(podcast episode) (original Greek part 1, part 2)
Friday, 31 August 2018
Meditations 03.16
Body,
soul, intelligence: to the body belong sensations, to the soul
appetites, to the intelligence principles. To receive the impressions
of forms by means of appearances belongs even to animals; to be
pulled by the strings of desire belongs both to wild beasts and to
men who have made themselves into women, and to a Phalaris and a
Nero: and to have the intelligence that guides to the things which
appear suitable belongs also to those who do not believe in the gods,
and who betray their country, and do their impure deeds when they
have shut the doors. If then everything else is common to all that I
have mentioned, there remains that which is peculiar to the good man,
to be pleased and content with what happens, and with the thread
which is spun for him; and not to defile the divinity which is
planted in his breast, nor disturb it by a crowd of images, but to
preserve it tranquil, following it obediently as a god, neither
saying anything contrary to the truth, nor doing anything contrary to
justice. And if all men refuse to believe that he lives a simple,
modest, and contented life, he is neither angry with any of them, nor
does he deviate from the way which leads to the end of life, to which
a man ought to come pure, tranquil, ready to depart, and without any
compulsion perfectly reconciled to his lot.
Meditations 03.15
They
know not how many things are signified by the words stealing, sowing,
buying, keeping quiet, seeing what ought to be done; for this is not
effected by the eyes, but by another kind of vision.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Thursday, 30 August 2018
Meditations 03.14
No
longer wander at hazard; for neither wilt thou read thy own memoirs,
nor the acts of the ancient Romans and Hellenes, and the selections
from books which thou wast reserving for thy old age. Hasten then to
the end which thou hast before thee, and throwing away idle hopes,
come to thy own aid, if thou carest at all for thyself, while it is
in thy power.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Meditations 03.13
As
physicians have always their instruments and knives ready for cases
which suddenly require their skill, so do thou have principles ready
for the understanding of things divine and human, and for doing
everything, even the smallest, with a recollection of the bond which
unites the divine and human to one another. For neither wilt thou do
anything well which pertains to man without at the same time having a
reference to things divine; nor the contrary.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Tuesday, 28 August 2018
Meditations 03.12
If
thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason
seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to
distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure, as if thou shouldst
be bound to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this,
expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present
activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and
sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no man
who is able to prevent this.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Friday, 10 August 2018
Meditations 03.11
To
the aids which have been mentioned let this one still be added:- Make
for thyself a definition or description of the thing which is
presented to thee, so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is
in its substance, in its nudity, in its complete entirety, and tell
thyself its proper name, and the names of the things of which it has
been compounded, and into which it will be resolved. For nothing is
so productive of elevation of mind as to be able to examine
methodically and truly every object which is presented to thee in
life, and always to look at things so as to see at the same time what
kind of universe this is, and what kind of use everything performs in
it, and what value everything has with reference to the whole, and
what with reference to man, who is a citizen of the highest city, of
which all other cities are like families; what each thing is, and of
what it is composed, and how long it is the nature of this thing to
endure which now makes an impression on me, and what virtue I have
need of with respect to it, such as gentleness, manliness, truth,
fidelity, simplicity, contentment, and the rest. Wherefore, on every
occasion a man should say: this comes from God; and this is according
to the apportionment and spinning of the thread of destiny, and
such-like coincidence and chance; and this is from one of the same
stock, and a kinsman and partner, one who knows not however what is
according to his nature. But I know; for this reason I behave towards
him according to the natural law of fellowship with benevolence and
justice. At the same time however in things indifferent I attempt to
ascertain the value of each.
(podcast episode) (original Greek part 1, part 2, part 3)
Thursday, 9 August 2018
Meditations 03.10
Throwing
away then all things, hold to these only which are few; and besides
bear in mind that every man lives only this present time, which is an
indivisible point, and that all the rest of his life is either past
or it is uncertain. Short then is the time which every man lives, and
small the nook of the earth where he lives; and short too the longest
posthumous fame, and even this only continued by a succession of poor
human beings, who will very soon die, and who know not even
themselves, much less him who died long ago.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Wednesday, 8 August 2018
Meditations 03.09
Reverence
the faculty which produces opinion. On this faculty it entirely
depends whether there shall exist in thy ruling part any opinion
inconsistent with nature and the constitution of the rational animal.
And this faculty promises freedom from hasty judgement, and
friendship towards men, and obedience to the gods.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Tuesday, 7 August 2018
Meditations 03.08
In
the mind of one who is chastened and purified thou wilt find no
corrupt matter, nor impurity, nor any sore skinned over. Nor is his
life incomplete when fate overtakes him, as one may say of an actor
who leaves the stage before ending and finishing the play. Besides,
there is in him nothing servile, nor affected, nor too closely bound
to other things, nor yet detached from other things, nothing worthy
of blame, nothing which seeks a hiding-place.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Monday, 6 August 2018
Meditations 03.07
Never
value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to
break thy promise, to lose thy self-respect, to hate any man, to
suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which
needs walls and curtains: for he who has preferred to everything
intelligence and daemon and the worship of its excellence, acts no
tragic part, does not groan, will not need either solitude or much
company; and, what is chief of all, he will live without either
pursuing or flying from death; but whether for a longer or a shorter
time he shall have the soul inclosed in the body, he cares not at
all: for even if he must depart immediately, he will go as readily as
if he were going to do anything else which can be done with decency
and order; taking care of this only all through life, that his
thoughts turn not away from anything which belongs to an intelligent
animal and a member of a civil community.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Sunday, 5 August 2018
Meditations 03.06
If
thou findest in human life anything better than justice, truth,
temperance, fortitude, and, in a word, anything better than thy own
mind's self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do
according to right reason, and in the condition that is assigned to
thee without thy own choice; if, I say, thou seest anything better
than this, turn to it with all thy soul, and enjoy that which thou
hast found to be the best. But if nothing appears to be better than
the deity which is planted in thee, which has subjected to itself all
thy appetites, and carefully examines all the impressions, and, as
Socrates said, has detached itself from the persuasions of sense, and
has submitted itself to the gods, and cares for mankind; if thou
findest everything else smaller and of less value than this, give
place to nothing else, for if thou dost once diverge and incline to
it, thou wilt no longer without distraction be able to give the
preference to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy
own; for it is not right that anything of any other kind, such as
praise from the many, or power, or enjoyment of pleasure, should come
into competition with that which is rationally and politically or
practically good. All these things, even though they may seem to
adapt themselves to the better things in a small degree, obtain the
superiority all at once, and carry us away. But do thou, I say,
simply and freely choose the better, and hold to it.- But that which
is useful is the better.- Well then, if it is useful to thee as a
rational being, keep to it; but if it is only useful to thee as an
animal, say so, and maintain thy judgement without arrogance: only
take care that thou makest the inquiry by a sure method.
(podcast episode) (original Greek part 1, part 2, part 3)
Meditations 03.05
Labour
not unwillingly, nor without regard to the common interest, nor
without due consideration, nor with distraction; nor let studied
ornament set off thy thoughts, and be not either a man of many words,
or busy about too many things. And further, let the deity which is in
thee be the guardian of a living being, manly and of ripe age, and
engaged in matter political, and a Roman, and a ruler, who has taken
his post like a man waiting for the signal which summons him from
life, and ready to go, having need neither of oath nor of any man's
testimony. Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the
tranquility which others give. A man then must stand erect, not be
kept erect by others.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Friday, 3 August 2018
Meditations 03.04
Do
not waste the remainder of thy life in thoughts about others, when
thou dost not refer thy thoughts to some object of common utility.
For thou losest the opportunity of doing something else when thou
hast such thoughts as these, What is such a person doing, and why,
and what is he saying, and what is he thinking of, and what is he
contriving, and whatever else of the kind makes us wander away from
the observation of our own ruling power. We ought then to check in
the series of our thoughts everything that is without a purpose and
useless, but most of all the over-curious feeling and the malignant;
and a man should use himself to think of those things only about
which if one should suddenly ask, What hast thou now in thy thoughts?
With perfect openness thou mightest, immediately answer, This or
That; so that from thy words it should be plain that everything in
thee is simple and benevolent, and such as befits a social animal,
and one that cares not for thoughts about pleasure or sensual
enjoyments at all, nor has any rivalry or envy and suspicion, or
anything else for which thou wouldst blush if thou shouldst say that
thou hadst it in thy mind. For the man who is such and no longer
delays being among the number of the best, is like a priest and
minister of the gods, using too the deity which is planted within
him, which makes the man uncontaminated by pleasure, unharmed by any
pain, untouched by any insult, feeling no wrong, a fighter in the
noblest fight, one who cannot be overpowered by any passion, dyed
deep with justice, accepting with all his soul everything which
happens and is assigned to him as his portion; and not often, nor yet
without great necessity and for the general interest, imagining what
another says, or does, or thinks. For it is only what belongs to
himself that he makes the matter for his activity; and he constantly
thinks of that which is allotted to himself out of the sum total of
things, and he makes his own acts fair, and he is persuaded that his
own portion is good. For the lot which is assigned to each man is
carried along with him and carries him along with it. And he
remembers also that every rational animal is his kinsman, and that to
care for all men is according to man's nature; and a man should hold
on to the opinion not of all, but of those only who confessedly live
according to nature. But as to those who live not so, he always bears
in mind what kind of men they are both at home and from home, both by
night and by day, and what they are, and with what men they live an
impure life. Accordingly, he does not value at all the praise which
comes from such men, since they are not even satisfied with
themselves.
(podcast episode) (original Greek part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4)
Thursday, 2 August 2018
Meditations 03.03
Hippocrates
after curing many diseases himself fell sick and died. The Chaldaei
foretold the deaths of many, and then fate caught them too.
Alexander, and Pompeius, and Caius Caesar, after so often completely
destroying whole cities, and in battle cutting to pieces many ten
thousands of cavalry and infantry, themselves too at last departed
from life. Heraclitus, after so many speculations on the
conflagration of the universe, was filled with water internally and
died smeared all over with mud. And lice destroyed Democritus; and
other lice killed Socrates. What means all this? Thou hast embarked,
thou hast made the voyage, thou art come to shore; get out. If indeed
to another life, there is no want of gods, not even there. But if to
a state without sensation, thou wilt cease to be held by pains and
pleasures, and to be a slave to the vessel, which is as much inferior
as that which serves it is superior: for the one is intelligence and
deity; the other is earth and corruption.
(podcast episode) (original Greek)
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Meditations 03.02
We
ought to observe also that even the things which follow after the
things which are produced according to nature contain something
pleasing and attractive. For instance, when bread is baked some parts
are split at the surface, and these parts which thus open, and have a
certain fashion contrary to the purpose of the baker's art, are
beautiful in a manner, and in a peculiar way excite a desire for
eating. And again, figs, when they are quite ripe, gape open; and in
the ripe olives the very circumstance of their being near to
rottenness adds a peculiar beauty to the fruit. And the ears of corn
bending down, and the lion's eyebrows, and the foam which flows from
the mouth of wild boars, and many other things- though they are far
from being beautiful, if a man should examine them severally- still,
because they are consequent upon the things which are formed by
nature, help to adorn them, and they please the mind; so that if a
man should have a feeling and deeper insight with respect to the
things which are produced in the universe, there is hardly one of
those which follow by way of consequence which will not seem to him
to be in a manner disposed so as to give pleasure. And so he will see
even the real gaping jaws of wild beasts with no less pleasure than
those which painters and sculptors show by imitation; and in an old
woman and an old man he will be able to see a certain maturity and
comeliness; and the attractive loveliness of young persons he will be
able to look on with chaste eyes; and many such things will present
themselves, not pleasing to every man, but to him only who has become
truly familiar with nature and her works.
(podcast episode) (original Greek part 1, part 2, part 3)
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