This post is the twelfth and final installment in our Stoic Philosophy book club series on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Thanks to everyone who followed and read along.
Prior posts for context:
- Book 11
- Book 10
- Book 9
- Book 8
- Book 7
- Book 6
- Book 5
- Book 4
- Book 3: In Carnuntum
- Book 2: On the River Gran, Among the Quadi
- Book 1: Debts and Lessons
- Geneisis Post
Book 12
Summary and Highlights
As Book 12 is the final chapter of Meditations, it has a deep tone of conclusion. I'm not aware exactly of over what time span Marcus wrote Meditations or the space between each book. However, in congruence with the rest of the content, and Stoic philosophy, there is a feeling and emphasis of Marcus preparing for his own departure from the body. Many of the entries seem more intimate, like private musings of Marcus' mind, exploring, observing and marveling at reality's Divine Paradox. He flows back and forth between a recognition of opposites and an appreciation of Unity, like he's breathing along with the Universe, perhaps final breaths. Accordingly, his entry topics seem to focus more obviously on preparation for death, rationalizing it as a Natural process and releasing any final attachments. Here are the items that stood out to me.
I won't quote all of #1, but the following statements stood out:
Reverence: so you'll accept what you're allotted. Nature intended it for you, and you for it. Justice: so that you'll speak the truth, frankly and without evasions, and act as you should -- and as other people deserve.
... if it isn't ceasing to live that you're afraid of but never beginning to live properly... then you'll be worthy of the world that made you.
I love the reminder about reverence in particular. Coupled with the later quote, I appreciate the attitude of admiration and worship he has for "the world". This attitude is one of the main things I've appreciated about reading meditations, in contrast to Eastern philosophy which can be easy to misread as depicting Nature as pure materiality; useless, ignorant and to be transcended as soon as possible. One could try to dissect Marcus statement and try to argue about what he means by "the world". But for me, any ambiguity of terms adds to the beauty of the reflection -- coercing me to both have more respect for divinity within "the material", and recognize the magnanimity of "the world" as the entire ordered cosmic structure.
- It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own. If a 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. That's how much we value other people's opinions -- instead of our own.
There are a couple of weird thoughts coming up from this passage. First, a meditation on self-love. I feel like here Marcus is referring to "selfish" self-love and describing the paradox of trying to get what we want by placating others. However, a more evolved notion of Self-love might require taking good care of oneself in order to be healthy and capable to be of service to others. I've been on a path of acknowledging the need for the latter in my life over the past years, and as such, have been trying to discern the difference between selfishness and Self-love. It's not always easy to figure out, or to avoid self-deception. In a small statement, Marcus hides a question and meditation on what Love is and how it expresses. Secondly, I like the idea of both a god and a wise human representing some degree of omniscience. Perhaps Marcus had teachers that he felt could read his thoughts, or that he could not hide from. Perhaps there is something edging on divinity about deeply wise human beings.
9. The student as boxer, not fencer. The fencer's weapon is picked up and put down again. The boxer's is part of him. All he has to do is clench his fist.
What a cool observation. The most powerful weapons or tools are those that are built into our mind and character. They never leave us.
- To see things as they are. Substance, cause and purpose.
I'm quoting this because it's repeated and emphasized in #18.
- The freedom to do only what God wants, and accept whatever God sends us.
Again, a subtle paradox of describing "freedom" as a sense of deep surrender, or "willing slavery" to God or the will of Nature. Playing with polarity, dissolving into Unity.
- The gods are not to blame. They do nothing wrong, on purpose or by accident. Nor men either; they don't do it on purpose. No one is to blame.
This entry is helpful while exploring both anger and shame. Again, we see the Stoic boundary line between what is within one's control and what isn't (fate, or the gods). For that which is outside our control, Nature is happening as it should in its perfection. For that which is within the personal domain, ignorance can be Nature's way of protecting us from blaming others or ourselves. However, doesn't this mean the consequences might be very severe for knowing something is wrong, and choosing willfully to do it anyway?
- The lamp shines until it is put out, without losing its gleam, and yet in you it all gutters out so early -- truth, justice, self-control?
The dedicated, persistent shining of fire. This reminds me of the "sacred fire" traditions in India, or even in ancient Rome of the Vestal Virgins. They would tend a sacred fire for years and years without letting it go out. It's a practical, Tantric reminder to keep the light of Truth alive in our Hearts persistently and eternally.
18. At all times, look at the thing itself -- the thing behind the appearance -- and unpack it by analysis:
- cause
- substance
- purpose
- and the length of time it exists.
This process was eluded to in #10 and I'm repeating it here, not because I fully get it, but to respect Marcus' emphasis. A detailed and reliable interpretation eludes me, but it could be an exposition of a meditation process, whereby instead of accepting surface mental phenomena, like thoughts, feelings or sensations, one observes and explores them more deeply. Uncovering deeper layers of the mind. Realizing the temporary nature of all mental, emotional and physical phenomena. Developing an equanimity and stillness of mind toward every new experience.
- That before long you'll be no one, and nowhere. Like all the things you see now. All the people now living.
Marcus preparing for Death. Exploring even the paradox between life and death. That consciousness is the only thing that is truly awake, and without it, we roam the Earth dead and asleep. Zombies? Maybe they're already here and among us. Maybe I'm a zombie to the extent I'm ignorant.
In #23, another great reasoning toward preparing for Death, Marcus notes, "Why should we be ashamed of an involuntary act that injures no one?" I find this a quite unique perspective considering how little we fear performing voluntary acts which do indeed injure others versus the mortal fear of our own innocent, natural dissolution. The rest of #23 is well worth reading.
Toward the end of #26,
And... That an individuals mind is God and of God. That nothing belongs to anyone. Children, body, life itself -- all of them come from that same source. That it's all how you chose to see things. That the present is all we have to live in. Or to lose.
Radically inspiring, and somewhat controversial for our Western values. In particular, the ideological destruction of private property rights. I used to say these kinds of things, rebelling without a cause in high school. But then again, I was also angry, which Marcus demolishes earlier in this entry. Challenging for our imperfect society, but rings of a divine Truth from a wise man close to letting it all go.
In #27, Marcus adds a footnote, "There's nothing more insufferable than people who boast about their own humility."
I'll quote #30 in its entirety because I feel it captures Book 12 well as Marcus explores polarities and paradox:
Singular, not plural: Sunlight. Though broken up by walls and mountains and a thousand other things. Substance. Though split into a thousand form, variously shaped. Life. Though distributed among a thousand different natures with their individual limitations. Intelligence. Even if it seems to be divided. The other components -- breath, matter -- lack any awareness or connection to one another (yet unity and its gravitational pull embrace them too). But intelligence is uniquely drawn toward what is akin to it, and joins with it inseparably, in shared awareness.
Like many other entries, he plays with the difference between appearance and underlying Unity. And also re-emphasizes the "categories" of observational analysis found in #10 and #18.
- The incentive to treat death as unimportant: even people whose only morality is pain and pleasure can manage that much.
To typify relation to pain and pleasure as "a morality" is probably more accurate that most people are willing to admit.
And lastly, I'll quote Marcus final entry in Meditation entirely as a self-standing conclusion to Book 12, Meditations, Marcus' Life and our Book Club experiment together.
36. You've lived as a citizen in a great city. Five years or a hundred -- what's the difference? The laws make no distinction. And to be sent away from it, not by a tyrant or a dishonest judge, but by Nature, who first invited you in -- why is that so terrible? Like the impresario ringing down the curtain on an actor: "But I've only gotten through three acts...!" Yes. This will be a drama in three acts, the length fixed by the power that directed your creation, and now directs your dissolution. Neither was yours to determine. So make your exit with grace -- the same grace shown to you.
Reflections
Welp, it been quite a journey over the last 12 weeks. When I proposed this book club idea, I was particularly interested in whether reading Stoic philosophy would have an impact on my sense of personal initiative in life. However, there were quite a few weekends were I was directly confronted with my laziness and procrastination at writing these posts. Definitely my "when you wake up in the morning" moments of quite a number of Marcus' entries ;) If I wasn't trying to stick to a schedule and write one post each weekend, I probably would have burned through the book over the course of a week. However, as time went on, I really began to appreciate this project and weekly meditation, finding Marcus' insights more present with me, popping up in conversations in my personal life and influencing the way I reacted to certain situations. I can't say that I've noticed "more initiative" in the way I originally imagined it, but I can definitely see more surrender and relaxation into my current life circumstances, what "Nature has given to me". Perhaps the journey around initiative has been less about how to make life happen how I envision, but more accept the projects life is already offering and refine the relationship to them.
From a less personal place, I really appreciated Meditations and the Stoic perspective for finding a first-class place for the individual and highlighting the importance of drawing appropriate boundaries. From a materialistic standpoint, it can be discouraging to feel like one hasn't accomplished everything they are capable of, or gotten what they want. From a more Eastern mentality, it can be difficult to grapple with meaninglessness against the magnanimity of the Universe and the Soul's journey toward "perfection". Reading Meditations, and Marcus incessant reminders to accept and take seriously the life that is in front of us, has planted some seeds for living a more practical and integrated life. I'll definitely continue to explore Stoicism and integrate its balancing perspective more deeply into my worldview.
Thanks everyone for reading and contributing to the discussions.