The Meditations – Marcus Aurelius

“Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man – yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned to thee, live rationally, and part with life cheerfully, as drops the ripe olive, extolling the season that bore it and the tree that matured it.”

– Marcus Aurelius Antonius [121-180]

Currently, I am listening to The Meditations written by Marcus Aurelius. The Meditations was one of the books I have read multiple times over my lifetime, apart from Bhagavad Gita and Mencius. The book, Meditations is about inner dialogues of someone who was one of the greatest emperors in Roman history, and one of the greatest philosophers who had ever lived. As you read each sentence, you can see his sincerity and dedication in wanting to become a better human being, and at the same time you can feel his pain and agony in the era of chaos and massacre through on-going wars.

Fall is a season of loss in nature after the beautiful and flourishing summer. Maybe that is why it is the season of memory. Memory of the life, memory of the loved one, and memory of the departure. The Meditations is a book which guided me when I lost my loved ones and even when I lost myself in darkness. I highly recommend the book, Meditations. I hope the book can be a light to someone who is walking in darkness, and to help the one to be mature as is the great pine tree always green in four seasons.

Loving Kindness,

Sincerely,
D.K. Won