To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. In Gregory Hays’s new translation—the first in a generation—Marcus’s thoughts speak with a new immediacy: never before have they been so directly and powerfully presented. Constantly run down the list of those who felt intense anger at something: the most famous, the most unfortunate, the most hated, the most whatever.

Gregory Hays Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Review Gregory Hays Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Review

Marcus’s insights and advice—on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others—have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. If god appeared to us – or a wise human being, even – and prohibited us from concealing our thoughts or imagining anything without immediately shouting it out, we wouldn’t make it through a single day. In much of this work I found that Aurelius's version of Stoicism to have much common ground with the tenants espoused in the New Testament. He talks about various aspects of how one can improve their lives by straightforward and consistent action. I began listening to Ryan Holiday and his "Daily Stoic" podcast, and eventually dove into Marcus Aurelius' Meditations on his recommendation.The main positive for me is that this was actually written by a Roman emperor, which puts the reader in his mind and thoughts. The key themes that reoccur across the books are: the importance of a rational mind, accepting one's fate/ living according to nature, accepting your mortality, and having compassion/ understanding for others (even for those who wrong you). It provides a glimpse into the thoughts of a Roman emperor, and it defines his personal life philosophy. It is just a different reading experience, one that I (a new, naïve reader) was neither expecting nor wanting.

Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius | Goodreads

Tony Campolo - speaking on Christ - reminded us that Christ never said, "Love the sinner, hate the sin. The philosophical virtues that were important to Aurelius and other ancient Stoic philosophers transcend time and are just as applicable today as they were back then. Here is a man who was the Emperor of the Roman Empire —the most powerful— yet who never took advantage of his power, never abused his position, was never arrogant nor proud. It should be audible in your voice, visible in your eyes, like a lover who looks into your face and takes in the whole story at a glance. She got annoyed with how perfect and stoic he was - when in fact, the exact opposite is true and her assessment above is the correct one: he's not: but he wanted to be.They choose it and blame God, just as the addict blames others for his addiction, and cannot escape. This was not meant for publication and doesn’t seem like a straightforward diary, but it has been in modern times considered a self-help book. Petty grievance time: I read the Kindle version, and there are no links from the passages to the notes.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: 9780812968255 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: 9780812968255

But I can think of instances where - if I said that to someone - I'd be a victim because of the beating the community would give me for saying it. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago. Not surprisingly the same term that is found in the prologue of the Gospel of John "In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word was with God and the Word was God. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.When we objectively view the world and stop attaching labels to it, we strip away our judgments and at the same time, our unhappiness and suffering. Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus (121-180 CE) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus).

Meditations - Internet Archive

The important thing to understand is that this book was never intended to be read by anyone other than Marcus Aurelius. I actually read two different translations of it, just to see if there were any noticeable differences. His awareness of his own mortality and how transient life is made him grateful for every day and for every person in his life. His fingers caressed the smooth leather of the binding as he took it back and slipped it under the breadbox. He did the best he can, and it's important to be educated in the leaders of thought from the past so we can be better thinkers now.Lee lifted the breadbox and took out a tiny volume bound in leather, and the gold tooling was almost completely worn away—The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in English translation. Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. There are valuable lessons in this, some more valuable than others depending on the person, which make me glad I read it.