Review: The Book, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius...

Here’s a question for you: What’s the difference between a diary and a journal? A diary functions as a chronological record that highlights daily events and factual information (what happened), while a journal serves as a profound space for personal development, self-examination, and emotional processing—helping to understand what things signify. Traditionally, the latter is meant to be shared, while the former is not. 

Here’s another question for you: Which one would be easier to review? Since I’m a fiction guy and perceive the world in terms of plot and resolution, of character arcs and foibles, of rising and falling action—and being able to find any of these elements in daily life—a diary would be easier for me to review. Much easier. 

But I don’t have that luxury. Not this time. 

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius falls squarely in the journal category, minus the personal development and emotional processing. It is a collection of ideas, proclamations, and—heh—meditations from an ancient Roman emperor. It is organized into twelve books, with Book One expressing the emperor’s unyielding gratitude to family members, teachers, and the gods for imparting to him lessons on virtues and ethics. Books two through twelve serve as the essential collection of aphorisms, reflections, and reminders, which are, annoyingly, non-chronological, untitled, and unsorted by specific topic. Needless to say, beyond the fact that this is a journal, it isn’t an easy book to review. 

So I’ll go about it thematically. Since Aurelius returns to several—and I mean, several—concepts and ideas, with subtle and not-so-subtle messages concerning them, I can just imagine the amount of college essay topics that this tome can generate. One theme is The Control of Perception. You cannot dictate what occurs around you, but you can choose how to interpret those situations. Events are, by many estimations, neutral; they occur, but they are not by design good or bad. Your mind serves as an "inner fortress" that remains protected if you choose not to allow yourself to be affected by external events or feel pain because of them.

Acceptance of change and Nature is another theme—it's important to highlight that Nature is capitalized here, referring to the personified idea of Nature as a female figure, rather than the physical environment and all its non-man-made elements. The message here conveys that the universe functions as a unified entity—what benefits the whole also benefits the individual parts. You should also stop fighting what you cannot change—the Serenity Prayer comes to mind. Nature is about change, and she loves to change things. It is all cyclical: things live, die, nothing is inherently evil, and death itself is also merely a change. 

Memento Mori, or the reality of death, is also a major theme in this work. Death is a completely natural occurrence, just like when fruits ripen and then drop from trees. It arrives for everyone in the same way: both kings and beggars find themselves in the very same place. Within the concept and constraints of time, your life is just a minuscule blink when compared to the scope and breadth of time. Since your existence on Earth is so short, you should strive to be a kind and fair person. Aurelius also offers peace of mind in his musings about death—according to him, accepting that you could leave this world at any time frees you from worrying about what others think of you.

He also expounds upon one’s duty to humanity. Humans are made to work together like limbs, digits, or rows of teeth—working against one another is unnatural. All people share a piece of the Logos, or universal reason, which makes every person a natural relative. Bad behavior comes from ignorance. When someone causes you pain, react with compassion and guidance instead of rage. Aurelius criticizes withdrawing from society as a neglect of responsibility; he believes true peace is achieved through active service to the community. 

To focus on the present is the only true way to live. The past has slipped away, and the future remains unknown. The present moment is yours alone, and it is the only time when you can truly act with virtue. You can't lose the past or the future since you don't possess them. The present is all you truly have, and it's the only thing you can actually lose. The anxiety about the future and the remorse from the past generate ghostly aches. However, when you focus on this very moment, many of those fears dissipate. Action takes place only in the present, as you can't change the past or control the future.

There are a few quotes from Meditations that stick with me—most are self-explanatory. “The best revenge is not to copy him that wronged you,” “Consider what men are; whom they seek to please; what they expect to gain, and how they go about to compass their ends,” and “Be upright either by nature or by correction,” are just a few. Others state, “What profits not the swarm profits not the bee,” “Discourse no more of what a good man should be; but be one,” and “In writing and reading you must be led before you can lead. Much more is this so in life.” I could go on, but you get the idea. 

A book like this warrants a second, or even a third, read. I’ve added it to my TBR again—I’ll most likely read it sometime next year. All in all, I recommend reading this book; there are gems of wisdom not to be ignored.