Tony Campolo - speaking on Christ - reminded us that Christ never said, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." He said, "Love the sinner, hate your own sin." And Plutarch, quoting Plato reminds us to ask, "Am I not like that, too?" Now the edition of Meditations I have in my possession, and totally recommend, is the Penguin Classics edition, translated with notes by Martin Hammond. The notes take up half of this publication and explain each of Marcus’ meditations. Yes, each one. What was happening, where he was and what he may have been thinking. Here is an example: How refreshing if more authors of self help books would confront squarely the central issue of our own mortality and our negative emotions of anger or frustration instead of forever hiding from these topics.

Marcus Aurelius used philosophy as we used religion — as a way of constructing a worldview and of ethics and a proper way of living. Of all the different philosophies, Marcus Aurelius most heavily ascribed to Stoicism. "Stoicism has even been described, not altogether unfairly, as the real religion of upper-class Romans," Hays writes in the Introduction. Stoicism not only is concerned with how to live one's life, but also how to view the world. "Roman stoicism, by contract, was a practical discipline—not an abstract system of thought, but an attitude of life." The book moves into discussions over the temporary nature of things, of relationships and friendships and feelings. Everything changes given enough time, even memories and their ramifications. Aurelius soul searches. He writes these words during times of peace and war, during times of duty and heart ache, though his tone rarely changes. He remains detached and accepting of destiny and where it may take him. From this he ponders how to give life meaning and purpose. Accept what you cannot control. There are many things in life that we cannot control. Don't waste your time and energy trying to control things that are out of your control. Instead, focus on the things that you can control. That these thoughts came from the most powerful man in the world, a man whose personal power so vastly exceeded the personal power of any American president that we have difficulty comprehending it, makes it all the more impressive. Aurelius continually writes that strength comes from humility, self-restraint and good humor towards others. He teaches us to accept what we cannot control and to trust what we know. Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161-180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus's insights and advice-on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others-have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago.Speak both in the senate and to every man, whoever he may be, appropriately, not with any affectation: use plain discourse." If you read this book patiently, giving it enough time for the lightly mentioned yet very deeply meant to absorb thoroughly, you will find this to be one of the most enlightening experiences one will ever have. How Marcus Aurelius had thought of all this such a long time ago is unbelievable. I promise you, you will find wanting to highlight so many of it, if not everything.

Observațiile împăratului, scrise în limba greacă (și nu în latină), între anii 170 și 180, au fost tipărite abia în 1558, după un manuscris azi pierdut. I love this quote and I love the wisdom that runs through this book. It’s such a simple idea and it is also a very true one. Make the most of everything and everyone, of every situation and chance that life throws your way because when they have passed, we may not get them again. setea de cărţi, ca să nu mori cîrtind, ci cu adevărat senin şi recunoscător din toată inima zeilor” (II: 3). altă parte, împăratul scrie: „Înlătură setea de cărți, ca să nu mori cîrtind, ci dimpotrivă, cu adevărat mulţumit, senin şi recunoscător din toată inima zeilor!” (II: 3, p.85). Adaugă imediat: „Lasă deoparte cărţile! Nu te mai chinui! Nu îţi este dat...”. Nimic mai enigmatic decît aceste enunțuri lapidare. Moartea se cuvine întîmpinată în liniște. Stranger: “Consider that as the heaps of sand piled on one another hide the former sands, so in life the events that go before are soon covered by those that come after.”Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life. People who wrong you only do so from ignorance, and if you can correct them without being a jerk about it, you should do so.

opinia filosofului, am impresia, cărțile reprezintă doar un prilej de a murmura împotriva autorilor și a gîndurilor exprimate de ei, împotriva morții binefăcătoare. Este preferabil, în consecință, să primești sfîrșitul cu deplină smerenie, cu sufletul împăcat. Cărțile nu dau un exemplu bun. În tragediile grecești, în Antigona, să zicem, nu găsim decît lamentații, împotrivire, lipsă de măsură, o frenezie zadarnică.Even if you were destined to live three thousand years, or ten times that long, nevertheless remember that no one loses any life other than the one he lives, or lives any life other than the one he loses…No one can lose either the past or the future – how could anyone be deprived of what he does not possess?…It is only the present moment of which either stands to be deprived: and if indeed this is all he has, he cannot lose what he does not have.”