It’s remarkable and very, very lucky that the book survives. Imagine. It was never written for publication. It could have been destroyed by a family member. It could have been lost to fire or time—as all the writings of Zeno and Chrysippus were, as nearly half the writings of Seneca were. It could have been banned by the church or tucked away and forgotten, never to be seen again.
So that Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations survives is a miracle of history. Here we have, in the pages of this book, the thoughts of the most powerful man in the world. We have him ruminating on how to deal with difficult people, how to overcome obstacles, how to face the inevitability of death. And he was doing this for his own personal edification, not performance or publication.
But we could also say that this is incredibly misleading—and in fact that many people have been misled by Meditations. They think Marcus Aurelius is depressing. They think Stoicism is dark and joyless, even violent. But what is written in the pages of Meditations is not who Marcus Aurelius was as a person, as a friend, as a father, or husband.We have to remember: In Meditations, we see only what he was struggling with, what he needed reminders of, what he was trying to cling to in a difficult moment.
What was published in Meditations—and, you could argue, what survives in all the Stoic writings—obliterates the full and complex human life behind those words. Because the Stoics weren’t just leaders and philosophers. They were parents, spouses, and friends, who experienced joy, who fell in love, who cherished the beauty of the world around them. Marcus begins his Meditations not with Stoic doctrine, but with gratitude for all the people in his life and what they taught him.
“The whole concept of writing the Meditations,” said Donald Robertson, Marcus’ greatest biographer, when he came on the Daily Stoic Podcast, “is about following through on this thing he remembers his mother saying when he was younger—which is to work on his character, to improve his mind and not just his external behavior.”
This is one of the many reasons why Meditations hasn’t just survived all these years, but endured.
This month, we’re celebrating that miracle—by helping you live it.
We created our How To Read Meditations Digital Guide for anyone who wants to not only read and deeply reflect on Marcus’s words, but actually live them. In 11 modules, you’ll go deeper into the text and gain tools you can apply to your life right away. It’s part masterclass, part daily practice—and includes video lessons from Ryan Holiday—designed to turn timeless wisdom into real change.
For the month of April only, Meditations Month, we’re inviting you to work through it with Ryan and thousands of others around the world who are committed to living their lives with more intention and purpose.
Here’s the best way to get started: purchase the leatherbound edition of Meditations and you’ll receive the How To Read Meditations Digital Guide, free. That includes all 11 modules, access to our private discussion platform, and an invitation to a LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday on April 27th—a rare opportunity to ask him your questions.
Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his work.
Start living your life with more courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom by deepening your understanding of this timeless book. We’ll see you in there!
No comments:
Post a Comment