MARCUS AURELIUS. MEDITATIONS. Book xi. 15.
Thursday
January 10
NO object can of itself beget any opinion in
us, neither can come to us, but stands without
still and quiet; but we ourselves beget, and
as it were print in ourselves opinions concerning
them. Now it is in our power, not to print them;
and if they creep in and lurk in some corner, it
is in our power to wipe them off. Remember
moreover, that this care and circumspection of
thine, is to continue but for a while, and then thy
life will be at an end. And what should hinder,
but that thou mayst do well with all these
things? For if they be according to nature, rejoice
in them, and let them be pleasing and
acceptable unto thee. But if they be against
Nature, seek thou that which is according to thine
own Nature, and whether it be for thy credit or
no, use all possible speed for the attainment of
it: for no man ought to be blamed, for seeking
his own good and happiness.
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We are burdened with judgements that we have carried from earlier points in our lives. These judgements often hinder our growth as an individual and cause us blockages in our relationships. We should continuously wipe the slate clean of our false judgements in order to continue to flourish and strive to live according to our nature.
ReplyDelete"NO object can of itself beget any opinion in us, neither can come to us, but stands without still and quiet." This is really the key to interacting with the world, the Stoic practice of withholding assent to the inherent 'meaning' of events. It only means what you allow it to mean. Epictetus spends a lot of time breaking down events, until we are able to properly just what is in our control, and what is not.
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