Review: Meditations

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed taking my time with this one.

There's so much wisdom in this book and it absolutely came at the right time for me. It's not a light read - you really have to ponder every line and think about what it all means.

At times, it does feel a little like you're reading a diary. Only the diary of someone super wise who is trying to be the best version of himself he can be, so instead of juicy secrets we get worldly wisdom and inspiration to become better ourselves.

"Meditations" is an apt title as these are things you can ruminate on endlessly. Among the wisdom is the frequent reminder of our individual insignificance in the scope of time, and that we can only be responsible for our own thoughts and actions, so there is no need to bother about what others think of us. It reinforces the message of being a good, kind person and of living life sticking to your own moral compass, no matter what anyone around you is doing.

For me, I mostly enjoyed the references to nurturing the soul first and foremost, with the body being nought but a shell to house the soul. This was probably my favourite line in the whole book:

Disgraceful if, in this life when your body does not fail, your soul should fail you first.

For a little context, I have been on a journey of personal growth through martial arts, and we talk often of how the mind fails before the body. The challenge is to not let the pain signals of the body cause your mind to falter. The body can always handle so much more than the mind thinks it can, so I'm at a point in my life when I'm really testing those boundaries and this book was such a comfort. I love the notion of being much more than the body experiencing discomfort.

It also speaks of death, and how we shouldn't fear our time ending, if that what is necessary for the Whole. These fragments may rub you the wrong way if you're not particularly spiritual or religious, but I found them to be very wise.

This is the sort of book that carries weight in every word, and as such it's one that you can return to at any time. There's even an index in the back (of this edition, at least) so that you can jump to wisdom for specific challenges you may be facing.

Because its his own musings, it does get a little repetitive in places, but I still found an element of enjoyment to that because it's a good reminder that he was human like everyone else, and he was just trying to be the best human he could be.

On the whole, this was a really comforting read. Great for those on a spiritual path, but also just an inspiring read for those looking for some wisdom that may help in a troubling situation. Take your time with it, digest it slowly, and you're bound to find something that resonates.

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