I am not the most well versed in literature but I have taken a interest in stoicism and the teachings of it. I am trying to read meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I like it so far but o have such a hard time digesting what he is saying. I guess I am trying to pull the wisdom from his words but I cannot.
What do you guys think of this collection and stoicism in general? What attracts me to stoicism is the fact that I think I suffer from depression. I hate saying that aloud but it may be true. I am trying to fend it off and I stumbled across meditations while searching for things to encourage me. Is this even a good spot to start in when learning about stoicism?
It's basically just "shit happens, bro", but expressed in a lovely and eloquent way. He also places a lot of emphasis on the symmetry and unity of Nature, or "the Whole", and so he remains unaffected by things that happen to him, fortunate or unfortunate, if they are in accordance with nature.
Eli Johnson
It's a meme, but you've already fallen for the depression meme so you'll fit
Daniel Edwards
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Evan Foster
I like Invictus better:
Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
Kevin Long
my favorite poem, great choice m8
Nathaniel Turner
Timothy Mcveigh liked that one too. Go blow up a federal building why don't you?
Isaiah Scott
>At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
-Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor and total bro
Charles Rivera
go back to r/the_donald
Connor Wright
Read Epictetus first
Parker Hernandez
Is there anything in particular that is giving you trouble? I read the Hays translation, and found the introduction of the central stoic tenets he outlined in the beginning to be sufficient to grasp what Marcus was saying. Still, I suggest you read Epictetus first. Not only does he instill in you the real essence of the stoic doctrine, he also provides you with the vantage point to appreciate the contrast between a common slave and the mightiest man in the human realm both adhering to the same philosophy; in many ways he is the natural starting point for exploring Stoic thought.
Juan Martin
Stoicism as a methodology for survival is fine, but as a system of ethics (the pursuit of eudaimonia) its a complete failure. You'll find no happiness in knowledge, in fact, you'll likely be happier in ignorance.
Jeremiah Brown
Try Unshakable freedom by Chuck Chakrapani. Its much more accessible. I read Meditations, didn't take much in, read that and re-read meditations and it really stuck with me
Jackson Jackson
>reading epic tits first instead of second like 99% of westerners would have >not gaining a greater appreciation for how the transformation of stoicism through the roman lense affected western stoic thought
Lincoln Rivera
I just read it for similar reasons and didn't find it particularly helpful for alleviating my mood. While there are many interesting and touching parts in it I kind of came away unimpressed with Stoicism. I don't think most people would find a detached commitment to reason and philosophy sufficient for a happy or fulfilling life, nor do I think its misguided or against ones nature to have personal ambitions and seek fulfillment in things outside yourself.
Owen Jenkins
I really liked it OP. read the Hays translation. However, if you have no background in philosophy, a lot of it might not make sense.
Read the wikipedia pages about plato, epicurus, and epictetus. Ryan Holiday (former marketing guy for American Apparel) wrote a nonspecialist guide to stoicism and has some articles you might want to check out too.
TL;DR The Meditations is a pretty simple book, but if you're not used to reading philosophy and don't understand the context he was writing in, might not be worth the trouble.
You should be reading philosophy though, so might as well start somewhere (although it should unironically be the Greeks, e.g., Plato's Euthyphro, Crito, and Apology)
Jeremiah Russell
Make sure you're reading the Hays translation, otherwise don't even bother
Ryan Holiday is a gigantic fucking faggot, do not read any of his books
Julian Ward
Speak for yourself, m80.
Ian Sullivan
Read Pierre Hadot - The Inner Citadel It's the best way to fully understand the meditations
