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jmtedjeske 's review for:
The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of the Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
This is Marcus Aurelius' Meditations translated into modern language. (I had previously attempted to read a version of the Meditations that was more faithful to the original language, but I found this much easier to comprehend.) The book is a private diary of sorts that was never meant to be published, mostly written while away from home and at war. In the final chapters, it seems clear that the author knew he would likely die soon.
I had always wanted to read this book, and I finally got around to it this year as part of my reading list associated with a recent trip to Italy. It did not disappoint.
One of the things that struck me is how much Marcus Aurelius' stoic philosophy was similar to Buddhist thought, at least as I understand it. Some recurring themes include the following: (1) by controlling our thoughts, we largely control our experience of the world--i.e., in many ways, internal control can overcome or at least mitigate bad external circumstances; (2) change is the only constant--i.e., don't get too attached to the good or upset by the bad because nothing lasts; (3) trying to build any sort of legacy is useless given how insignificant each of us is in the grand scheme of things (even the great ancient philosophers and emperors like the author); and (4) our obsession with and fear of death is absurd--we are not the least bit upset by missing out on all of the world's history that happened before we came into existence, and we should likewise not worry too much about all the history that will come after us.
In sum, this is one of the "classics" that just about every should read.
I had always wanted to read this book, and I finally got around to it this year as part of my reading list associated with a recent trip to Italy. It did not disappoint.
One of the things that struck me is how much Marcus Aurelius' stoic philosophy was similar to Buddhist thought, at least as I understand it. Some recurring themes include the following: (1) by controlling our thoughts, we largely control our experience of the world--i.e., in many ways, internal control can overcome or at least mitigate bad external circumstances; (2) change is the only constant--i.e., don't get too attached to the good or upset by the bad because nothing lasts; (3) trying to build any sort of legacy is useless given how insignificant each of us is in the grand scheme of things (even the great ancient philosophers and emperors like the author); and (4) our obsession with and fear of death is absurd--we are not the least bit upset by missing out on all of the world's history that happened before we came into existence, and we should likewise not worry too much about all the history that will come after us.
In sum, this is one of the "classics" that just about every should read.