Who was Marcus Aurelius?
An emperor of Rome? A philosopher King? The progenitor of Stoicism? – He was
But more than that, he was a man. A man who lived thousands of years ago in a time far removed from our current existence. Technology was different, the understanding of the world not as sophisticated, but what has not changed since his time? Humanity.
We live in a divided and balkanized world. Differences in gender, race, religion, even sexual orientation is politicized to create a world in a constant state of ideological warfare.
This quote from “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius expounds the stoic philosophy. And in it, a kernel of life truth from thousands of years ago, which is so relevant today.
Utilitarianism and socialism is not equality, individualism is. Become an individual, become a believer in yourself, a believer in self-determination, and a believer in the people around you to be able to do the same.
You are not a victim of society, you are a member of it. And with the power comes the ability to join the insanity, or stand against it.
I believe in analyzing the words and minds of the greatest philosophers humanity has ever known. In the upcoming weeks, I will be releasing posts analyzing different sections of “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius. I will dive into the meaning behind his words, and how it applies to our world today. In those words I hope to find out how Stoicism can positively affect our lives.
