done - and, if you can see your way, to follow it with kind but undeviating intent. If you cannot see the way, hold back and consult your best advisers. If some other factors obstruct this advice, proceed on your present resources, but with cautious deliberation, keeping always to what seems just. Justice is the best aim, as any failure is in fact a failure of justice. A man following reason in all things combines relaxation with initiative, spark with composure.
If you constantly recognize how much and how often things and people change, you really begin to see how fragile and fleeting this life is. There are a couple of reactions to this: you may decide life and all in it is just a joke and you're going to go do whatever you want - sex, drugs, rock and roll!! Or maybe you decide that so much in life really isn't important, and therefore what you should devote yourself to is virtue - justice, wisdom, courage, temperance. And you won't care what others say or think about you, because you know that you have found real truth and you are focused on what truly matters. You have found the one path that matters and your only desire is to follow it - to follow the true, undeviating nature - the one that won't disappoint you at the end of it all.
Now that you have found the way - you have dug deep and have found solid rock - you should not need to be reminded and prompted as to what you should do. If, however, you come at a crossroads, you should have enough information to decide which path to take. But if not, then seek advice from "your best advisers." But if even your best advisers cannot help, then proceed with what information you have. If your decision is defensible in the context of justice, what more can you ask for? At ease, but with initiative; a spark of action, but under control and with composure.
(see also Citadel p. 209-210)
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:9-10
Farce, war, frenzy, torpor, slavery! Day by day those sacred doctrines of yours will be wiped out, whenever you conceive and admit them untested by natural philosophy. Every perception, every action must both satisfy the circumstantial and exercise the theoretical, so that you preserve the confidence of precise knowledge in every particular - this confidence unobtrusive, but not concealed.
Because when will you take your pleasure in simplicity? When in dignity? When in the knowledge of each individual thing - what is its essential nature, its place in the world, its natural span of existence, what are its components, to whom can it belong, who can give it and take it away?
A spider is proud to trap a fly. Men are proud of their own hunting - a hare, a sprat in the net, boars, bears, Sarmatian prisoners. If you examine their motives, are they not all bandits?
Live an examined life. Test your assumptions. Soon those things you have held dear or those things you have feared, will disappear. Develop the theory of Stoic philosophy, then put it to the test. See if the theories work in every circumstance.
There is nothing really special about hunting; it's simply theft, when you think about it. However, I'm not entirely convinced it's bad to eat a nice, juicy, tender steak.
(see also Citadel p. 42, 48, 258, 259)
Because when will you take your pleasure in simplicity? When in dignity? When in the knowledge of each individual thing - what is its essential nature, its place in the world, its natural span of existence, what are its components, to whom can it belong, who can give it and take it away?
A spider is proud to trap a fly. Men are proud of their own hunting - a hare, a sprat in the net, boars, bears, Sarmatian prisoners. If you examine their motives, are they not all bandits?
Live an examined life. Test your assumptions. Soon those things you have held dear or those things you have feared, will disappear. Develop the theory of Stoic philosophy, then put it to the test. See if the theories work in every circumstance.
There is nothing really special about hunting; it's simply theft, when you think about it. However, I'm not entirely convinced it's bad to eat a nice, juicy, tender steak.
(see also Citadel p. 42, 48, 258, 259)
Friday, January 19, 2018
Commentary on Meditations: B10:8
Claim your entitlement to these epithets - good, decent, truthful; in mind clear, cooperative, and independent - and take care then not to swap them for other names: and if you do forfeit these titles, return to them quickly. Remember, too, that 'clarity of mind' was meant to signify for you discriminating attention to detail and vigorous thought; 'a cooperative mind' the willing acceptance of the dispensation of universal nature; 'independence of mind' the elevation of your thinking faculty above the calm or troubled affections of the flesh, above paltry fame or death or any other indifferent thing. So if you keep yourself true to these titles, not just grubbing for this acclamation from others, you will be a new man and enter a new life.
To continue the same man as you have been up to now, to be torn apart and defiled in this life you live, is just senseless self-preservation like that of half-eaten gladiators who, mauled all over and covered in blood by the wild beasts, still plead to be kept alive for the next day, when in their same state they will meet again those same claws and teeth.
Launch yourself, then, on these few claims. If you can stay within them, stay there like a man translated to some paradise, the Islands of the Blest. But if you feel yourself falling away and losing control, retire in good heart to some corner where you will regain control - or else make a complete exit from life, not in anger, but simply, freely, with integrity, making this leaving of it at least one achievement in your life.
A great help to keeping these claims to virtue fresh in your mind will be to keep your mind on the gods, remembering that what they want is not servile flattery but the development of all rational beings into their own image: they want the fig-tree to do the proper work of a fig-tree, the dog of a dog, the bee of a bee - and man the proper work of man.
"Epithet" is just a fancy way of saying "nickname." Also, don't be confused between epithet and epitaph (see here if you need a quick lesson). Marcus wants to be nicknamed "good" or "decent" or "truthful" or "clear in mind" or "cooperative" or "independent." Said slightly differently, these are the things he wants to be known for - he wants these things to represent his unique character. Could I say the same? It is a good exercise to see if you could be nicknamed after any of these virtues. Marcus further elaborates on 'clarity of mind' - which is nothing more than the ability to being able to pay attention to the correct details. How many people do you know who are versed in mindless, useless, details (sports trivia, entertainment, etc)? Now compare them with someone who remembers details of peoples' lives - people who they interact with every day (family, friends, neighbors, co-workers). A 'cooperative mind' is one that loves its fate. An 'independent mind' is one that is not enslaved by thinking of desires (food, sex, money, fame) all the time.
Next he likens a person who is constantly torn between the cares for indifferents and the cares of living a life of virtue, to a gladiator who has been half-eaten but wants to keep on living. Why all the self-torture? Better to strive for commitment to a life of virtue than to constantly be splinched between wanting to be good, but also wanting fame, sex, drugs, rock and roll.
Better to "launch yourself" - give it all you've got - to live a life of virtue. Epictetus teaches this concept early in the Enchiridion when he says,
(see also Citadel p. 246)
To continue the same man as you have been up to now, to be torn apart and defiled in this life you live, is just senseless self-preservation like that of half-eaten gladiators who, mauled all over and covered in blood by the wild beasts, still plead to be kept alive for the next day, when in their same state they will meet again those same claws and teeth.
Launch yourself, then, on these few claims. If you can stay within them, stay there like a man translated to some paradise, the Islands of the Blest. But if you feel yourself falling away and losing control, retire in good heart to some corner where you will regain control - or else make a complete exit from life, not in anger, but simply, freely, with integrity, making this leaving of it at least one achievement in your life.
A great help to keeping these claims to virtue fresh in your mind will be to keep your mind on the gods, remembering that what they want is not servile flattery but the development of all rational beings into their own image: they want the fig-tree to do the proper work of a fig-tree, the dog of a dog, the bee of a bee - and man the proper work of man.
"Epithet" is just a fancy way of saying "nickname." Also, don't be confused between epithet and epitaph (see here if you need a quick lesson). Marcus wants to be nicknamed "good" or "decent" or "truthful" or "clear in mind" or "cooperative" or "independent." Said slightly differently, these are the things he wants to be known for - he wants these things to represent his unique character. Could I say the same? It is a good exercise to see if you could be nicknamed after any of these virtues. Marcus further elaborates on 'clarity of mind' - which is nothing more than the ability to being able to pay attention to the correct details. How many people do you know who are versed in mindless, useless, details (sports trivia, entertainment, etc)? Now compare them with someone who remembers details of peoples' lives - people who they interact with every day (family, friends, neighbors, co-workers). A 'cooperative mind' is one that loves its fate. An 'independent mind' is one that is not enslaved by thinking of desires (food, sex, money, fame) all the time.
Next he likens a person who is constantly torn between the cares for indifferents and the cares of living a life of virtue, to a gladiator who has been half-eaten but wants to keep on living. Why all the self-torture? Better to strive for commitment to a life of virtue than to constantly be splinched between wanting to be good, but also wanting fame, sex, drugs, rock and roll.
Better to "launch yourself" - give it all you've got - to live a life of virtue. Epictetus teaches this concept early in the Enchiridion when he says,
As you aim for such great goals, remember that you must not undertake them by acting moderately,1 but must let some things go completely and postpone others for the time being. But if you want both those great goals and also to hold public office and to be rich, then you may perhaps not get even the latter just because you aim at the former too; and you certainly will fail to get the former, which are the only things that yield freedom and happiness.Lastly, Marcus offers some council for keeping virtues in the forefront of your mind: "keep your mind on the gods" not to solely worship or flatter them, but to reach the goal they have set for you - which is to become sages, to be made in the image of them. The gods created fig trees to make figs. They created dogs to act like dogs - to be loyal, protective, etc. They created bees to be like bees - to make honey, to spread pollen. They created humans to be like humans - to be rational and social.
(see also Citadel p. 246)
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