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387 sats \ 3 replies \ @cryotosensei 26 Feb \ on: Stoic Book Club: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius #3 - In Carnuntum BooksAndArticles
Morning! Got engrossed in a (self-inflicted) treadmill of posting n responding to SN notifications - and neglected this. Not today.
https://m.stacker.news/17693
I’m reading this copy. The translations are so different that we might as well have been reading different books. I just sent in a reservation to book an e-copy (@Se7enZ’s version) with my national library board. All 41 copies are loaned out!
In any case, I was struck by how Marcus advocated self-independence and encouraged us to not be distracted by others. Some notable bits:
https://m.stacker.news/17694
From #4: It’s a good reminder that time spent worrying about what others think of you is time wasted not advancing your own goals.
https://m.stacker.news/17696
From #4 again: Notice how “athlete” doesn’t appear in this translation. I rather like the idea of a deity being embedded within each of our beings, though. It exhorts us to aspire to live by a rigorous code of virtues, which will elevate our living. I am reminded of “If” by Rudyard Kipling. He wrote a poem that encouraged his son to live his best. This meditation evokes similar sentiments in me. I like the idea of a warrior, just stoic and fighting the good fight, not emotionally stirred by whatever curveballs life throws his way. He is a solid presence.
https://m.stacker.news/17697
From #11: I thought this expanded my thinking. Normally I consider an item in terms of whether it is a need or a want. More evolved beings may consider the merits of an item of clothing in terms of whether it fits seamlessly with the other items in their wardrobe. I guess I will attain Nirvana when I am both conscientious and broad-minded enough to consider an item’s intricate details AND the relation it will have with other things as well as my life in general. Attentive to details plus possessing a big-picture view, so to speak.
My 2 sats’ worth!
Great post, Sensei! It's great that you post the pictures and full quotes for context. That really make it easy to get involved with your commentary. And it's really interesting to see the differences between the translations / editions. Seems like they used warrior in place of athlete -- I think I like the warrior idea better also.
Normally I consider an item in terms of whether it is a need or a want.
This is a cool share. I read this great book a few years ago called Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. One of the big takeaways for me was learning the importance of getting in touch with my own needs and wants to be able to communicate more clearly. Turns out that is rather difficult for me. Sometimes I feel like I have a better grasp on the "big picture view" of myself that you mention, but being in touch with the more embodied things of life, like what to eat for lunch, how to spend the day and such are more elusive. So yeah, I agree with you that both are important, essential even.
Thanks for sharing.
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I’m back!
Thanks for the book recommendation. It reminds me of another book, in which the author recommends tailoring one’s message to the preferred intelligence of his interlocutor. For instance, with a person whose dominant intelligence is auditory, I may say, “I hear you, and…”
Communication is really an art.
Back to Meditations
Chose a modern translation and read Book 3 while sipping my afternoon coffee.
Like you, I was struck by #2. I think the idea of noticing the beauty of the odds and ends which are typically rejects and leftovers is quite high-brow because it means that the person is benevolent and observant:
This time round, I paid more attention to his idea of nurturing the divinity within us. It’s paradigm-shifting for me. I mean, we often talk about divine intervention, as if it were an external entity that only existed outside us. But what if we think that we are divine beings ourselves? But I don’t know how to make of this idea because I am not schooled in mediation.
Since I found the concept of divinity novel, I really liked Book 3’s ending.
More later!
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I'm admiring your meditative practice of reading Meditations :)
Communication is really an art.
Indeed. Reading that book came with a dawning understanding that actually practicing communication in the way it describes is a heroic effort. It's pretty easy to read and understand the concept, but to really practice it in daily life take so much patience and self awareness. The sort of dedication Marcus is describing all over this book...
This time round, I paid more attention to his idea of nurturing the divinity within us.
Yeah, this is a fascinating topic. In my other posts on the religious history ideas, my interpretation was essentially that the emergence of this idea of divinity existing within humans has been a long, slow and very painful collective investigation. I tend to relate to this idea through a perspective based in meditation because I've immersed myself in that the last few years, but that grounding isn't necessary. Everybody is bringing unique experience and perspective to the collective table, and I'm often inspired, excited and humbled to see that.
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