“Even if you were destined to live three thousand years, or ten times that long, nevertheless remember that no one loses any life other than the one he lives, or lives any life other than the one he loses. It follows that the longest and the shortest lives are brought to the same state. The present moment is equal for all; so what is passing is equal also; the loss therefore turns out to be the merest fragment of time. No one can lose either the past or the future- how can anyone be deprived of what he does not possess?”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.14
I struggle to walk and eat at the same time and yet Marcus Aurelius was not only a Roman Emperor but a remarkable philosopher as well. I came across Meditations some years ago now and it is yet to find its way into my bookshelf, instead it is kept in my beside drawer, the traditional place for your holy book of choice.
Consisting of twelve notebooks it written to keep the powerful Emperor’s feet on the ground (if only Nero had had the impetus to write down his thoughts and feelings), it provides a fascinating insight into a mind ruling The Roman Empire whilst thinking through the complexities of the human condition.
The Notebooks reveal a man of great humility and read more like the wise words of a Grandparent than a tomb of jargon heavy metaphysics. With a strong Epicurean influence it stresses the importance of attaining a happy, tranquil life through a freedom from fear.
In the commodified world of modern capitalism we can become disorientated by the proliferation of meaninglessness, ‘an air-conditioned nightmare, anodyne and unadventurous, a world devoid of real sensuality’[1]. Meditations reawakens the senses, its very existence demonstrating how much can be achieved and its content is a supersonic catalyst for thought.
This collection of notebooks has had an enduring effect on my understanding and experience of our dauntingly finite world; I would like to take this opportunity to put Meditations on a pedestal.
C.Godet Thomas
www.charliegodetthomas.com
Sorry for the typos but you get the idea hopefully.
ReplyDeleteCharlie