One of the most remarkable—and revealing—criticisms of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (our lovely leather edition here) is that it's repetitive. Marcus talks about death a lot. He talks about fame a lot. He talks about the weight of being the leader of an empire a lot.
Why does he have to talk about the same stuff so much?
To which the reply is pretty obvious: That's because the book is not for you.
It seems to escape people that the most powerful man in the world was not writing Meditations—the title in Greek is Ta eis heauton, or To himself—with their needs in mind when he wrote it. No, he was thinking about what he needed.
Realizing this not only helps a person appreciate Meditations as a unique work of literature, but it should also help you be a little bit more accepting and tolerant of other things you don't like. That comedian who you don't think is funny…has it occurred to you that they perhaps don't think of you as their audience? That author, whose books have never appealed to you…maybe she wasn't writing it for you? That new movie that came out last weekend that you refuse to see…what if the director never intended for someone like you to enjoy it?
We even experience this with Daily Stoic—people will sometimes complain that a video we've done for Daily Stoic is similar to something we've done in the past (as if everyone in the world saw the first one!) or how 'people ought to just read the original Stoics' (as if everyone is as comfortable with an ancient text as they are!).
Not everything is for you. Not everything is about you. Most things, in fact, have a context, a specific audience, a telos. The sooner you realize that you are not the center of the universe or the intended recipient of everything, the more understanding you can be, the less judgment you'll feel required to have. You can simply appreciate things for what they are, whether it's a work of art, a video online, or the personal writings of the emperor of ancient Rome.
We may never know exactly how Marcus Aurelius' personal writings came to be preserved, but we are lucky they were. We can hold in our hands and read for ourselves the personal musings of the most powerful man in the world at that time—his own admonitions to himself to do better and how to do better, his thoughts on leadership, on treating people with kindness and respect, on the shortness of life, and on learning how to virtuously respond to external factors that we can't control. His writings have quite literally withstood the test of time, physically and figuratively.
To honor the timelessness of the words and the lessons within, we've created a beautiful keepsake leather edition of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It features the Gregory Hays translation, our favorite for its modernity and readability. With its gold-foiled genuine leather cover, illustrations, and a ribbon to mark your favorite passage or hold your place, this edition can withstand vigorous use, travel, and plenty of rereads. Keep it for yourself or give it as a gift to someone you know would enjoy it. Share it or pass it down. Although these words weren't intended to reach a wide audience—they were only intended for Marcus himself—the enduring wisdom within is something we can all appreciate, strive towards, and share.
Stoicism reminds us that discipline is not about doing everything. It is about choosing what deserves your effort. Upwork Business Plus helps you stay aligned with that mindset by connecting you with top freelancers who take on the work that distracts you from what truly moves the business forward.
Free your schedule. Protect your focus. End the year working on what actually matters.
Spend $1,000 and get $200 back in Upwork credit for new users, but only until 12/31/2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment