Meditations (Dover Thrift Editions: Philosophy)

I was researching an historical author online and Marcus Aurelius's name came up as one of his inspirations and I decided to take a closer look at him also. "A king that shares my own first name, I have to see what this is about" I thought to myself. So I found "Meditations" and marked it to be read. Now I have to make this clear immediately, I hated this book! Let me clarify before you jump to conclusions, die hard fans of "Meditations". What I mean is that I hate that I love this book so much! Now there are things in life that people love to hate. There are things in life that are so outrageously obnoxious that you have to tune in just to see what happens next. This is a book that I hate to love and that's a first for me. This book will forever harbor a special place in my heart, and even if I'm out and I'm not in possession of a physical copy literally, it's divine principles and virtuous insight will reside in my heart figuratively. Now here is where I elaborate on what I mean by I hate (to love) this book. The fact that it took me three days to read this book when it would've taken three hours had it been any other book, on account of the fact that I found myself constantly pausing to meditate while pondering what I was in reading in a book that just happens to be entitled "Meditations" was just downright eerie to me! When I begin to delve into these very deep issues and encounter his profound insight in regards to them, it became impossible to simply breeze through them as anticipated. Now if it wasn't already eerie enough that my name is Marcus and I'm reading the diary of a man; a king whose name just happens to be Marcus also, and not only are these his inner most personal thoughts, that may have quite possibly been intended to be a private note to himself, but there were also certain parts that totally felt like fate as I came across them. It literally felt like certain things were specifically laid out for me...a very eerie feeling to say the least.This book is outrageously good! There are absolutely NO DULL MOMENTS in this book! It really felt like Marcus was pressed for time and didn't have a moment to spare, and he was absolutely determined to diligently contain these wonderful conceptions and document them before they were lost forever. He did an excellent job, and I found every bit of what I read to be excellent and extremely helpful. I must admit that certain parts were so good that it angered me a little. "How could this guy be so great"! I thought to myself. It was like someone vehemently addressing the issues that we all face at some point in life, and extracting them individually one by one and presenting them to me to be examined. It was literally like he took life's pain: love, the loss thereof, jealousy, envy, betrayal and death, and intentionally put pressure on all those wounds, but only for the purposes of assessment though. Then afterwards going to work on them, going in serious depth and detail about them all with such a gentle, pleasant, and appropriate empathy that it became impossible to remain upset about it. It was refreshing to know that someone cared enough to actually give an analysis about these things. The issues he explored, the conclusions drawn, really hit me as hard as a punch directly to the heart. It didn't feel like an attack though, more like CPR. Even though CPR hurts it's vital and for the better in the end. Now mind you "Meditations" is this man's note to himself, so he unintentionally affected me. I can't be mad at him for that. It was like having a heart to heart with someone who has the courage and is considerate enough to offer you an alternative in regards to any character flaws you may have, and ultimately challenges you to be better. As irritating as that can be, it hurts so good because you know it's coming from a place of love and that that person genuinely wishes the best for you, and is not patronizing you or being condescending in any way. If a woman were to have expressed this kind of genuine concern for me in regards to the interactions we shared with each other, I would fall madly in love with her instantly afterwards. If any couple were to express this kind of openness and genuine concern for one another I bet they would never part. The fact that is fashioned as if it were a diary only adds to the purity and importance of it, making it a sacred experience for me. I truly don't believe that a man who was this knowledgeable and articulate, and diligent in his outlook on life would lie to himself. There is nothing watered down, fake, or half true at all here!Marcus actually proceeded to address not only life but death also in the same body of work. The nerve of this dude! Death is usually an issue a person would either prefer to hurt about with no interference, or to just be left alone about it and be enabled to move on and forget about it. Marcus Aurelius, having loss both his parents at a young age, and then his wife also, that must have instilled a sense of entitlement in him by then I suppose. His analysis was excellent though, very brilliant! Reading such an excellent body of work compelled me to pose a couple of questions to myself. Will a person like myself ever be able to live up to these excellent standards? will I ever be able to attain this type of greatness? Marcus's ability to examine human nature is absolutely astounding! When everyone around you is angry, no matter where you reside, or what the circumstances maybe; you so desperately want to be angry also, naturally, but Marcus Aurelius is a man, a king, who stresses the importance of patience and temperance. Not only does he stress it, he also insist that patience and temperance are both collectively the ultimate symbol of strength, and only the strong survive where I come from.The concept of individuality has pretty much vanished in these modern times. The insistence of taking moral inventory of one's self, being self-reliant, self-sufficient, and exercising self-control was highly emphasized throughout the entire book. Nobody is asking anybody to be perfect, we all have our flaws, and many of the things in this world are what they are and the reasonable response is to adapt and behave accordingly but "See how the life of a good man suits you, the life of him who is satisfied with his portion of the whole, and is satisfied with his own just acts and benevolent disposition". "Does another do me wrong? Let him look to it. He has his own disposition and his own activity. I now have what universal nature wills me to have, and I now do what universal nature wills me to do", this is sheer brilliance. Here you have an emperor, a real ruler of a culturally enriched nation with a refined legacy, yet this man never mentions his own wealth, not once! His only concern is his very essence and his genuine empathy for mankind. I find that to be very distinctive and honorable to say the least. This man really poured his heart and soul into this work and I greatly appreciate it. I recommend this book honestly to every man. I think every man should read this book at least once. I also recommend this book to anybody who has suffered some kind of loss, such as the death of a close family member or friend. I think this book would be very helpful to anyone who has experienced such a thing. I also recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a deeper level of understanding in regards to human nature, whether it be for the purposes of excelling in business or it be of a personal nature. Whatever the case may be, this man's insight will definitely assist you in filling any void you may have in your soul.

Excellent read. Gives you pause for thought. Powerful when applied to real life situations. Recommend

This is classic. Quality of this version is mediocre but no issues as it is just a book.The quality of paper is secondarily important than what was written on it.Great price-quality combination. Translated by George LongAs for the content, again: Marcus Aurelius - Who am I to criticize! "Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig."

"What WERE you thinking?" Such an inquiry arises daily ... usually as rhetoric ... rarely answered. Fascinatingly, in this compilation of "Meditations," the question is answered by Emperor Marcus Aurelius. From nearly 2000 years ago, we have his own (translated) words, a penetrating, insightful, recorded litany of what drove the man and who he strove to be.While ruling the great empire and fighting the northern hordes, Marcus captured his unequivocal ruminations. For this is not a history of battles, or Rome. It is, per the introduction, "... the innermost thoughts of his heart, set down to ease it, with such moral maxims and reflections as may help him to bear the burden of duty ...".It's the second century! Yet we have this (direct) personal record of one born in A.D. 121, emperor in 161, dead in 180. This is on par with getting the history of the Second World War in Churchill's books. (link) But M.A. delivers at-the-moment pondering while W.C. writes in review of actual events (which he could then bias in his favor).The language of "Meditations" is not modern; the construct is not storytelling. Starting with "His First Book, concerning Himself," the chapters number twelve, and within each are brief thoughts that range from a few words to two pages before another idea is captured. Beyond the first, none of the chapters sticks with a single topic. The format is very much "Dear Diary, here is what engrossed my mind today."He writes the thoughts that guide his life, starting that First Book with what he assimilated from members of his family and those closest to him: "Whensoever thou wilt rejoice thyself, think and meditate upon those good parts and especial gifts, which thou hast observed in any of them ...".The perspective of "Meditations" is strictly Stoicism, trained as he was from childhood in that philosophy. Thus he holds in highest regard the natural world and the social order, saying both "all things ... come to pass according to the nature and general condition of the universe" (Eighth Book) and "Society therefore is the proper good of a rational creature" (Fifth Book). He aspires to continually build self-reliance, and he tests his thinking against the teachings of Plato, Socrates, Diogenes, or the Epicureans.Female readers rejoice! This ancient thinker posits his own brain as a feminine member saying, "... as for my mind, all things which are not within the verge of her own operation, are indifferent unto her" (Sixth Book). And, "...in those things that properly belong unto the mind, she cannot be hindered by any man." (Eighth Book)The introduction and first chapter are necessary sections to become acclimated to the climate of this writing and the person. The second and third books are brief. The fourth and sixth were found to have the greatest number of interesting insights. The seventh book shone with philosophical nuggets. The eighth contained many prescient thoughts on living a good life. Book ten trends toward thoughts regarding death.Each chapter has dissertation the reader might wish to adopt for themselves or put forward toward others. Each has gems as pertinent for a modern time as they were for the ancient time. An item from "Meditations" was used in a contemporary book that I was reading simultaneously, The Russian Galatea.While quotable in many cases, do not expect poetry from the man who writes, "Affect not to set out thy thoughts with curious neat language." (Third Book) I list a large number of passages at the end of this book report.The time setting is after Christ, but Christian thought is not paramount. Christians were a meddlesome lot for the emperor, trying to change the natural order with their views. Roman life was guided by many "Gods," manifestations of the natural universe which was the supreme God for Marcus Aurelius.Christian ideals overlapped with these, the introduction claiming many of Marcus' "thoughts sound like far-off echoes of St. Paul." The contrast between "Meditations" and many books of the Bible, I would say, is that the latter would tend to prescribe "how to live" while the former is more "how to think" about one's life.The man and the work are an open book, which to him is a worthy goal for all: "... pierce and penetrate ... every one's understanding as also to make the estate of thine own open, and penetrable to any other. (Eighth Book)A careful review finds inconsistencies. While praising his teacher for providing the example of "whatsoever he did, that he did it with a good intent," (First Book) Marcus is later dismissive of 'passion' (intent): "... neither doth the true good or evil of a reasonable charitable man consist in passion, but in operation and action." (Ninth Book)Get your 'M.A.' degree by reading "Meditations" from M. Aurelius.

This is truth, revealed in the wisdom of a Roman ruler, concordant with the wisdom of the Christians he opposed. It reveals the divine nature, created in the image of God, that is our human heritage from our creator.