MEDITATIONS BY MARCUS AURELIUS

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a book that is based on Marcus’s personal life experiences. It was written as a self journal and was not meant to be read by people. But now the book is one of the top-rated books of stoic philosophy. The book contains excellent actionable advice. It contains teachings that are designed in a way, that we can practice in our daily lives. The theme of the book is stoic philosophy. Stoicism refers to be happy in every situation of your life. I.e to endure pain without any complaint.

INTRODUCTION TO STOICISM

The core teaching of stoicism is basically to live a life without allowing the life to touch you. We find Marcus as an amazing example for us in dealing with the crisis of our life. According to Marcus, stoicism should be a necessary part of our life. And one should continuously practice it to have a positive influence of it’s teaching in his life. These teachings include limiting passion and desire in life, being cheerful, making good decisions, not letting the circumstances affect you, avoiding superstitions, and having a firm commitment to honesty.

MEDITATIONS BY MARCUS AURELIUS
(BOOK REVIEW)

The complete list of traits listed in the book and are worth paying attention to. Some of the major themes of the book Meditations by Marcus Aurelius are:

MINDFULNESS

It’s better to stay present at the moment and be happy. This can only happen when we can let go of bad events in our life. It is against nature to avoid bad people. Therefore what we can do is that before judging someone else we should consider our faults. There are high chances that you will not blame people for their wrongdoings in the future. So, the key aspect is to find your faults and have a self-centered approach. As we see around us that in today’s world, Everyone is interested in other people’s life. It is because we don’t have anything worth interesting in our own lives. Not a day goes by when we do not pass a comment or give our opinions on someone else life. 2000 years ago Marcus knew that this is a distraction and a trap. One should only have a keen interest in his own life. As life is too short. We don’t have enough time to waste it on others. Mindfulness is basically focusing on your internal emotions, behaviors, and thought patterns.

EQUALITY

We are living in a vast universe. And somehow in our lives, we are tempted to have desires. Certain desires can lead us to despair. Desiring for fame, for example, is the biggest pitfalls in life. Marcus and other stoic philosophers believe that doing good is the job of a human being. Then why does a person requires appreciation? Why does he want to get famous? Why he desires fame and recognition for something that he is doing right. For something that is his job. Having this insight that all humans are equal and have equal responsibilities is going to increase your understanding and patience level.

CHANGE

Marcus’s philosophy’s strongest point is the acceptance of the changing nature of this universe and the acceptance of death. According to him :

“nobody losses more by dying early”

Marcus teaches that the world is continuously changing its form and turning into something new. The change according to him is not a bad thing rather it is the blessing from nature. He asserts that one should never be afraid of change. Because what would be a life without a change. It would be so boring following the same routine every day. Eating the same food, wearing the same clothes, and doing the same thing every day. Can you imagine having food on your plate its plants and animals don’t undergo a change?.

PROBLEMS ARE CREATED IN OUR MIND:

Marcus believes that our perception is the master of controlling all the internal and external events happening in our lives. According to him, one can be happy if he wants to be and consequently one can not allow the disturbing events in his life to upset the mental peace of his mind.

AND then he concluding in powerful words

The impediment to action advances actions. What stands in the way becomes the way. Click To Tweet

MY REVIEW:

I will definitely suggest you read meditations. By reading this book you will get a thorough knowledge of how Marcus applied stoic philosophy in his life. A new era of thinking patterns will be unlocked. you will get a wider angle and perspective to see this world. This book will give rich food of thought.

So, it was the book review of meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Tell me which book you want me to review next?

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