The emperor in question is Marcus Aurelius. His written works collectively known as "Meditations", never meant for the public eye, ironically, found its way to the bookshelves of presidents, authors and army commanders. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor in the 2nd century C.E. In "Meditations", Marcus is brutally honest with himself and is also known as "The Last Good Emperor of Rome".
Here are three ancient lessons from Meditations
On learning the best from others.
In Book 1, Marcus lists out the best qualities he learnt from his lot.
"From my mother I learned to be pious and generous, to keep myself from not only from evil deeds, but also evil thoughts and to live life with simplicity"
He adds the qualities of his brother Severus from whom he learned to love truth and justice.
On encounters with Narcistic people.
"Say this to yourself first thing in the morning. Today I shall have to do with meddlers, with the ungrateful, with the insolent, with the crafty, with the envious and the selfish."
As we grow older we sooner or later realize that life isn't fair. We could meet a reckless driver on the way to work or an abusive colleague who gets on your nerves.
In Meditations Marcus keeps setting the levels of expectations at the baseline. "To expect the unexpected" is a common practice in Stoicism. This lets our minds to be ready for the day.
On the shortness of life "Do every deed, speak every word, think every thought in the knowledge that you may end your days at any moment" Have you ever met a person who has lived twice. The chances are highly unlikely. Marcus emphasises this throughout his writings.The the fact that you have only one life should supersede all other thoughts. Conclusion: The writings of Marcus Aurelius are widely considered as a moral compass for leaders. It has the flavours of humility and simplicity throughout the book. If not for the mention of emperor, one could be forgiven for mistaking it for a simple, humble self help book!!!! Reference: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marcus-aurelius/ Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" Penguin Book House,(2022)
Comments