A Man of Wisdom
An Analysis of “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus”
The last of the Five Good Emperors, considered a stoic philosopher, a man of humility and dignification, Marcus Aurelius was an emperor of might and power, displaying characteristics many men strive for a lifetime to achieve. To give a brief understanding of the life of Marcus Aurelius, he was born in Rome in the year 121. He lost his father in infancy and was then relayed to be raised by his mother and paternal grandfather, who secured for him the best of teachers in Greek and Latin literature, rhetoric, philosophy, law, and even painting. In 139, the title “Caesar” was placed upon Marcus Aurelius, in 140 he was consul and from 147 to 161, Marcus shared the burdens …show more content…
Marcus Aurelius then took on the hefty role of being the emperor, partnering with Commodus who was more self-seeking than Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius had a very long and troublesome rule, dealing with floods, famine, war, and people in general. Marcus Aurelius died in Danube on the 17th of March, 180, toward the end of his fifty-ninth year. Marcus Aurelius was a man of humility, this is revealed in the fact that he initially wanted his writings to be thrown out and burned, as he assumed they were of no value to anyone, as he did not seek fame. Thankfully, however, his writings were preserved to result in the modern understanding of the ultimate stoicism and philosophy. The most prominent of these writings is “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.” There twelve books within this journal type of writing, and each book holds thoughts that have lived through the centuries and endure to this day. Three of these critically paramount subjects Marcus Aurelius describes are first, the idea of freedom of will in every man, second the concept that all men …show more content…
“In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present--I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?--But this is more pleasant.--Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion... Art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being, and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature?” This touches a subject everyone is quite familiar with, and the fact that one of the greatest emperors addresses it is quite comforting. Who doesn’t love to sleep, watch netflix, eat popcorn and drink hot chocolate and stay in pajamas all day? Marcus Aurelius really directly addresses his reader with this quote and draws the subject to the heart of the issue: a man’s purpose. He uses the analogy of birds, ants and spiders working to survive earlier in the reading. Aurelius takes note of how these creatures tend to their duties first and foremost and recognizes that humans actually have the choice unlike the creatures (addressed from the first point in Book 1). Yet Marcus
An Analysis of “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus”
The last of the Five Good Emperors, considered a stoic philosopher, a man of humility and dignification, Marcus Aurelius was an emperor of might and power, displaying characteristics many men strive for a lifetime to achieve. To give a brief understanding of the life of Marcus Aurelius, he was born in Rome in the year 121. He lost his father in infancy and was then relayed to be raised by his mother and paternal grandfather, who secured for him the best of teachers in Greek and Latin literature, rhetoric, philosophy, law, and even painting. In 139, the title “Caesar” was placed upon Marcus Aurelius, in 140 he was consul and from 147 to 161, Marcus shared the burdens …show more content…
Marcus Aurelius then took on the hefty role of being the emperor, partnering with Commodus who was more self-seeking than Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius had a very long and troublesome rule, dealing with floods, famine, war, and people in general. Marcus Aurelius died in Danube on the 17th of March, 180, toward the end of his fifty-ninth year. Marcus Aurelius was a man of humility, this is revealed in the fact that he initially wanted his writings to be thrown out and burned, as he assumed they were of no value to anyone, as he did not seek fame. Thankfully, however, his writings were preserved to result in the modern understanding of the ultimate stoicism and philosophy. The most prominent of these writings is “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.” There twelve books within this journal type of writing, and each book holds thoughts that have lived through the centuries and endure to this day. Three of these critically paramount subjects Marcus Aurelius describes are first, the idea of freedom of will in every man, second the concept that all men …show more content…
“In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present--I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?--But this is more pleasant.--Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion... Art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being, and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature?” This touches a subject everyone is quite familiar with, and the fact that one of the greatest emperors addresses it is quite comforting. Who doesn’t love to sleep, watch netflix, eat popcorn and drink hot chocolate and stay in pajamas all day? Marcus Aurelius really directly addresses his reader with this quote and draws the subject to the heart of the issue: a man’s purpose. He uses the analogy of birds, ants and spiders working to survive earlier in the reading. Aurelius takes note of how these creatures tend to their duties first and foremost and recognizes that humans actually have the choice unlike the creatures (addressed from the first point in Book 1). Yet Marcus