Book 8 Marcus Aurelius Meditations

Book 8 Marcus Aurelius Meditations

Episode Transcript

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Book eight. This reflection also tendsto the removal of the desire of empty
fame, that it is no longerin thy power to have lived the whole
of thy life, or at leastthy life from thy youth upwards, like
a philosopher. But both to manyothers and to thyself. It is plain
that thou art far from philosophy.Thou hast fallen into disorder, then,

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so that it is no longer easyfor THEE to get the reputation of a
philosopher, and thy plan of lifealso opposes it. If then thou hast
truly seen where the matter lies,throw away the thought how thou shalt seem
to others and be content? Ifthou shalt live the rest of thy life
in such wise as thy nature wills, observe then what it wills, and

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let nothing else distract thee. Forthou hast had experience of many wanderings without
having found happiness anywhere, not insyllogisms, nor in wealth, nor in
reputation, nor in enjoyment, noranywhere where is it then in doing what
man's nature requires. How then shalla man do this? If he has
principles from which come his effects andhis acts? What principles those which relate

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to good and bad? The beliefthat there is nothing good for man which
does not make him just, temperate, manly free, and that there is
nothing bad which does not do thecontrary to what has been mentioned on the
occasion of every act, Ask thyself, how is this with respect to me?
Shall I repent of it? Alittle time? And I am dead

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and all is gone? What moredo I seek? If what I am
now doing is work of an intelligent, living being and a social being,
and one who is under the samelaw with God. Alexander and Gaius and
Pompeius, what are they in comparisonwith Diogenes and Heraclitis and Socrates? For
they were acquainted with things in theircauses, forms, and their matter,

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and the ruling principles of these menwere the same. But as to the
others, how many things had theyto care for? And to how many
things were they slaves? Consider thatmen will do the same things. Nevertheless,
even though thou shouldst burst, thisis the chief thing. Be not
perturbed, For all things are accordingto the nature of the universal, And
in a little time thou wilt benobody in nowhere like Hadrian and Augustus in

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the next place, having fix thyeyes steadily on thy business, look at
it, and at the same timeremembering that it is thy duty to be
a good man, and what mansnature demands, do that without turning aside,
and speak as it seems to theemost just. Only let it be
with a good disposition, and withthem modesty and without hypocrisy. The nature

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of the universal has this work todo, to remove to that place the
things which are in this, tochange them, to take them away hence,
and to carry them there. Allthings are changed, yet we need
not fear anything new. All thingsare familiar to us, but the distribution
of them still remains the same.Every nature is contented with itself when it
goes on its way well, andirrational nature goes on its way well when

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it when its thoughts it a senseto nothing false or uncertain, and when
it directs its movements to social actsonly, and when it confines its desires
and aversions into the things which arein its power, and when it is
satisfied with everything that is assigned toit by the common nature. For of
this common nature, every particular natureis a part as the nature of the

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leaf is a part of the natureof the plant, except that in the
plant, the nature of the leafis part of a nature which has not
perception or reason, and is subjectto be impeded. But the nature of
man is part of a nature whichis not subject to impediments, and is
intelligent and just, since it givesto everything in equal portions and according to

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its worth time, substance, cause, form, activity, and incident.
But examine not to discover that anyone thing compared with any other single thing,
is equal in all respects. Butby taking all the parts together of
one thing and comparing them with allthe parts together of another, thou hast
not leisure or ability to read.But thou hast leisure or ability to check

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arrogance. Thou hast leisure to besuperior to pleasure and pain. Thou hast
leisure to be superior to love offame, and not to be vexed its
stupid and ungrateful people, nay evento care for them. Let no man
any longer hear thee finding fault withthe court life or with thy own repentance

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is a kind of self reproof forhaving neglected something useful, but that which
is good, must be something useful, and the perfect good man should look
after it. But no such manwould ever repent of having refused any sensual
pleasure. Pleasure, then, isneither good out nor useful this thing?
What is it in itself in itsown constitution? What is its substance and

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material? And what its causal natureor form? And what is it doing
in the world? And how longdoes it subsist? When thou risest from
sleep with reluctance, remember that itis a according to thy constitution and according
to human nature, to perform socialacts. But sleeping is common also to
irrational animals. But that which isaccording to each individual's nature is also more

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peculiarly its own, and more suitableto its nature, and indeed also more
agreeable. Constantly, And if itbe possible, on the occasion of every
impression on the soul, apply toit the principles of physic, of ethic,
and of dialectic. Whatever man thoumeetest with, immediately say to thyself
what opinions has this man about goodand bad? For if with respect to

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pleasure and pain in the causes ofeach, and with respect to fame and
ignominy, death and life he hassuch and such opinions, it will seem
nothing wonderful or strange to me ifhe does such and such things, and
I shall bear in mind that heis compelled to do so. Remember that,
as it is a shame to besurprised if the fig tree produces figs,

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so it is to be surprised ifthe world produces such and such things
of which it is productive. Andfor the physician and the helmsman, it
is a shame to be surprised ifa man has a fever, or if
the wind is unfavorable. Remember thatto change thy opinion and to follow him
who corrects thy error, is asconsistent with freedom as it is to persist
in thy error. For it isthy own the activity which is exerted according

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to thy own movement and judgment,and indeed according to thy own understanding.
Too. If a thing is inthy own power, why dost thou do
it? But if it is inthe power of another, whom dost thou
blame? The atoms, chance orthe gods both are foolish. Thou must
blame nobody. For if thou canstcorrect that which is the cause, but

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if thou canst not do this correct, at least the thing itself. But
if thou canst not do even this, of what use is it to thee
to find fault? For nothing shouldbe done without a purpose. That which
has died falls not out of theuniverse. If it stays here, it
also changes here and is dissolved intoits proper parts, which are elements of
the universe and of thyself. Andthese two change, and they murmur,

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Not everything exists for some end?A horse, a vine. Why dost
thou wonder? Even the sun willsay I am for some purpose, and
the rest of the gods will saythe same. For what purpose? Then
art thou to enjoy pleasure? See? If common sense allows this, Nature
has had regard in everything, noless to the end than to the beginning
and the continuance. Just like theman who throws up a ball, What

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good is it, then for theball to be thrown up or harmed for
it to come down, or evento have fallen. And what good is
it to the bubble while it holdstogether, or what harm when it is
burst? The same may be saidof a light. Also turn it the
body inside out, and see whatkind of thing it is? And when
it has grown old, what kindof thing it becomes? And when it
is diseased short lived? Are boththe praiser and the praised, and the

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rememberer and the remembered. And allthis in a nook of this part of
the world. And not even heredo all agree, No, not anyone
with himself, And the whole earthtoo is a point attend to the matter
which is before thee, whether itis an opinion or an act or a
word. Thou sufferest this justly,for thou choosest rather to become good tomorrow,
then to be good today. AmI doing anything? I do it

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with reference to the good of mankind? Does anything happen to me? I
receive it and refer it to theGods and the source of all things from
which all that happens is derived,such as bathing appears to THEE, oil,
sweat, dirt, filthy water,all things disgusting. So is every
part of life and everything. Lucillasaw Verus die, and then Lucilla died.

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Secunda saw Maximus die, and thenSecunda died. Epitin Canus saw Diatomus
die, and epitin Canus died.Antoninus saw Faustina die, and then Antoninus
died, such as everything sailor sawHadrian die, and then Cellar died,
and those sharp witted men either searsor men inflated with pride, where they,
for instance, the sharp witted menCherax and Demetrius, the Platonist,

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and Eudaemon, and anyone else likethem, all ephemeral, dead long ago.
Some indeed have not been remembered evenfor a short time, And others
have become the heroes of fables,and again others have disappeared even from fables.
Remember this, then, that thislittle compound thyself must either be dissolved,
or thy poor breath must be extinguished, or be removed and placed elsewhere.

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It is satisfaction to a man todo the proper works of a man.
Now it is a proper work ofa man to be benevolent to his
own kind, to despise the movementsof the senses, to form a just
judgment of plausible appearances, and totake a survey of the nature of the
universe and of the things which happenin it. There are three relations between

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THEE and other things. The onetoo the body which surrounds THEE. The
second to the divine cause from whichall things come to all, and the
third to those who live with thee. Pain is either an evil to the
body, then let the body saywhat it thinks of it, or to
the soul. But it is inthe power of the soul too maintain its
own serenity and tranquility, and notto think that pain is an evil.

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For every judgment and movement, anddesire and aversion is within, and no
evil ascends so high. Wipe outthy imaginations by often saying to thyself,
now, it is in my powerto let no badness be in this soul,
nor desire, nor any perturbation atall. But looking at all things,
I see what is their nature,and I use each according to its

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value. Remember this power which thoupass from nature. Speak both in the
Senate and to every man, whoeverhe may be, appropriately, not with
any affectation. Use plain discourse.Augustus's court, wife, daughter, descendants,
ancestors, sister Agrippa, kinsman,intimates, friends, Arius, Messinus,
physicians, and sacrificing priests. Thewhole court is dead. Then turn

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to the rest, not considering thedeath of a single man, but of
a whole race, as of thePompeii and that which is in described on
the tombs the last of his race. Then consider what trouble those before them
have had that they might leave asuccessor, And then that of necessity someone
must be the last. Again,here consider the death of a whole race.

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It is thy duty to order thylife well in every single act.
And if every act does its dutyas far as its possible, be content,
and no one is able to hinderTHEE, so that each act shall
not do its duty, but somethingexternal will stand in the way. Nothing
will stand in the way of thyacting justly and soberly and considerately. But

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perhaps some other active power will behindered well. But by acquiescing in the
hindrance, and by being content totransfer thy efforts to that which is allowed,
another opportunity of action is immediately putbefore THEE in place of that which
was hindered, and one which willadapt itself to this ordering of which we
are speaking.