Meditations Life, Consciousness, and Existence Quotes

Marcus is a huge fan of unity. In this case, it's the unity of divine agents that rule human life and keep the universe ticking away. Some of these forces may seem frightening (like the Fates that measure, weave, and clip the thread of individual lives), but they all exist to nurture the health of the Whole. Individual human lives are part of this, but they can't be valued above the eternal action of the universe.

Marcus is not shy about discussing the temporary nature of human life and all the trappings that go along with it. He makes a strong point here about the valueless nature of worldly things, including the desire for fame and praise. Marcus piles on the doom and gloom to make a point: these are not the things we should spend our energy gathering or even thinking about. To do so will take away from life, not increase its value.

This graphic statement emphasizes Marcus's belief that humans are social in nature: we're born for each other and commanded by the universe to undertake social acts to benefit the community. To cut yourself off from the community of the universe is a grave sin, but not one without recourse. Marcus later speaks about how a person can "re-graft" him- or herself back onto society—but that things are never the same once he or she has broken away. Hey, the emperor is a law-and-order kind of guy. The concept of revolt strikes him with a horror that even death can't equal.

Marcus just loves to talk about how tiny we are. He insists that he keep this smallness of existence constantly in mind so that he doesn't ever value his individual life too much or place too much value on transient things like fame or reputation. This is a kind of reality check that's meant to keep the emperor focused on the things that matter, like doing social acts to benefit the common good.

Marcus telescopes out to see the earth and human life as it really is: super tiny, completely insignificant. He doesn't do this to depress himself, though it seems like this would fit the bill. He wants to keep perspective on himself and the world he lives in. Remember that he's always addressing himself in these chapters, so when he exhorts (i.e. "Look...") he's telling himself what he has to do to maintain his philosophical principles.

Marcus speaks of the dissolution of death in terms of a great recycling program. It isn't as though he will be going somewhere foreign or scary, but he will be heading for change. As soon as those component parts are broken up, the Whole will figure out what he'll be next. For Marcus, there are two basic principles of life: life is change, and the individual life is part of a larger system. While dissolution sounds like a bad deal for the individual, it's really a mere rendering back to the universe what it let you borrow for a while.

Marcus knows there's no crying in the game of life. He believes that part of man's duty is to take his lot in life—no matter how crummy—and leave off whining about it. However bad it is, the gods must have had a reason for your misery. It's all part of a larger plan that is somehow invisible to the poor shmoe suffering through it. You've heard all this before. But here's the added bonus: human suffering is not purposeless. In some way, it has something to do with keeping the universe on an even keel. Marcus does not say exactly what that is (he doesn't actually know). But then again, he was an emperor. It doesn't get much more privileged than that.

The image of the life as a river flowing endlessly on seems clichéd to us today (and to be honest, it really was already in Marcus's time, too). But it's also particularly apt. Marcus uses the image not only to explain the constant motion of time, but also to explain the movement of things and people through time. As we ride down that river, the objects of life flow by so quickly that we can hardly get a read on things before they disappear. Transience is the hallmark of earthly existence. It teaches Marcus not to put too much value either on things of beauty or on the things that make him miserable.

Unity is way important to Marcus's conception of the universe. Without it, there is unending chaos and very little purpose for existence. He often debates this with himself (is the universe a pile of atoms and random chance, or is it an ordered, unified system?); he chooses to believe that humanity is part of a larger Whole, a magnificent structure that is mirrored in a flawed way by human institutions on earth. Divinity has a hand in creating this structure, the first cause of all created things. God sets all things in motion and keeps everything working through his benevolent reason, which he places in small amounts in each human being.

This is from Marcus's envoy, the final farewell chapter in his Meditations. As with most envoys, this one gives instructions for departing—in this case, from life itself. Ever the philosopher, Marcus goes back to causes: the human life cycle has come full circle, with the creator of life calling back what he had set in motion. Marcus emphasizes the peacefulness of this exercise. No drama is necessary, since everything in the act of dying is just, right, and natural.