According to historians, the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius was born on this day, April 26th in the year 121 CE. He is often mentioned as one of the "Five Good Emperors of Rome" (the others were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius) who ruled in succession from 96 CE to 180 CE. Most recently, Marcus Aurelius was played by the Irish actor Richard Harris in the 2000 film "The Gladiator" , and his book Meditations is still widely read today. I just read in the excellent book The River of Doubt by Candice Millard (one of the books that I read on my recent beach vacation) that former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt carried both Meditations and Discourses by Epictetus (another great Stoic philosopher) with him during his expedition in the Amazon rain forest, an expedition in which he nearly died. I also know that Marine Corps General James Mattis, who served as our 26th Secretary of the Department of Defense carried a copy of Meditations on every deployment.
The website "Daily Philosophy" had this to say about Marcus Aurelius and Meditations:
The glory of Rome is long gone, and its affairs are not ours. What remains is the diary of a reluctant soldier-king, who’d have preferred to become a scholar, and who was forced by his sense of duty to live a life that he didn’t want. He left us his notes of this lifelong struggle to do what he thought right in the face of overwhelming odds. His Meditations are today as readable and relevant as they have been all through the past two thousand years – as the testimony of a man who managed to overcome his ego and to teach countless generations the true meaning of wisdom, humility, courage and duty.
Marcus Aurelius never intended for Meditations to be so widely read. As a matter of fact, he originally wrote the book for his own personal use. The book was essentially his daily journal. Here are some of my favorite passages (there are many more) from these reflections, which are now fundamental tenets of the Stoic philosophy:
"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
In other words, there are things that are under your control and likely many more things that are not under your control. Focus on those things that are under your control, and don't worry about the ones that are not.
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
We tend to forget this particular recommendation a lot these days. Remember, we shouldn't believe everything that we read or hear. It is our job as citizens of the world to verify the facts and search for the truth.
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
I used to have a magnet with this quote on it hanging in my office at work - it's one of my favorites. I think there's deeper meaning for this quote in particular. Again, we tend to forget this one as well. Rather than arguing about whether "so and so" or "such and such" is a good or bad person, we should focus on being a good person ourselves.
"The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury."
If someone wrongs you, avoid the temptation to seek revenge. The best response is to "turn the other cheek" and be the better person.
I like this quote too, and I've posted about it in the past.
There's one final point that I think is very important to keep in mind. Marcus Aurelius wasn't always a good person. Remember that he wrote these reflections to help him be a better person and a better leader. Nobody is perfect - so do not despair if you are not. Just try to be better in the future. Happy Birthday Marcus!
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