He ruled the Roman Empire at its greatest extent — from Britain to Mesopotamia, from the Rhine to the Sahara. He fought wars on the frontier, buried children, faced plague and rebellion. And in his tent at night, by lamplight, he wrote a private journal never meant for publication: notes to himself on how to remain human while wielding absolute power.
These "Meditations" were not philosophy for the academy but medicine for the soul. Marcus Aurelius practiced Stoicism not as a theory but as a way of life — a daily discipline of thought and will.
"Begin each day by saying to yourself:
Today I shall meet the interfering, ungrateful, arrogant,
Dishonest, jealous, and surly.
They are like this because they cannot tell good from evil.
But I have seen the beauty of good,
The ugliness of evil,
And have recognized that the wrongdoer
Is of the same nature as myself.
Therefore none can injure me."
The core of Stoic teaching: some things are in our power, most things are not. What others do, what happens in the world, whether we live or die — these are not in our power. Our judgments, our will, our response — these are in our power. Focus on what you control; accept what you cannot.
"You have power over your mind, not outside events," Marcus wrote. "Realize this, and you will find strength. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."
"Nothing happens to anyone
That he is not fitted by nature to bear.
The same thing happens to another,
And either he does not realize it,
Or he displays a brave spirit.
Is it not strange that ignorance and vanity
Should be stronger than wisdom?"
Yet Marcus was no cold rationalist. He believed in the divine Logos that pervades all things, the sacred fire that burns in every soul. "Constantly think of the universe as one living creature," he wrote. "A single soul animates many bodies. All things are woven together, and the fabric is holy."
He knew that death would take him, as it takes all. "Loss is nothing else but change," he reflected, "and change is Nature's delight." He died in 180 CE, on campaign, having done his duty to the end. His journal survived by accident, a private document that became one of the most influential books in history.
Teaching 44
You control your thoughts and will — nothing else. What others do, what happens, whether you live or die: accept these. The universe is one living creature; the fabric is holy. Loss is change, and change is Nature's delight. Do your duty. The rest is not in your power.