RECIPE FOR A GOOD
LIFE ACCORDING TO MARCUS AURELIUS
BY T.K.JAYARAMAN Rtd
IRS
Marcus Aurelius was the last of
the five good Roman Emperors. He was born in 121 AD. Today we remember him for
his jottings in a notebook which he kept and later were published as "Meditations".
This small book is considered as an immortal manual of exhortations to a
philosophic life.
Marcus Aurelius did not intend
to publish his jottings because they were meant for himself. However his
observations therein on human life have universal appeal. The several
exhortations to himself to live a life in harmony with nature are relevant to
anyone desiring to live a good life.
Universe is governed by reason (Logos).
Hence there is order in it. Each person is a part of the whole. This fact has
to be understood and appreciated. Universe is rational. So each person being a
part of the Divine is rational. We should live in harmony with nature.
Happiness lies in living a life of virtue. As rational beings, we should
control our emotions. An individual has no control over events which happen.
But he can exercise control over himself. So he should be indifferent when
others hurt him. In other words," Do not return evil for evil". Do
not allow anger to overcome you. One can do nothing about things beyond his
control. But our attitude to happenings around us is in our control. From the
cosmic point of view, human life is very brief. Wealth, fame, reputation do not
last long; they are impermanent. Again from the cosmic point of view, death is
renewal and transformation; it is inevitable. Why fear it? From the realization
that all are part of one whole (Cosmos) arises selflessness. So help all. Be
friendly. Rational soul means you help all. You acknowledge that only due to
ignorance the other person harms you. But you don't return evil for evil. World
is maintained by change. Treat this as an axiom. A fixed time is allotted to
you. Use it to free yourself. Live in the present. Time is valuable. Philosophy
is our guide. Don't be preoccupied with the doings of others. It's a waste of
time. Nurture the virtues of justice, honesty, self-control and courage. Have
affection for others and submit to the Divine. Everything that happens can be
logically analyzed. There is nothing which is good or bad. Everything that
happens, happens out of necessity. Your soul takes on the color of your
thoughts. The spirit God gave each one of us to lead and guide us a fragment of
Himself which is our mind, our logos. What is proper to rational beings? Living
together. If you are criticized for your mistakes, correct yourself. Truth
never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self deceit and ignorance.
Death is the end of sense perception, of being controlled by our emotions, of
mental activity, of enslavement to our bodies. Logos makes use of everyone of
us. Have a firm conviction that whatever happens to you is for the good of the
whole world. See the good in others. To feel affection for people even when
they make mistakes is uniquely human. Joy for human lies in human actions which
are kindness to others, contempt for the senses, the interrogation of
appearances, observation of nature and events in nature. The three important
relations which we have are 1) with our body 2) with the Divine 3) with people
around us. When you are doing something selfish, you are separating yourself
from the whole. The mind without passion is our fortress. No place is more
secure. Once we take refuge there, we are safe forever. Not to see this is
ignorance. To see it and not seek safety is misery. To do harm is to do harm
yourself. To do injustice is to do injustice yourself.
Objective judgment at this very moment.
Unselfish action at this very moment.
Willing acceptance at this very moment of all external events.
That's all you need.
T K Jayaraman's talk on Marcus Aurelius by Indian Institute of World Culture is on Youtube, the link is attached below, please click to hear the full talk if interested.
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