The “Last Good Emperor” of Rome, Marcus Aurelius, was quite literally the most powerful man in the world when he was alive (in the latter half of the 2nd century CE) being at the helm of the Roman Empire at it’s peak, one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever known. Having in his fingertips, access to everything anyone could possibly desire in it’s ultimate excess and glut, Aurelius actually lived a life of simplicity and frugality. Almost all of his predecessors and successors were self-indulgent either in their abuse of power, or in the luxuries that they were offered, but he was obsessed with having a perfect character and living virtuously. His life wasn’t easy either, Aurelius was surrounded by death. He led Rome through two wars, lived during the time of the Antonine Plague, and faced the death of many of his children. And yet, his character never faltered. What was it about the way Marcus Aurelius lived that we can imitate, in order to also become the best versions of ourselves? What is the advice of this Roman Philosopher-King, and can it help someone in the 21st century?
Stoicism is the ancient Greco-Roman counterpart to Eastern philosophical traditions (think Buddhism, Daoism, Shinto, etc) that teach us to practice gratitude through tranquillity in order to live the “Good Life”. This tranquility may resemble indifference to the uninitiated, but it’s closer to a form of resilience, which reminds us of the dichotomy of control, emphasizing to focus on that in life within our control and ignore as much as possible that which is outside of it. To extract these important lessons from stoicism and to apply them to the unique challenges of today where unhappiness, misery, and depression are widespread, we must look to one of its great practitioners, Marcus Aurelius himself.
How to get out of bed in the morning?
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius
You are not the only one who occasionally struggles to get out of bed in the morning. To many, the comfort of huddling under a blanket is preferable to the hardships of life. Marcus Aurelius faced this challenge as well. He lived in a time of constant change and turbulence. Yet to him as he says in this and interesting passage from his book, waking up in the morning was a gift of sorts, and it was important to start the day saying this same thought aloud. He started his day with what many end their day with.
What we call an ‘existential crisis’ are typically reserved for late nights, and include pointless nihilistic thoughts that serve no purpose other than making you feel insignificant. What if we instead did that every morning, not as a frustrating cry filled with anxiety and angst and a feeling that life is a sick joke, but something to remind us that every moment counts. Contemplating death, or rather appreciating life, shouldn’t be about being grim and morbid, and saying “none of this matters”, but it should be able telling ourselves that it really does matter. This could be the last morning you have. It could be the last cup of coffee, the last bath in cool water, the last time you see the sun rise at dawn. It could be the last everything. And that makes it count. It serves as a reminder of how little time we have, and how precious each moment is.
While this may sound a little like that cliche, ‘carpe diem’ or seize the day, it varies slightly. The thoughts he has, allows him go to work and do what needs to be done to make him feeling satisfied. And every night before he went to bed, he was happy. He ensured that if he died in the night, he had lived his life to the fullest, and put his best in whatever he did. And so when the next day came, it was a gift (maybe that’s why it’s called the present).
How to accomplish your goals for the day?
The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.
Marcus Aurelius
Now once you’ve woken up, what can you do, to accomplish so much in the day? Journal.
By journaling and setting honest goals, there is no better way to do so. And I’m talking about daily goals, and they should be realistic, but working towards something bigger. I remember hating the idea of doing this in school, I found it pointless because I was forced to do it. But by incentivising yourself to do so makes it so much more worthwhile. When the goals are made for you, by you, and no one else gets to see them, you only have to prove yourself to yourself.
For the past month, I’ve started journaling, and it’s turned out to be extremely helpful. And has almost entirely eliminated procrastination from my day. I write the goal for the day, and then in the evening, if I didn’t complete it, I ask myself why. If I had procrastinated that day, I write that down, but I also write down what I did instead. That resulting feeling of guilt is quite strong, because I know that I didn’t succeed in what I set out to do. And when I procrastinate, more of than not, it’s doing something pointless and counterproductive. Acknowledging that by putting it in writing makes it tangible, and surprisingly that works, really well. Try it out for yourself, and this really works if you happen to be in school or university right now. A key thing to realize is that your learning is in your own hands and that your teachers can only do so much to motivate you. The most successful people aren’t the smartest, they’re the ones with the best attitude (Kobe Bryant and his Mamba Mentality for example).
How to face your challenges unencumbered?
Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been.
Marcus Aurelius
The way that you perceive life, is the way you experience it.
The Stoics had the understanding the people are all too vulnerable to be swayed by things they can’t control, and especially by the people around them. When you control your own perception of life, you control the quality of life. As Aurelius put it:
While this may seem like an oversimplification, it does hold some truth to it. An example of where this can happen is social media, or even anybody who insults or criticizes you. Why do we take what they say to the heart? And even if they do try to hurt you, why should you give them the satisfaction of being hurt. The “grim endurance” and indifference can really be a tool here, and the more courage and fortitude you demonstrate, the more likely they are to back off. And even if it does get to you, whatever is done is done. Living in the past won’t change much, and there is a possibility that you won’t live to tomorrow. So why drown yourself in the sorrows of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, when you can make the most of the present?
How to remove the obstacles to your dreams?
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
Marcus Aurelius
Make your obstacles into the path itself. This idea seems impossible, but it ties right in with many stoic tenets. They believe that you may not be able to control an event, but you can control your reaction to that event. The choice between showing weakness, or fortitude and courage. Maybe the obstacle cannot be moved, but use it in some way. Whether it be as the lesson, it can be the path to prevent something like that from happening ever again. Whatever the endeavour maybe, things are bound to go wrong. No stories are written about those with the perfect lives, but neither are there stories about those who gave up because it got too hard.
A key tenet of stoicism is that nature is rational. And that everything happens to serve a purpose, even if an obstacle may change everything. If you have mastered your perception of life, you may start to realize that beating the obstacle makes you better in the process, and so wouldn’t it make the obstacle a good thing?
What now?
There are many more things that the “Last Good Emperor” can teach you. And I highly recommend reading Meditations, his journal that has been published around the world. And to even read about the stoics, because their outlook on life is something that no other philosophy really has. I wrote this during lockdown, and I think now is the best time as any to start. We have a lot more time on our hands, and instead of screaming in futile despair, make the most of this opportunity.
This guide only talks about the simplest of ideas. Aurelius had entire morning and evening routines which are recorded in his journals, and hundreds of other lessons,. If you want to learn more, and are not in the mood of reading his journal, I’d recommend watching Captain Sinbad and The Daily Stoic. Their inputs and life stories are really meaningful, and they are the ones that inspired me to start these practices and to write about them.
One day, you will be face to face with whatever you saw fit to let you exist in the universe, and you will have to justify the space you’ve filled.
Some random tumblr thread I saw once.
The Candid Contrarian 