THIS VIDEO WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE COMPLETELY | STOICISM BY MARCUS AURELIUS
Marcus Aurelius is a historical figure who is regarded as a symbol of ultimate authority. Apart from his position, he distinguished himself by his rigorous moral code, adherence to values, and deep philosophical views. He turned down ostentatious feasts brimming with wine and graphic shows at the Roman Coliseum, unlike other Roman emperors. He understood quite well that fate had given him the noble duty of serving humanity. With this attitude, Marcus Aurelius gave himself entirely to fulfilling his life's mission.
One of Stoic philosophy's main ideas was to realize his life's purpose and avoid becoming ensnared by fleeting worldly pleasures. Among the major thinkers of this school, Epictetus stressed the need to be able to discriminate between what we can control and what is beyond our control. Other than our own deeds, most things happen outside of our control. This knowledge leads to a new perspective on the world and our relationships with it.
Not that stoic philosophy advises us to give up on life. Rather, it exhorts us to acknowledge and deal with our limits realistically. Concentrating on uncontrollable factors just adds needless stress. Many times, the reason for pain in life is that we are overly concerned with things that are beyond our control. Should we keep allowing other forces to dictate our lives, fate will turn us into puppets. Though, in actuality, we have willingly handed those who control us that authority; we frequently place blame on them. We shall discover real inner tranquility, and external forces will lose their power once we cease paying attention to them.
Marcus Aurelius was able to handle the many duties and obstacles he faced as emperor because he was unaffected by circumstances beyond his control. He could focus on the duty the gods had given him, he thought. This independence from outside influences may have been a means for Epictetus to focus on worthwhile objectives. It might, for some, be the route to a happy, worry-free existence.
What things, and how, should we cease worrying about when life gets difficult? The idea of Marcus Aurelius caring less about things is freely explored and interpreted in this movie. Marcus Aurelius makes frequent distinctions between the present, past, and future in his "Meditations." The ancient Roman Emperor provides insightful analysis on how we care too much, incorrectly, or about the wrong things in each area.
Let us begin with the future of organization and clarity. "We suffer more in imagination than in reality," as Seneca once remarked, suggesting that our sorrow stems from our future thoughts. Our imaginations run wild when it comes to the future, conjuring up a lot of possibilities that most likely won't come to pass. Given this, we wonder how to handle potential results and shudder at the thought of not knowing how things will turn out in our lives or in the future. While in many instances fate surprises us and overwhelms us with happenings we cannot predict, in many others the things that happen are exactly what we expected.
Marcus Aurelius once observed that the weight of the present pushing upon us is what burdens us, for better or worse. How we handle the future in the here and now is what damages us. Every pain from the future manifests itself now. Strangely, it's not that the future is happening now; rather, as we obsess about future occurrences, life progressively gets worse as we live through them in our minds, letting these future events dictate our present.
What, then, did Marcus Aurelius say about excessive future worry? You will meet the future, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason that today empower you against the present. He made the point that dealing with the present entitles one to deal with the future. He advised facing your current circumstances rather than imagining all the horrible things that might happen. He knew he could get through it. Why, then, could he not handle what lay ahead?
This mentality resembles the concept of amor fati, which is acceptance and love of fate, supported by the assurance that if you can survive it, you can survive anything else. He reminded himself not to picture every negative result. Rather, he concentrated on how he might control the situation he was in at that time. By doing this, he came to see that he could handle it; if so, why couldn't he handle what lay ahead?
Though it is true that if you can survive it, you can overcome it, this viewpoint is comparable to the concept of amor fati, or the love of one's own fate. Looking back, Marcus Aurelius understood that existence is ephemeral and vanishes quickly into the great world that is out of our reach. We can't work in the past or the future. What's done is done; we can't undo it, short of creating a time traveler.
Marcus Aurelius counsels us to disregard the past as worthless and irrelevant in the present because he said, "Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of his life is either past and gone or not yet revealed." Not because the past has no bearing on the present or that we are unable to learn from it; rather, the past is unreachable. Our memories of the past are frequently hazy, and it can be challenging to confirm what actually happened given varying viewpoints and personal recollections.
Still, we remain attached to the past; we frequently play back the unpleasant memories of those times in our minds. Some may believe that we can somehow influence the past by thinking about it, but that is a delusion. The past is gone, and all we have to deal with are ideas of what has vanished and will never return. Many people express their longing for the impossibility, "I wish I had done that differently." These ideas produce wants that are unfulfilled; hence, nothing can be gained from them.
Marcus Aurelius focuses on his handling of historical events rather than the events themselves. Events from the past are uncontrollable, and they are probably uncontrollable in the present as well. We are in charge of how we respond to these occurrences, nevertheless. We may first see the past as bad things that happened to us—we might have had a horrible childhood full of obstacles and sufferings, or we might have lost significant connections that we assumed would remain forever.
It might also include failed commercial ventures—things that, although we had hoped, turned out not to be successful. But history is a part of our path, as well as a sequence of regrettable incidents. It may support our learning, development, and maturation. Our limitations can be more thoroughly explored, our understanding of ourselves improved, and solutions to overcome the challenges and setbacks of the past can be found. They might develop into priceless teachings that strengthen and equip us for difficulties down the road.
While the past is an integral part of your biography, it should not be the only factor influencing your life. You can be motivated to go on and create a better future by it; do not let the past influence your choices or way of thinking. Make use of it to build your strength and confidence in handling impending difficulties. However, how Marcus Aurelius handles these incidents is what matters to him, not the substance of the incidents.
He raises the question of whether anything that doesn't go against the core of human nature can really be called unfortunate. If it doesn't go against the core of human nature, can you really call it unfortunate? Or do you believe that something can defy nature's will, even if it doesn't? Know what nature wills? What has transpired has kept you from being honestly modest, self-controlled, appropriately determined, just, and prosperous—qualities that let your actual nature blossom.
Marcus Aurelius completely ignores the importance of the past. Seeing how everything develops and replicates itself in cycles, he uses the past as a manual. Our imaginations run wild with possibilities for the future, many of which may never come to pass. First, shaking from fear of the unknown future or what will happen in our lives, we consider how to handle potential results. While in many situations fate surprises us with events we could not have expected, in others everything goes exactly as we had anticipated.
For better or worse, some people have spent a great deal of time and money getting ready for the perfect retirement, but occasionally life doesn't go as planned, and these plans might not come to pass. Still, we ought to persevere. Instead, we may develop our ability to move with the times and modify our goals to have an interesting and meaningful retirement. A late-stage cancer diagnosis with a few months left on the eve of the golden years of life causes a lot of anxiety because one is always thinking about the worst that could happen. What would happen if World War III began? What happens if I run out of money?
Although such bad things might happen, should we be concerned about them beforehand? If you were told you had terminal cancer, nothing would stop you from living now and savoring every moment of your life. As Seneca said, "The future troubles us because we think about it; it doesn't exist outside of our minds."
Whatever your situation—big or small—stand up and keep your head high. Wear your nicest clothes and shoes, and make memories that will last long after you are gone. Marcus Aurelius focuses on his response to uncontrollable circumstances. The past, and maybe we are powerless over events that occur now. How we respond to these occurrences is under our control, though.
We could at first think of the past as a sad circumstance. We could have experienced challenging early years, the breakup of a friendship, or unsuccessful commercial ventures. But Marcus Aurelius finds that how he handles these incidents is more significant than the substance of the events. He asked if something that doesn't go against human nature could really be deemed a catastrophe.
If it doesn't go against the core of human nature, can you really call it a disaster? Or do you believe that something can flout nature's will, even if it does not? What is the natural will? Do you know it? Have the happenings kept you from becoming the kind of person that allows your inherent essence to blossom—justice, generosity, self-control, wise judgment, honesty, humility, and authenticity?
Fascinatingly, Marcus Aurelius did not totally discount the importance of the past. He viewed history as a manual, seeing how things happen and recur through cycles. The past can help one deduce something about the future. That brings us to the present. Marcus Aurelius understood that while the past and the future are enormous domains beyond our control, the present is all we have; it is a small field within our reach. The remainder of our lives has either passed or is still unknown; the present exists only for a little while.
Still, we tend to concentrate on things that are not here now. We get unhappy with the way life is now playing out, maybe because nothing is happening as planned or because our needs are still unfulfilled. This is the point at which the here and now turn into an agonizing prison, where we either cling to the past or live under the rule of the future. Marcus Aurelius advises living in the moment and accepting things as they are. He counseled us against clinging to what we have or allowing the present circumstances to control our emotions, even if we disagree with what is happening.
He thought that although our response is under our control, the way the world turns out is not. We have influence over how we respond to outside circumstances, but not over external events. Assume your early years were filled with challenges and setbacks. Saying that your history is a string of bad luck could be easy. But Marcus Aurelius' philosophy holds that how you respond to these occurrences matters more than whether you classify them as catastrophes.
If you don't see actual occurrences as catastrophes, he thought, they won't hurt you. Viewpoint is the key. Rather than wallowing in the past's tragedies, concentrate on how they have molded and fortified you. By accepting what you cannot alter and finding inner strength in the moment, you are following stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius saw the natural laws as his road map. He would become a deserter and flee from what he should be in harmony with if he fought nature or felt bitterness or rage toward it.
Assume you are dealing with a somewhat difficult personal circumstance. You feel depressed and desperate after losing a significant connection. In terms of stoic philosophy, you might handle this matter as follows: Admit the circumstances first. Admit that you cannot completely control losing a relationship; it is a part of life. Your handling of it is what counts. Give yourself some thought. Rather than condemning yourself or feeling helpless, focus on growing yourself and establishing your internal worth.
Third, learn and develop. Take the opportunity to learn and develop that comes with ending a relationship. Find out what lessons you can learn from this experience to strengthen yourself. Fourth, be present. Spend no time fretting over the past or being afraid of the future. Pay attention to the moment and engage in activities that bring you joy. Fifth, make local connections. If you feel alone, try expressing your feelings and asking for support from friends or the community.
Sixth, manage your emotions. Develop emotional management and control skills so you can stop letting them rule your life. This is the art of living; the wonderful and lucky external events we encounter are erratic, brittle, and erratic. It concerns our reactions to life's circumstances. That is what needs to concern us. Despite the situation you are in, strive to live in the present. First, make changes to things that are easily accessible to you. Launch yourself right now. Look not at other people; look not to the future; glance not back. Just start looking at what is in front of you.
I hope that in life you have the favorable outcomes you want. Though occasionally your motivation may falter, never give up and keep doing everything consistently. Before we conclude, I'd like to share with you an intriguing account of how Marcus Aurelius fundamentally altered the life of a guy named John. Though John is a young, passionate man, pressure and stress are constant in his life. Working for a big corporation every day, he is always worn out and uninspired.
At that trying time, John started studying Marcus Aurelius's concept of leading a purposeful life and working with a moral soul. The things Marcus Aurelius said truly struck John. He started to use this concept in his everyday life and studied stoicism more. He picks up better stress management techniques, more composed handling of work pressure, and a greater attention to life's most fundamental principles. John had a total transformation in his life because of Marcus Aurelius.
He is today happier, more confident, and more capable of handling any situation. His life is now far less hectic than it was, and his spirituality and way of thinking have changed dramatically. Recall that life is a continuous journey, and that certain priceless moments have the power to completely transform our lives. Marcus Aurelius's reflections expose us to deep ideas about happiness, achievement, and life. This piece provides insightful advice among the greatest philosophers in history.
It's time to blow a fresh wind into your life. Give this film a glimpse into a world of fresh ideas and discoveries. We firmly believe that these real-life situations will inspire you and provide a profound understanding. Should this video resonate with you, please don't hesitate to like and share it with everyone in your immediate vicinity. Let's build a community rich in knowledge and experiences, since every share you make advances the globe.
Come along on this YouTube channel, where each video is a fresh experience that leads to many ideas and inspirations. You won't ever miss an amazing journey if you subscribe to our channel. We are excited to walk with you on the road to advancement and a better quality of life. We appreciate your company on this trip and look forward to having more fun in the future. Catch you in the upcoming videos. Goodbye.