It captures the perennial appeal of the book, which is that it offers a way to “master care and pain” by providing philosophical insights that promise to elevate our minds above worldly concerns, both the things we crave and those we fear. If god appeared to us – or a wise human being, even – and prohibited us from concealing our thoughts or imagining anything without immediately shouting it out, we wouldn’t make it through a single day. With the way the introduction was written, who knows what was lost to history and what the translator had the liberty of changing. The translator's introduction agrees, and suggests that Marcus's pessimistic evaluation of human life is "impoverishing. At the same time, the work felt a little dimished by the fact it was written by an emperor, in the sense that it is easy for a person of the most privilege to talk about doing away with desires, or taking things as they come, seeing death as something to not fear, etc.

And maybe they were connected in some way, but about halfway through the book I realized that if I just took each verse on its own and gleaned as much wisdom from it, then I would get more out of it.Nevertheless, Meditations is a cornerstone of the practical philosophy genre and this new translation will make up a vital part of a classic bookshelf. It's all that protects your mind from false perceptions-false to your nature, and that of all rational beings. Considering how they were written over a far longer timespan, said recurrence absolutely makes sense. Not expecting his friends to keep him entertained at dinner or to travel with him (unless they wanted to).

The first challenge with reviewing an ancient work such as this is to clarify WHAT is being reviewed. His awareness of his own mortality and how transient life is made him grateful for every day and for every person in his life. Marcus's insights and advice--on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others--have made the "Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. With an Introduction that outlines Marcus's life and career, the essentials of Stoic doctrine, the style and construction of the Meditations, and the work's ongoing influence, this edition makes it possible to fully rediscover the thoughts of one of the most enlightened and intelligent leaders of any era.Marcus Aurelius' life philosophy —very similar to Stoicism— is wisdom for all ages and for every generation. That when I became interested in philosophy I didn't fall into the hands of charlatans, and didn't get bogged down in writing treatises, or become absorbed by logic-chopping, or preoccupied with physics. I was brought around to this book by the Daily Stoic youtube channel and all I can say its a life changer. In Gregory Hays s new translation the first in a generation Marcus s thoughts speak with a new immediacy: never before have they been so directly and powerfully presented. Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life.