Book Club Friday's (#19) - Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
Background on the Author
Born on April 26th 121 AD in Rome, Italy
Marcus Aurelius went on to become the Roman emperor in 161 AD and was regarded the last of the five so-called Good Emperors. He wrote the famous book on Stoicism called Meditations which wasn’t formerly meant as a book for the masses but rather just a journal for himself on how to live his life. Unbelievably years later, the lessons he used and applied in those days can still be applied to society today, and it used as a tool by many titans of industry present today. He later died in 180 AD and is celebrated as the ideal emperor.
A little bit about the book
Mediations is a book that was not primarily meant to be a book. It is a compact version of all of Marcus Aurelius' writings/diary entries while he served as emperor. He probably meant for nobody else to see them, and maybe wrote them as a way to clear his head, or remind himself of important principles to aid him in his lifetime. The writing is split up into 12 'Books' all varying between around 8-15 pages each. The 12 Books give a discussion about living, how to act in certain situations and how to get the most out of your day-to-day experience of life. In essence, Aurelius wrote them for his own self-improvement and guidance as Emporer of Rome.
Meditations is a special book for me personally. I have used it numerous times within the past 2 years during times of discomfort, struggle or even just the feeling of being unfulfilled. It was written while he was Emporer 1850 years ago between 161 - 180AD, but it was first published in 1641. This shows the importance of his writing because it really has stood the test of time. There are not many books that get passed down generation to generation like this one, and what is most interesting is how the self-improvement principles written back then, are just as applicable today. This would mean that as human beings, our behaviour hasn't really evolved much, we still find ourselves in similar interactions and situations that Marcus Aurelius found himself in Rome 1850 years ago. This is crazy to think about, but makes sense, seeing that evolutions tend to take over one million years to occur.
In essence, Meditations is a book for your lifetime. It is one that should be re-read multiple times a year, or used as a guiding principle in times of struggle. That is what I use it for anyway!
I can't recommend this book enough,
reading it might well just change your life.
Have a great weekend!
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