Let’s look at how Marcus dealt with common life obstacles and how he would have found the answers through elimination with 16 different quotes from Meditations. By doing less he found a way to do more.įortunately, we know this because miraculously his journal writings survived nearly 2,000 years and have been compiled into the astounding work called Meditations.
Through restraint, he found the answer to each problem. How did he survive? “Only philosophy” as he would say. He even had to deal with what we would call a “hostile workplace” today: a treasonous general, Avidius Cassius, proclaiming himself emperor and trying to overthrow his power. War was a constant in his time as emperor, most notably with the Parthian empire to the east and the barbarians to the north. Throughout his reign, he witnessed the devastating effects of plagues and famines. Loss of loved ones was a constant throughout his life: his parents at a young age, his wife, and even several children at a very young age. His entire life was met by hardship and unfathomable situations requiring decisions that would make most men crumble under the pressure. Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome from 161–180 AD, had unprecedented access to all the riches of Rome as emperor but due to his position, he also bore the weight of the entire empire. By ceasing to do many “normal” habits and behaviors, he was able to overcome enormous challenges. One man that lived nearly 2,000 years ago learned to implement the subtle art of elimination. It goes against everything we’ve been told to do. In a culture hardwired to “do it all”, it can be counterintuitive to do less. Often in life, to be successful it doesn’t require doing more. “person on body of water reading book” by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
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