Why am I so enamored of Marcus Aurelius? If previous messages haven't clarified this, maybe I'll attempt a few words, later. Right now, I've barely got enough time to jot you today's semi-random thought from his "Meditations"...More......
...parapharased in my words, here goes:
'It brings gladness to a human heart to do the true work of humankind. And the true work of humankind is to show goodwill to others, to disdain being too moved by our sense perceptions, to discern specious impressions, to take a comprehensive view of the Nature of the Universe and of everything that is done at its bidding.
You have three relationships: the first to that vessel your body in which you are contained; the second to the divine Cause from which issue all things to everyone; the third to those that live with you.' (Book VIII, verses 26 and 27; Loeb edition)
Marcus' thought can be meaningful for you, wherever you find yourself on the spectrum of religious thought, from traditional approaches firmly convinced of the existence of a god, or gods, an approach supplying a comforting system of behavior precepts and a system of punishments and rewards, to those accepting the mystery of the mere fact of existence, with the consequent enormous personal responsibility for comportment, which best fulfils the thinker positively, while respecting the environment and fellow inhabitants of our world.
Sometimes, as in this case, he refers to "Nature," other times to the "Gods." Interpret these references as you will, and absorb his respect for self, for those around us, for the world in which we live.
Yes, yes, yes, we need to plan for our futures, but keep the center of your soul firmly rooted in the here and now because the past is gone, the future may never come, all we have is this present moment. Use it to be a better, happier, more positive person. Kiss your spouse, your kids, your friends goodbye each time you take your leave of them; have a kind word for each, treat yourself, your co-workers, your employees, the environment with respect. You may never have another chance to say "I love you."
The center of your soul will become more resilient, able to withstand better the buffeting winds, now soft, now battering, of daily life, and you'll spend each waking moment with part of your conscious self "stopping to smell the roses" as you scurry along with the rest of us in this fragile rat race called life.
This post is dedicated to everyone, who has recently lost a dear friend, or family member.
Remember the positive, evoke the love and laughter, let the sharp edges of grief gradually be blunted.
The sharp knife of loss, the terrible void, always will be there, but you can learn to live with it, if you invoke the positive presence of the missing loved one to keep you company on the rest of your journey.
I snapped this shot with you in mind on April 13th at about 4:15 P.M. in Piazza Virgilio, Milan, Italy.
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