Marcus Aurelius

[resilient]

I've been a good roll recently with François de La Rochefoucauld and Baltasar Gracián, so I figured I'd continue the distinguished gentlemen in history, philosophers, statesmen, leaders, monks, and all around deep thinkers series going.

I think strong leadership is what we could use a lot more of these days when we're thinking on how to conduct our lives with our interactions with women, business and people in general.

We get caught up in red/blue pill dogma that sometimes we forget the simple truths that cut through the BS. Granted many of these figures in history lived in different times, yet they all share the inner struggle in their modus operandi.

Marcus Aurelius​

Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. He was considered to be the last of the five good emperors. He practiced stoicism and is known for his book, Meditations. He wrote the book to better his understanding in guiding his own life and balanced "just so" self-improvement practices. I read his book in my mid 20s and it helped me to learn to become more rational in my actions. I strongly recommend it to other DJs on this forum.

Here are some of my favorite quotes of his:

You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

To understand the true quality of people, you must look into their minds, and examine their pursuits and aversions.

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be One.​

 

[BetterCallSaul]

Even some of the bad Roman emperors back then still had to be (to some extent) hard men dealing with all sorts of foreign affairs and domestic problems. What's always been a real gem is when the good ones wrote the stuff like what you posted. These were men who had real wisdom and good insights into life and the nature of people. Looking back that a wise man like that wrote this stuff a couple thousand years ago, have we as a people really changed that much? Not really.

 

[ChristopherColumbus]

Ah, perennial philosophy. Stoicism is an interesting one, and definitely one suited to public life. I was listening to a BBC podcast on Epicurius the other day, and here you had a philosophy very much suited to those that retire from public life to... cultivate their own garden.

It's hard to say whether Stoicism or Epicureanism is better as they seem to each be suited to different aspects of our life. Actually, that seems to be the problem, this desire to subscribe to one particular philosophy, when philosophy itself seems to be more a certain [uncertain] stance towards life. In a word, criticism. And yet most find it difficult to hold it in the balance.

I think this problem becomes acute in any society that has lost its mythic/ poetic/ religious ethos. The critical spirit tries to hold the line, but is soon blown to the four corners by the sophists, and every man becomes enslaved to some simplistic two-dimensional ideology manufactured for the masses.

The screen, which we all spend so much time before today, reflects this, two dimensional and lacking depth.... not so with a good book.

 

[user43770]

I bought La Rochefoucauld's 'Maxims' and Gracian's 'The Art of Worldly Wisdom' off Amazon. One was recommended to me because I had bought the other.

Before that I read Schopenhauer's 'Essays', which was great reading.

I would also recommend Alain de Botton's 'The Consolations of Philosophy.' It's much easier to read than a book of thoughts or quotes and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And like Christopher said, Epicurus has some great insights regarding death and minimalism.

Happy reading.

 

[resilient]

I'm always open to reading that which is in line with similar philosophy of the DJ, so I'll check out Alain de Botton...cheers. Also, I finished Rollo T's Rational Male v.2 and I'm about a third through way through v.1 (first read through). Good stuff.

 

[user43770]

I'm always open to reading that which is in line with similar philosophy of the DJ, so I'll check out Alain de Botton...cheers. Also, I finished Rollo T's Rational Male v.2 and I'm about a third through way through v.1 (first read through). Good stuff.

Big fan of Rollo. I own both of his books, but I had read all of his ideas on sosuave, so I've never really opened them. I tried to give a copy of vol. 1 to my best friend, but his girlfriend at the time found it and questioned him lol.

If you're a fan of fiction, Louis-Ferdinand Céline's, 'Journey to the End of the Night', is one of the best books I've read. Red pill before red pill was thing.

 

[BetterCallSaul]

I think this problem becomes acute in any society that has lost its mythic/ poetic/ religious ethos. The critical spirit tries to hold the line, but is soon blown to the four corners by the sophists, and every man becomes enslaved to some simplistic two-dimensional ideology manufactured for the masses.

The screen, which we all spend so much time before today, reflects this, two dimensional and lacking depth.... not so with a good book.

I think this is really the heart of it right here. Liberals of today are nothing new when you compare them to people of similar views from centuries ago. Liberals today like to tell lies which obscure facts for the purpose of simply denying their own agenda or beliefs could be wrong. They foster a culture of as much feminism and open sexual relations as possible for the purpose of destroying the family unit and to a larger extent this tactic works because it plays on peoples' base nature of enjoying sex. When you can destroy that unit, people are left wandering around aimlessly and a liberal government is ready and waiting to tell all of these people who to do, how to act and what to think. Despite these same people in the U.S. today distancing themselves as much as possible from the word communist, that is exactly what this leads to. No nation has ever succeeded and prospered in any way, shape or form through communism. The liberal mindset is one of seizing control for whatever selfish reasons they embrace under the deluded dream that every person who believes it thinks that when the new government is set up, they will be the ones calling the shots. A lot of liberals tend to be terrible at adapting to changing ways in life in general and project their own inadequacies and insecurities on others.

I am not saying that people who believe in some type of religion are superior, but I do think that people who believe in "something more" is good for society as a whole because if you don't, this could easily lead people to be swayed into thinking that the state is the ultimate power you need to worship and we've seen how that turns out.

 

[Polysix]

I really like this one:
"Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears." - Marcus Aurelius
I don´t know if it was you resillient? but somebody posted it in a bpd-thread, which doesn´t seem to exist anymore.
Anyway it´s so true and can help a lot to re-frame.

 

[backbreaker]

wasn't this the one that installed his **** son as his successor and his son gave up the war that he fought the majority of his life against the goths? **** him lol

 

[resilient]

Bump for the purpose of introducing new content. I read a featured Lifehacker article today that featured a quote from Marcus Aurelius book, Meditations. I think what he said would help our purpose for getting out of bed every morning:

At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”

So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?

You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you.​

Source: http://lifehacker.com/marcus-aureliuss-thoughts-on-motivating-yourself-to-get-1791087399

Moral of the story is that if you can't better your world today, you can at least better yourself which helps contribute in various ways to society.

 

[Tom Shivoe]

I had this book although I've lost it since in a move. But it was great to dip into. Even better than going cover to cover.

It just blows my mind that this guy was running the Roman Empire and then scribbling down this stuff in his spare time.

 

[Von]

I had this book although I've lost it since in a move. But it was great to dip into. Even better than going cover to cover.

It just blows my mind that this guy was running the Roman Empire and then scribbling down this stuff in his spare time.

Always give work to the busy guy

The quote: if you want something done give it to the busy one