Meditations Book 7 Summary

[Bran Cardello]

Meditationsby Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, is one of the definitive texts on Stoicism. In Meditations, Aurelius shares his thoughts about the importance of logic over emotion and helps you to start training your mind to think rationally. By following Stoic teachings, you can live with purpose and die with dignity.

Logos is the force that guides the universe. It ensures that every occurrence is the right one, as surely as if a scientist had measured every outcome and chosen the best possibility. Therefore, you should always act according to logos. This one belief is the heart of Stoicism.

In spite of that, individual beings often suffer. This is because every organism exists to serve others, not to prevent its own suffering. Lower creatures exist for the benefit of higher ones; for example, plants are eaten by prey animals, which in turn are eaten by predators. Meanwhile, higher creatures (like ourselves) exist to support one another. Always remember that everything in the world is connected, just like those connections between different creatures. All things exist in harmony with one another, and because of one another.

You should always see things as they are: For example, a feast laid before you is nothing but dead plants and animals. Rich purple robes are simply sheep wool colored with shellfish blood. Making love is just rubbing organs together.

Likewise, as in the previous examples, you should always be able to identify and define whatever you encounter. Your observations should be reasonable and accurate, not based on emotional reactions or illogical superstitions. Furthermore, you should know what parts go into making the thing, what its purpose is, and how you should deal with it (or if you even need to).

Finally, you should know what gave rise to the thing or situation: for example, the will of the gods, random chance, or the actions of another person. In other words, before you respond to any thing or situation, you should make certain that you understand it clearly. You should always proceed with logic, not emotion.

You have access to Judgment and Adaptability. No matter what situation you might find yourself in, Judgment can see the truth of the matter. Then, Adaptability can figure out how best to make use of the situation. This is the essence of rationality.

If something damages the body, let the body worry about it. As you are a being of reason and logos, all that can truly hurt you is that which damages the mind, or prevents it from working properly. The only thing that can hurt you is that which hurts your character.

Then, we'll take our first look at the topic of death. Facing death calmly and with dignity is a key aspect of Stoicism and is a subject that we'll return to several times throughout Meditations. For now, though, we'll simply discuss how mortality can be motivational, rather than frightening.

Furthermore, you should know what parts go into making the thing in question, what its purpose is, and how you should deal with it (or if you even need to). Finally, you should know what brought you into contact with this thing: for example, the will of the gods, random chance, or the actions of another...

Logos ensures that every occurrence is the right one, as surely as if someone had measured every outcome and chosen the best possibility. Therefore, you should always act according to logos.

In this section of the summary, we'll further discuss how you should relate to other people and how you should treat yourself. In short, you should be patient with others and strict with yourself. You must constantly focus on self-improvement, with emphasis on the self.

Developing compassion for people who have wronged you is a difficult, but important task. Take a moment to think about someone you currently dislike and consider how you can feel compassion for them. While answering the questions, remember that the only things that can really hurt you are those that damage either your character or your community.

Then, we'll discuss how, through rational thought, you can develop a sense of perspective. Seeing yourself as a tiny part of an infinite universe helps you realize how insignificant you really are and therefore how important it is that you work toward the common good instead of your own selfish ends.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a classic of Stoic philosophy and shows us how to become more self-disciplined, stop caring what people think, and control our emotions. The author was a powerful Roman Emperor about 2,000 years ago and wrote down these ideas in a private journal to himself.

One of the most fascinating things about this book is that Marcus almost definitely never meant for these notes to become public. To me, that makes this book even more special. Where else can you read the true private innermost thoughts of the most powerful leader in the world?

By the way, this process is very similar to modern-day cognitive behavioral therapy. Therapists actually guide their patients to use rational thinking to inhibit the impulses generated from the more emotional and reactive parts of their minds. And they can actually see this process happening on a brain scanner. For example, anxiety is caused when a small part of the brain called the amygdala becomes activated, and then the rational thinking part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex starts firing and calms down the amygdala. The brain is a fascinating subject and you can learn a lot more in our summary of Behave by Robert Sapolsky, a Stanford professor and expert in human behavioral biology.

Anyway, because of his high-pressure position, Marcus Aurelius often thought about the fact of death to achieve more emotional stability. He was always reminding himself that he would be dead one day, and everybody who ever knew him would also be dead. He often reminded himself of this fact with very visual language: saying he would soon be bones or ashes. He found this to be the best cure for worrying about what people were thinking about him.

Marcus recognized that each of us has a tremendous power in choosing how to interpret everything that happens to us. When something bad happens to us, we can choose not to feel like a victim. For example, if someone says some rude or hurtful words towards you, then you can choose to not let those words hurt you. You can choose to interpret what happens to you as not only harmless, but beneficial in some way.

When I was a kid, this truth seemed to be better taught than it is today. Today many groups in our culture are pushing us towards perpetually feeling like victims, but Marcus says we always have another choice, a better choice. And this ability to choose the meaning of what happens to us is the ultimate power that human beings have, the ultimate shield between the outside world and our innermost soul.

Marcus Aurelius was a big believer in Providence. That means he believed God or nature or some higher power is always providing us protection and care. Believing in Providence helped Marcus accept when bad things happened, because he viewed them as an inevitable part of his destiny and happening for some higher unknown reason.

This way of thinking also helps you accept everything that happens and flow with it, rather than resisting. This is a big part of stoic philosophy. In the introduction of this book, Gregory Hays wrote a great analogy. He said if a dog is attached by a leash to a moving wagon, then it can either choose to run WITH the wagon or to resist it and be painfully dragged behind it. When people resist things that happen to them, they only make life feel worse for themselves.

Plus, telling someone they are wrong directly is never something they can accept, so that approach is futile. People will always resist being called bad and not good. Instead, you have to guide them to right behavior through compassionate reasoning, not condemnation.

Marcus Aurelius was constantly surrounded by the excesses of his society. Endless gold, purple robes, generous feasts and puffed up ceremonies. Most people could easily get over-impressed and lost inside this parallel universe. To help himself stay grounded, Marcus love describing things around him in a raw and crude way.

Marcus recognized that all we have is the present. The past already happened, the future has not yet happened. So the past and future only exist inside of our minds. But our whole life is lived in the present, moment-by-moment.

Marcus also spoke about pruning our thoughts so they are more honest and straightforward. He imagined that a good person could tell everyone out loud what they are thinking about at any moment, without stress or calculation. That would be a sure sign that you are living with honesty and integrity. Marcus says to move towards that pure state of mind, we must work on moderating our impulses, making sure our actions always benefit the social good and not just ourselves.

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