This post is the second in an experimental Stoic Philosophy book club series on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Participants expressing interest are tagged at the end of the post, let us know if you're new and would like to join and be tagged!
Prior posts for context:
Book 2: On the River Gran, Among the Quadi
Summary and Highlights
The second chapter has a different format compared to Debts and Lessons, a set of numbered journal entries. To me, there was a continuity of various themes between them, namely contemplation on anger/desire, mindfulness and temporality/death. I expect we'll encounter these same topics a lot more through the course of the work. Each of the entries is packed with meaning and insights. Here are my highlights.
1. The work begins with Marcus reminding himself that people around him are "meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly... because they can't tell good from evil". But what feels like a harsh judgment is transformed into a statement of compassion:
But I have seen the beauty of good and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own... possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together...
He is wrestling with anger, and I sense a very subtle expression of the frustration that his mind knows he should be acting differently, but find it difficult to control his emotions. He sounds like he's quite hard himself, perhaps self-judgmental (me too)? Perhaps he's exploring how the anger we feel toward others can often be a reflection of anger directed at ourselves?
2. His injunction to "throw away your books; stop letting yourself be distracted" is a bit odd at first. Books might be just what I'd expect a Stoic philosopher stereotype to be immersed in. After a visceral description of the horrible mundanity of the body and the air it breaths, Marcus admonishes himself,
You are an old man. Stop allowing your mind to be a slave, to be jerked about by selfish impulses, to kick against fate and the present, and to mistrust the future.
Again, a slight attitude of self-judgmental frustration here, but his attitude on books is clarified in suggesting that they represent the ephemeral distractions of the world of ideas for the mind, pulling it out of the present moment. Perhaps the entertainment of books were the equivalent of doomscrolling or technology saturation in our time today? I also find it interesting that the Emperor of Rome finds himself a slave to his own mind and is quick to acknowledge the analogy to himself without comment on his position - a natural humility, perhaps.
3. The quote,
The world is maintained by change -- in the elements and in the things they compose. That should be enough for you, treat it as an axiom. Discard your thirst for books, so that you won't die in bitterness, but in cheerfulness and truth, grateful to the gods from the bottom of your heart.
reminds that Nature is fundamentally changing. I find the statement of the axiom particularly powerful and am still working it out, but essentially it means, "be here for the change". And again, with the books! Books probably represent a favorite "distraction" and I think he's exposing the antithesis to anger here, desire. When we get lost is desiring what's not really in front of us, the dissatisfaction embitters us and kills gratitude.
4. "At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to..." echoes the previous sentiments, but with a subtle acknowledgement that his place in the cosmos is not fully known, and the search is still a work in progress. The sentences that follow convey an urgency, perhaps at his older age, and again, he's a bit hard on himself.
5. His statement,
Concentrate every minute like a Roman -- like a man -- on doing whats in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice... as if it were the last thing you were doing with your life.
To me, this is an extremely devoted attitude of mindfulness. He has high standards, but that is what is necessary for mastery over the mind. I also find it interesting that these ideals were shared in both societal values at the time and his ideals of masculinity.
7. Marcus identifies a polarity between distracting desire and ignorance when he says,
People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse towards are wasting their time -- even when hard at work.
I can relate since I left my job in order to search for more meaningful work (in Bitcoin ?), but have since been challenged by distractions and lack of focus, or knowing where to commit my energy. It's one of the reasons I began reading this book, actually. Navigating this polarity is a balancing act.
10. It is a fascinating consideration, that the sins
committed out of desire are worse than the ones committed out of anger... the angry man is more like a victim of wrongdoing, provoked by pain to anger. The other man rushes into wrongdoing on his own , moved to action by desire.
The relationship between anger and desire appears again. If we imagine that the previous topic of ignorance in additionally carried forward, a causal relationship explored here. Ignorance of what is good for man leads to the desire of things that are naturally unfulfilling, whereby man becomes angry and suffers as a victim. I think these three states of mind are identified in Buddhism as the primary sources of suffering. It's easy to see how a cycle of cause and effect can draw the unconscious one down deeper, but I also believe that by staying present and examining oneself, these experiences can be symbols in the process of learning and soul development. Maybe more on this later...
11. After an exercising in questioning the existence of the gods and the intent of Nature, the last statement brings it home:
But death and life, success and failure, pain and pleasure, wealth and poverty, all these happen to good and bad alike, and they are neither noble or shameful -- and hence, neither good nor bad.
This is an assertion of Epictetus' discipline of Perception, to stay objective and avoid value judgments and interpretations. In this phrasing, I find it much easier to tap into a sense of humility and compassionate connection with others that Marcus describes in #1, but prefaces with a slightly harsher tone.
12. The interesting point here, for me, is where Marcus says that our world of sense perceptions is "loudly trumpeted by pride". Firstly, it is a reminder that what we perceive in the world around us is a reflection of ourselves, often with our prideful ego as the center-point. Marcus says that the exercise of reason and logical analysis can help us realize the truth behind the illusions of appearances. I agree mostly, however, I've done some thinking recently about the relationship between rational thought and the prideful ego. I have some unresolved questions on this one. More below.
13. Admittedly, the initial bit of the first sentence here triggered me a bit with guilt,
Nothing is more pathetic than people who run around in circles, "delving into things that lie beneath" and conducting investigations into the souls of people around them, never realizing that you all you have to do is be attentive to the power inside you and worship it sincerely.
I definitely have a probing mind and natural to explore root causes. And I'll admit, too, that sometimes I get caught mind-reading (poorly) the intentions of others. I felt slightly less pathetic as he continues the sentence and throughout the rest of the entry when he advocates self-inquiry as the only meaningful pursuit. I can see myself in this, as well. It's a balancing act to navigate in life, and like Marcus, I'm a work in progress. Perhaps a penetrating mind is an asset for a philosophy student, but also a distraction and weapon when pointed at others? I have this entire entry highlighted.
14. This passage is really beautiful. To avoid the temptation to quote the whole thing, Marcus' best summary is, "The present is the same for everyone; it's loss is the same for everyone, and it should be clear that a brief instant is all that is lost." Again, to me, a very poetic description of living in mindfulness or existing in a state of yoga. Sometimes I feel discouraged by my self-created high standards of perfection to "never lose the present moment". It's worth remembering that the present moment is also always there and available to return to.
17. This passage is an immaculate conclusion to the book and his passionate description of philosophy wraps up so much Truth. The final part is worth another quote:
Above all, that it accepts death in a cheerful spirit, as nothing but the dissolution of the elements from which each living thing is composed. If it doesn't hurt the individual elements to change continually into one another, why are people afraid of all of them changing and separating? It's a natural thing. And nothing natural is evil.
What a gem. The syncretist in me can't help pointing out that the "dissolution of the elements" is a description found in Tibetan descriptions of dying, probably the Book of the Dead. This inspiring conclusion leaves no doubt of his conviction and of the authenticity of philosophy as a spiritual path, as practiced by Marcus.
Reflections & Discussion
While most of my own thoughts are captured along side the highlights, here are a few more general reflections and points for discussion.
A Man in Process
I observed an evolution in the tone of Marcus' writing throughout the book. The first few entries seemed quite frustrated, even angry. In contrast with the last passage, which feels incredibly clear and triumphant, it sounds like the journal accompanies a process of psychological growth.
Natural Anger?
It also took me some time to come to terms with what I initially felt was a contradiction. He speaks about anger in #1 as an obstruction and seems to express some frustration with others and with himself. I can relate. However, I'm not altogether convinced that anger, or ignorance or desire for that matter, is unnatural. There is a very fine line between feeling angry and allowing that anger to overpower oneself.
So far, it seems to me like there is a ongoing exploration of boundaries in Stoicism. The things outside us are fate and should be accepted. The things inside us should be mastered and performed with dexterity. But what about the things inside us that we are not aware of? If we carry unconscious anger, desire and ignorance, the experience of them arising may feel "uncontrollable". That doesn't mean we don't try, or learn, but for me, it doesn't make them "unnatural".
To carry on from my musings in #12, perhaps with philosophical introspection the feelings of anger and desire can be signals to the philosopher that alert them to inner processes and help them refine their understanding of their proper place in the world. From this perspective, I initially took Marcus earlier attitude toward anger in contradiction with his final closing statement. However, presently I see the whole thing as a man in process with himself ending in a victorious result. There is probably a lot more to work through with this idea and I'm interested to read from others in the comments :)
Pride and Reason
I am very interested in the relationship between pride and reason. If reason is our capacity to understand our place in the world, I wonder if pride is it's shadow counterpart. I have seen in myself how easy it is to become prideful because of the ability to reason coupled with ignorance. When Marcus asserts that only philosophy can guide us, I can't help wonder if there's a little more to the process. The Greeks brought us reason and philosophy, but their heroes also suffered and died dramatically from hubris. I don't fully know what I'm saying here, yet but will keep exploring.
Question on #16
At the end of #16, when Marcus finishes his list of activities degrading to the soul, he says,
But the role of rational beings is to follow the rule and law of those most ancient of communities and states.
This quote is intriguing and perplexing. What do you think this means? What are the most ancient communities and what are their laws? Drop some wisdom for us in comments.
Participants
Thank you everyone who has been reading Meditations, this post and expressed interest in participating. I hope we get to a point of fostering lively discussions.
@siggy47 @cryotosensei @carlosfandango @Bitman @gd @sudocarlos @BitByBit21 @bc52210b20 @Atreus @byzantine @davidw @Roll @grayruby
Please tag anyone I missed or signal interest in the comments!