Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (top 10 inspirational books .TXT) 📗
- Author: Marcus Aurelius
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unintentionally, inasmuch as he is at variance with the universal nature,
and inasmuch as he disturbs the order by fighting against the nature of
the world; for he fights against it, who is moved of himself to that
which is contrary to truth, for he had received powers from nature
through the neglect of which he is not able now to distinguish falsehood
from truth. And indeed he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain
as evil, is guilty of impiety. For of necessity such a man must often
find fault with the universal nature, alleging that it assigns things to
the bad and the good contrary to their deserts, because frequently the
bad are in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure
pleasure, but the good have pain for their share and the things which
cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also be
afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and even
this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain from
injustice, and this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the things
towards which the universal nature is equally affected,—for it would not
have made both, unless it was equally affected towards both,—towards
these they who wish to follow nature should be of the same mind with it,
and equally affected. With respect to pain, then, and pleasure, or death
and life, or honor and dishonor, which the universal nature employs
equally, whoever is not equally affected is manifestly acting impiously.
And I say that the universal nature employs them equally, instead of
saying that they happen alike to those who are produced in continuous
series and to those who come after them by virtue of a certain original
movement of Providence, according to which it moved from a certain
beginning to this ordering of things, having conceived certain principles
of the things which were to be, and having determined powers productive
of beings and of changes and of such like successions (VII. 75).
2. It would be a man’s happiest lot to depart from mankind without having
had any taste of lying and hypocrisy and luxury and pride. However, to
breathe out one’s life when a man has had enough of these things is the
next best voyage, as the saying is. Hast thou determined to abide with
vice, and has not experience yet induced thee to fly from this
pestilence? For the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence,
much more indeed than any such corruption and change of this atmosphere
which surrounds us. For this corruption is a pestilence of animals so far
as they are animals; but the other is a pestilence of men so far as they
are men.
3. Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is
one of those things which nature wills. For such as it is to be young and
to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and to have teeth and
beard and gray hairs, and to beget and to be pregnant and to bring forth,
and all the other natural operations which the seasons of thy life bring,
such also is dissolution. This, then, is consistent with the character of
a reflecting man,—to be neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous
with respect to death, but to wait for it as one of the operations of
nature. As thou now waitest for the time when the child shall come out of
thy wife’s womb, so be ready for the time when thy soul shall fall out of
this envelope. But if thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which
shall reach thy heart, thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by
observing the objects from which thou art going to be removed, and the
morals of those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled. For it is
no way right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty to care for them
and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy departure will
not be from men who have the same principles as thyself. For this is the
only thing, if there be any, which could draw us the contrary way and
attach us to life,—to be permitted to live with those who have the same
principles as ourselves. But now thou seest how great is the trouble
arising from the discordance of those who live together, so that thou
mayest say, Come quick, O death, lest perchance I, too, should forget
myself.
4. He who does wrong does wrong against himself. He who acts unjustly
acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad.
5. He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he
who does a certain thing.
6. Thy present opinion founded on understanding, and thy present conduct
directed to social good, and thy present disposition of contentment with
everything which happens—that is enough.
7. Wipe out imagination: check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the
ruling faculty in its own power.
8. Among the animals which have not reason one life is distributed; but
among reasonable animals one intelligent soul is distributed: just as
there is one earth of all things which are of an earthy nature, and we
see by one light, and breathe one air, all of us that have the faculty of
vision and all that have life.
9. All things which participate in anything which is common to them all
move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves. Everything
which is earthy turns towards the earth, everything which is liquid flows
together, and everything which is of an aerial kind does the same, so
that they require something to keep them asunder, and the application of
force. Fire indeed moves upwards on account of the elemental fire, but it
is so ready to be kindled together with all the fire which is here, that
even every substance which is somewhat dry is easily ignited, because
there is less mingled with it of that which is a hindrance to ignition.
Accordingly, then, everything also which participates in the common
intelligent nature moves in like manner towards that which is of the same
kind with itself, or moves even more. For so much as it is superior in
comparison with all other things, in the same degree also is it more
ready to mingle with and to be fused with that which is akin to it.
Accordingly among animals devoid of reason we find swarms of bees, and
herds of cattle, and the nurture of young birds, and in a manner, loves;
for even in animals there are souls, and that power which brings them
together is seen to exert itself in the superior degree, and in such a
way as never has been observed in plants nor in stones nor in trees. But
in rational animals there are political communities and friendships, and
families and meetings of people; and in wars, treaties, and armistices.
But in the things which are still superior, even though they are
separated from one another, unity in a manner exists, as in the stars.
Thus the ascent to the higher degree is able to produce a sympathy even
in things which are separated. See, then, what now takes place; for only
intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual desire and
inclination, and in them alone the property of flowing together is not
seen. But still, though men strive to avoid [this union], they are caught
and held by it, for their nature is too strong for them; and thou wilt
see what I say, if thou only observest. Sooner, then, will one find
anything earthy which comes in contact with no earthy thing, than a man
altogether separated from other men.
10. Both man and God and the universe produce fruit; at the proper
seasons each produces it. But and if usage has especially fixed these
terms to the vine and like things, this is nothing. Reason produces fruit
both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it other things
of the same kind as reason itself.
11. If thou art able, correct by teaching those who do wrong; but if thou
canst not, remember that indulgence is given to thee for this purpose.
And the gods, too, are indulgent to such persons; and for some purposes
they even help them to get health, wealth, reputation; so kind they are.
And it is in thy power also; or say, who hinders thee?
12. Labor not as one who is wretched, nor yet as one who would be pitied
or admired: but direct thy will to one thing only,—to put thyself in
motion and to check thyself, as the social reason requires.
13. To-day I have got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out all
trouble, for it was not outside, but within and in my opinions.
14. All things are the same, familiar in experience, and ephemeral in
time, and worthless in the matter. Everything now is just as it was in
the time of those whom we have buried.
15. Things stand outside of us, themselves by themselves, neither knowing
aught of themselves, nor expressing any judgment. What is it, then, which
does judge about them? The ruling faculty.
16. Not in passivity but in activity lie the evil and the good of the
rational social animal, just as his virtue and his vice lie not in
passivity but in activity.
17. For the stone which has been thrown up it is no evil to come down,
nor indeed any good to have been carried up (VIII. 20).
18. Penetrate inwards into men’s leading principles, and thou wilt see
what judges thou art afraid of, and what kind of judges they are of
themselves.
19. All things are changing: and thou thyself art in continuous mutation
and in a manner in continuous destruction, and the whole universe too.
20. It is thy duty to leave another man’s wrongful act there where it is
(VII. 29; IX. 38).
21. Termination of activity, cessation from movement and opinion, and in
a sense their death, is no evil. Turn thy thoughts now to the
consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as a youth, thy manhood,
thy old age, for in these also every change was a death. Is this anything
to fear? Turn thy thoughts now to thy life under thy grandfather, then to
thy life under thy mother, then to thy life under thy father; and as thou
findest many other differences and changes and terminations, ask thyself,
Is this anything to fear? In like manner, then, neither are the
termination and cessation and change of thy whole life a thing to be
afraid of.
22. Hasten [to examine] thy own ruling faculty and that of the universe
and that of thy neighbor: thy own that thou mayst make it just; and that
of the universe, that thou mayst remember of what thou art a part; and
that of thy neighbor, that thou mayst know whether he has acted
ignorantly or with knowledge, and that thou mayst also consider that his
ruling faculty is akin to thine.
23. As thou thyself art a component part of a social system, so let every
act of thine be a component part of social life. Whatever act of thine
then has no reference either immediately or remotely to a social end,
this tears asunder thy life, and does not allow it to be one, and it is
of the nature of a mutiny, just as when in a popular assembly a man
acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement.
24.
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