Today's semi-random thoughts from Marcus Aurelius

'People seek out retreats for themselves in the country, by the seaside, on the mountains, and you, too, are wont to long above all for such things. But all this is unphilosophical to the nth degree, when you can at a moment's notice retire into yourself. For nowhere can we find a retreat more full of peace, or more free from care, than our own souls, above all if...More......

...we have peace within us, a steadfast look at which and we at once are at ease, and by "ease" I mean nothing other than order. Make use, then, of this retirement continually, and regenerate yourself....

Why with what are you discontented? The wickedness of others? Take this conclusion to heart, that rational creatures have been made for one another, that forbearance is part of justice, that wrong-doing is involuntary, and think how many before now, after passing their lives in implacable enmity, suspicion, hatred, and at daggers drawn with one another, have been buried. Think of this, I say, and stop fretting.

But are you discontented with your share in the whole? Recall the alternatives: either heavenly intervention, or just atoms, and the abundant proofs that the universe is one state....

But will that paltry thing, Fame, distract you? Look at the swift approach of complete forgetfulness, and the void of infinite time on this side of us and on that, and the empty echo of acclamation, and the fickleness and uncritical judgment of those who claim to speak well of us, and the narrowness of the arena to which all this is confined. For the whole of earth is but a point, and how tiny a corner of it is this the place of our sojourning, and how many therein and of what sort are those who will praise you.

From now on, therefore, remember to retreat into this little plot that is you, yourself. Above all, don't distract yourself, don't be too eager, but be your own master, and look upon life as one possessed of high values, as a human being, as a citizen, as a mortal creature.

Among the principles close at hand upon which you concentrate, let there be these two. One, that objective things do not lay hold of your soul, but stand quietly outside of it, while disturbances are but the outcome of that opinion that is within us. Second, that all this visible world changes in a moment, and will be no more, and continually remember the changes of how many things that you have witnessed.

"The Universe: change. Life: opinion".(*)'



Dear Marcus usually isn't so long-winded, but much of the essence of his helpful and comforting thought, expressed in his jottings to self that we now call his Meditations, is distilled into this somewhat paraphrased passage (IV:3).

Perfect for remembering, for today and for my dear dear Mario, whose passing away two years ago took the light from my life.


Contemplate. Contemplate again. And again. Draw comfort from wisdom.


(*Here, Marcus is quoting Mundi lex seu Natura, according to my Loeb version.)

Semi-random thought from Marcus Aurelius for the day

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.

Milan, the Cinderella of Italy

Yesterday, AGAIN, I had to stick up for Milan, even while talking with Milanese...and their oh too impressionable guests.

Milan isn't like Rome.

Milan isn't like Venice.

Milan isn't like Florence.

Milan isn't even like Naples, or Palermo.

Milan isn't like any of the other marvelous towns in Italy deserving of visits (Mantova, Como, Turin and Verona come immediately to mind, not to mention--and I won't, so as not to embarrass myself--the important cities I still haven't visited, either).

No other city in the world is like these cities, so why should Milan have to be like them, in order to be found attractive and interesting?

I think not.

Milan is Milan.

Not liking Milan because it's not like Rome is like not liking bananas because they aren't like apples.

They're both fruit, but.... I think you get the point....More...

Milan has its own marvelous good points (I talk about my favorites in this blog) and difficult bad points (enough people complain about the city, I don't need to do that...usually), just like any metropolis.

You just try enjoying Florence from, say, March til December, and you'll know what I mean.

Furthermore, it's not just my opinion.

Milan is on the NY Times list of the 41 most interesting places to go in 2011: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09where-to-go.html?_r=1

I am openly partial. If you come to Milan, I highly recommend a visit to the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum at Via Gesù 5 in the centrally located fashionable shopping district of Montenapoleone (http://www.museobagattivalsecchi.org).

First off, I work there, so now you know.

Secondly, it's one of Europe's most important and best preserved historic house museums. That's the fancy way of saying it's like an authentic time machine jumping you back into the late 19th century to snoop around the private home, packed with Italian Renaissance art and furniture, of a wealthy Milanese aristocrat...fascinating for scholars looking for particular pieces to study, but, because of the home environment, also lots of relaxing nosy fun even for those not usually attracted to the idea of going to a museum.

Thirdly, there are information cards in all the major European languages and Japanese in all of the rooms and--by golly, folks, it's true--audio guides available freely as part of the ticket price in Italian, English, French and Japanese. (Hey, practicing your skills in any of these languages? Come test yourself, and have fun at the same time!) The audioguides are fun AND informative, too (the fact that I helped write them doesn't influence that comment one little bit!). There are even activity cards (only in Italian, though) for parents to help them explore the museum with their small children.

Need more convincing about coming to Milan for at least a few days?

Here's my article dispelling some popular, but erroneous, myths about Milan:

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/lombardy/milan_myths.htm

Here are a couple of links to my past "Understanding Milan" posts:

http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-here-blame-it-on-furry-sow.html

http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2010/08/understanding-milan-01.html

Milan has lots to offer visitors, from those interested in history, art and architecture from antiquity to the present to those fascinated by urban development and modern "stuff" of all kinds from design and fashion to rock and roll...though for the modern stuff you'll have to hunt up the info using some of the links in the left hand column of my blog, because it's not high on my personal scale of interests (to say the least).

And now, our random thought from Marcus Aurelius for the day:

"I do my own duty; other things do not distract me." (Book VI, verse 22...though it really fits today's post, I swear it was randomly chosen!)

I snapped this shot of a detail of the Villa Romeo-Faccanoni with you in mind on the 19th of February, 2011, around 12:30 P.M. If you want to know more about the villa, see my recent post: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/02/lets-start-with-my-self-sacrifice-on.html

Enjoy!

Marcus Aurelius and Milan

"Marcus Aurelius slept here."

Oddly enough, I'm wondering for the first time if my favorite philosopher and teacher of how to live a worthy life (and, coincidentally, the ancient Roman emperor from 161 to 180 A.D.), ever came through this marvelous Milanese metropolis.

I'm gonna bet he did, on the way to battling the Marcomanni and the Quadi on the...More......

...upper Danube, since Milan was one of the most important towns in the area, in the middle of the plain criss-crossed by those ancient highways, rivers (though the city would have to wait another hundred plus years before becoming the ipso facto capital of the ancient Roman empire, a state of being it enjoyed...all those soldiers and courtiers needing to buy housing and goods...until party poopers from the north threatened to gate crash...literally...sending the emperor Honorius scurrying for Ravenna, 'honor' my eye...).

But back to Marcus.

While in limbo regarding any possible proof of his actual presence in Milan, here's today's random, but helpful, quote from his Meditations, thoughts he jotted down for himself to clear his head, to keep himself focused, to remind himself of his goals:

"This is the mark of a perfect character: to pass through each day, as if it were the last, without agitation, without torpor, without pretence."
(Book VII, verse 69)

Food for Milanese thought.