"Retire into yourself. The rational governing centre is of such a nature that it finds its contentment in its own just conduct and the serenity that it gains from it."
- Meditations, page 62
"Your principles have life in them. For how can they perish, unless the ideas that correspond to them are extinguished? And it is up to you to be constantly fanning them into new flame."- Meditations, page 58
The book opens with Aurelius listing 17 individuals, each of whom represent something important to him. He identifies who they are and the values and/or principles they demonstrate that he holds dear, and seeks to emulate. I felt inspired by the fact that a Roman Emperor was hoping to ‘walk the talk’ and remain curious about what it is that means this is still something many of our leaders strive to achieve today. He expands on these in Book 2 with some examples of how to live these in practical terms:
"Each of us lives only in the present, this fleeting moment of time, and that the rest of one’s life has either already been lived or lies in an unknowable future."- Meditations, page 20
Quite a few of Aurelius’ comments are focused on the fleeting aspect of time, and that it is therefore necessary to do the important things now. He returns to this concept to note that we should live each day as though it is our last. This should include being authentic and present in the moment, an approach that it is not easy and requires dedication, “Perfection of character requires this, that you should live each day as though it you’re your last, and be neither agitated, nor lethargic nor act a part” (page 69). For me these concepts reflect the importance of now, in that we shouldn’t put off till tomorrow what we can do today and that we need to be present and enjoy the current time and place we are in. Albeit that this can sometimes be challenging, especially given that what is important to me may not be important to others, and vice versa.
"All that comes about, comes about justly…Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to live…while you have life in you, while you still can, make yourself good."- Meditations, page 25-26
While Aurelius sees it as important to know your own values and principles, he spends some time considering what it is to be good and just. This was interesting for me as I had thought this concept to be something many of the Roman Emperors didn’t concern themselves with (Caligula comes to mind). I was also interested by his reflecting the importance of choosing how we respond to apparent misfortune and that it is in our own selves (‘ruling centres’) that determines how we respond to events “Do away with the judgement and the notion ‘I have been harmed’ is done away with; do away with that notion, and the harm itself has gone.” (page 25).
This is a book to which I will constantly return, if only open it to a random page and see what the questions and reflections are. There are many common themes that Aurelius returns to, they are based on the 17 attributes of his mentors and role models that he identifies at the start. This is a book that has inspired me to start journaling again, and to see that even a sentence can start to provide us with a picture of what is important to us over time. It is worth noting that these are the gems I took away with me on this reading, however I remain in no doubt that others might appear more important on reviewing the book in months and years to come. In short, this is a must read for anyone interested in thinking about and developing their own leadership style and their own moral compass, for “the art of living is more like the wrestler’s art than the dancer’s in this regard, that it must stand ready and firm to meet whatever happens to it, even when unforeseen” (67).
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (A.D. 121 – 180) was Roman Emperor and wrote his Meditations during his campaigns against the barbarians.
