Recap…

This book is an exhaustive list of various lessons Marcus Aurelius has learned from significant figures in his life. Father, mother, brother, the cobbler (just kidding), and many other people who have taught him something either directly or through how they lived their lives. Some of the key take-aways included:

Be gentle and avoid anger.

Be bountiful, refrain from evil, and live a modest lifestyle.

Avoid unfair bias and endure hard work.

Perform tasks yourself and don’t meddle in the business of others.

Strive to improve yourself and avoid vanity.

Communicate simply and clearly and make peace with those who offend you.

Embody liberty and steadfastness, even in the face of adversity.

Receive favors graciously and remain steadfast in your principles.

Govern your family with mildness and affection.

Live according to nature.

Correct other peoples mistakes with care and without disapproval.

Do not disregard advice from friends and mentors.

Lead with kindness and love while prioritizing justice and equality.

Remain self-reliant, cheerful, and virtuous.

Embrace moderation and avoid excess.

Acknowledge the role of god(s) and fortune in your life.

Remain calm and composed when encountering difficult people by recognizing their kinship and the impermanence of their actions.

Accept fate with gratitude and simplicity.

This was just a snapshot of what the first book in Meditations had to offer. Incredible how much information was packed into such a condensed form…

What stood out?

I am going to try to communicate what I learned from this. But first, I know homeboy said he learned to communicate simply but I beg to differ… Maybe I am more uneducated than I thought, but that relatively small passage took some time for me to read. I like to thing I am embodying one of his lessons to read and truly understand the content. There are a few factors impacting this I am sure including the age of the work, the fact it’s has been translated (probably more than once…), and I am pretty sure this was a journal and wasn’t structured for mass consumption.

Anyway, enough griping. What stood out to me (other than the irony I perceived in the earlier lessons)?

Marcus Aurelius really valued people and relationships.

It could just be me, but the entire first book was him acknowledging that most everything he knows or has learned was taught to him by someone else. How humble and modest of him. I love seeing people give credit where credit is due and this guy just did this in spades. This instantly elevates him in my eyes.

He had a religious side to him that I was not expecting…

In my cursory investigations regarding Stoicism, It always seemed there was not anything overtly religious about the subject. This is likely the case, however Marcus Aurelius clearly communicated (more than once), the importance of religious devotion and the ability to express gratitude to the gods.

My Take-Aways…

What stood out to me likely has to due with my own shortcomings. I am not the best at establishing and maintaining relationships and I do not have much of a spiritual side. I would like to work on both.

I need to be a better man, husband, father, and brother.

This book and it’s lessons are speaking to me (though slowly). Providing me with lessons and information which resonates. Some of the advice I already try to embody. We can always be better though! I will continue to read and apply lessons learned here and will try to address any shortcomings. Baby steps. First:

I need to find patience and govern my family with mildness (this is hard sometimes in my chaotic household).

Establishing and maintaining strong relationships should first occur at home with my wife and children. This is priority #1 for me but should naturally extend to others (friends, family coworkers, etc.). There are other lessons to be applied, but this one stands out right now given I just finished doing homework with my daughter and we were both annoyed, lol.

Second:

I would like to become more “spiritual”.

This one is odd for me. I was baptized Mormon, but went to Baptist and Catholic schools growing up. Long story short, I am a skeptical Christian but I acknowledge the importance of faith and spirituality. I would like to take some time to meditate and pray on my own for starters. This is a small but manageable step in the right direction for me.

Enough about me though. What did you take from Book 1?

Thank you and I look forward to discussing book 1 with you in more detail. Until next time! free eBook of Mediations on the Project Gutenberg website.

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