To overcome my YouTube addiction I am going down the path of listening to an audiobook for the first time in my life. A friend of mine suggested I listen to this Marcus Aurelius Meditations book
He thinks a lot of my own thoughts and perspective of the world align with Mr. Aurelius’s.
To help grasp what I am listening too I created this post and will use the comments as my personal note taking to reinforce my understanding of the book. Please feel free to jump in.
Good feedback I will zap handsomely!
After listening to this book I am always find myself asking “how would Marcus approach this”. Helps keep my thinking grounded for sure. Ditching YouTube to focus on this book might be a life changing event for me.
Finished Book #1:
From what I can gather Marcus really loved and respected his family. He thanked the gods for giving him such a wonderful family. His father taught him integrity and his mother mercy. I think he credits his uncle to him be humble. He rejected the lavish life other rulers have lived.
Overall Marcus is very thoughtful I often think I am violating his privacy by listening to his deepest thoughts but then again he wrote them down.
He had some small quips about sex and waiting his time to indulge. The passage said something about a mistress with his a male figure in his life so I was wondering if he was molested but I doubt it.
Let’s see what Book 2 brings.
Book #12 raw notes
Let nothing stand in your way. Be happy with your lot.
Keep mind on god and limit the love of material.
Body, breathe, and mind
Abandon passion, time future and time past and perfect the life in the present.
Practice the things your are weak at!
See things to what they are. Do not blame the gods or men.
Remove your judgments whenever you wish then peace will come about you.
Even man’s mind is god!
Life may only have 3 acts! Be content with that! No matter if you die at 5 or at 50 it is in the natural way so be content to what happens.
Book #11 raw notes
The soul achieves its own end wherever the limits of life is set.
A man that is 40 has seen all the past and all the future
If I done something for the common good? Then I have benefited have this thought always ready to hand.
No nature is inferior to art
The soul is a sphere self containing
Avoid the friendships with wolves .
Live through life in the best way you can. The power to do so is in a man’s own soul. If he is indifferent to things that are indifferent. Things are inert and we put impressions on them.
Ten rules to manage anger
No thief can steal your will!
I am on book 10 but haven’t taken notes. I’ll circle back and take notes on books 8 through 12,
Book #7 Raw notes:
Do not be ashamed of help it is your task to achieve your assigned duty
Don’t let let the future trouble you! You will come to it.
All things are meshed together. One order of the universe. One law one truth one reason
The memory of everything is buried with eternity
Change is necessary from taking a bath to eating food everything requires change
Soon all things will be forgotten and all things will have forgotten you
That all men are brothers they go wrong through ignorance not intent in a short while both will be dead and the man has not harmed you
Stop the puppet strings of impulse!
Take you joy in simplicity
Don’t not dream of possession of things you do not have but reflect of the blessings you do have and think how much they would have been missed if they were not there. But avoid depency on them.
Do not look around at the directing minds of other people but keep looking straight ahead to what nature is leading you both universal nature in what happens to you and your own nature in what you must do yourself.
The action is important the context indifferent
No soul likes to be robbed of truth! And other virtues keep this in mind when dealing with others.
Pain is temporary it doesn’t last forever!
Always remember this the happy life depends on very little do not think because you giving up hope on becoming scientist or philosopher you should therefore dispare over free spirt integrity, social consciousne obedience to god. You can become a divine man without anyone’s recognition
I finally cracked mine open and read the introduction. Have you made very far yet?
I am listening to the audio book on my commute to work. My notes are below. I think I like reading more than audiobooks because I can take notes and try to retain the information I am reading
With an audio book I can find myself easily getting sidetracked and rewinding a lot to capture the note I want to remember.
But so far this book is really impressive. It has def changed how I view the world thus far. I am currently listening to book 7
I see. Cool, I’ll just add on to your comments as I go, or perhaps try to creatively combine them into a series of posts.
So far this book has increased my confidence lowered my anxiety for sure. Stop having thoughts of trying to please and just live life. And stop being afraid of all the silly shit like KYC and all this other boogeyman nonsense be strong be true dont be a disgrace to god
Finished Book #6
The best revenge is to be not like your enemy
Let one thing be your joy and comfort to move on to social act to social act with your mind on god
Vanity is the greatest seducer of reason
Reverence of your own mind and the value you give to it will make you acceptable to yourself and harmony with the fellows and constant with the gods. Praising all they have assigned and have disposed.
We do have opponents in the game and we should overlook most of what they do we can avoid them without suspicion
Keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, unpretentious, a friend of justice, god fearing, kind, full of affection, strong for your proper work, strive hard to be the same man philosophy strive to make you revere the gods and look after men. Life is short!
In this world there is only one thing of value to live out your life in truth and Justice tolerant to those who are neither true or just.
To cheer your self up think of the virtues of others (Jesus)
You are content with the number of atoms allocated to you be content the amount of time allocated to you
Finished book #5 mind the spelling errors
Nature sets Limits for eating and drinking and men purpose is to work!! The sheets feel nice in the morning warn sheets soft bed. Yet the bees ants and animals get up and work so shall man.
Display those virtues that are holy within your own power
Integrity
Dignity
Hard Work
Self denial
Kindness
Independence
Frugality
Contentment
Simplicity
Magminitiy
Discression
These can be done no matter of skill or physical gifts
The infallible man does not exist
Nothing will happen to me that is not in accordance of the nature of the whole
It is in my control to do nothing contrary to my god.
He is so rich he has no where to shit this applies to what goods are like wisdom not material things.
Luck is the good fortune you determine for yourself good impulses good actionsI
Finished book #4 my notes;
Book #4 notes
And two things material can’t touch the mind. External and inert anxiety comes internally . All things you see will change as you look at them and then they will be no more. The universe is change life is judgement.
Deep thoughts about universe and accepting that we will all die. Famous or not no one will remember.
Love the art that you have learned. Give all yourself to the gods not a slave to any man!
You are a soul carrying a corpase.
The universe is one soul that we are all part of
Think no different between life to the upteenth year or life till tomorrow.
Run on the short road and nature road is short.
Finished book #3
Marcus reflects on living in the moment. The present is all we have. As we age we lose our minds to comprehend what’s going on around us.
Even the greatest of men die and are forgotten about many years into the future. Marcus rattles off Caesar killing and conquering towns only for him to die as well. Making it more assertive to live in the present.
He also reflects on being confident within yourself. Stop worrying what others are doing or thinking. Be a man follow the Gods (God for me) and be true to yourself. It is in man’s nature to work together but one must be true to what is just. If something arrives that is more just than as a man you should pursue that if not then stick with your divinity and Gods.
The path to a good life is living out what is divine in you. Since we are all created by God listen to your inner fire and don’t let others sway your consciousness and confidence.
Finished Book #2 but it was mind blowing.
I need to give it another listen before I give my thoughts and summary notes. The concept of past, present, and future are really profound in this book. Marcus is getting deep here.
I almost referred this book chapter to my male friends. I think all men should listen and think deeply about what Marcus is trying to understand about life.
I will have to circle back and give this book more thought but for the sake of moving on to book #3 today here are some things I want to take note of:
Completed the intro so far and here are some of the facts I was able to retain:
I am sure other facts may come to mind as I haven’t started the books yet. But so far the early ideas kind of resonated with me. The comment about men after 40 feels like life is on repeat is amazing. Look forward to more of this book.
I’ve never read anything about Marcus Aurelius, aside from a few Stoic quotes... but this really resonates with me; I turned 33 a few days ago and I’m already seeing patterns repeat themselves. As soon as I read this, I was immediately reminded of a thought I had a few months back.
Maybe your notes will inspire me to read up on him or buy the book.
Cool idea. This is one of the books I was considering diving into next and now I will.
Marcus slept on the floor with a thick tunic to emulate Greek life. While he was Alive he was known to be stoic. He wasn’t link to philosophy until long after his death. Stoicism was the thing and Marcus lived it through in and out!
The thing about stoicism is about two dichotomies. Vices and virtues! And being one with nature!
Finally finished the prolog and it appears I am in for a wild ride over these 12 books. The audio book is very dense and I find my mind scrambling to remember as much as I cans
Some facts that caught attention today:
This quote is something that I think all men struggle with
“Men are at odds with their most constant companion the reason that governs all things”
Every day we are trying to make sense of the world and this quote captured that struggle.
I also liked how they point out human reason as it pertains to our sensory experiences. Getting excited about cooked chicken but in reality you are eating a dead bird and how the pursuit of sex is friction and ejecting fluid membranes and yet these simple desires drive us to crazy actions.
Is this the same Marcus Aurelius, that is the true emperor who Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, is a loyal servant to?
yes I believe so