Moments — dwell on the beauty

“Dwell on the beauty of Life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”

If the Internet is to be believed this quote and insight is by Marcus Aurelius; he was one of the better Roman Emperors that I’ve read about (he was the last of what is known as the Five Good Emperors).

When I first read this quote I just assumed its author was a contemporary “new age philosopher” using memes to develop a following. I was taken aback a little by the fact that it originated on the streets of Rome eighteen hundred years ago.

A modern day bias to be sure, or maybe something that has always come with those generations that currently occupy the top of the food chain — we are the most civilized, most knowledgeable, and the most enlightened, ever! As emperor of arguably the largest empire in the known world at the time, and with a devastating war machine at his disposal, I wonder if he suffered from this same bias. I will also admit hearing the name Marcus Aurelius didn’t conjure up images of a man who pursued philosophical or motivational musings — another obvious bias on my part.

It’s a tough place to be, knowing you’re bias and misinformed, with just a little splash of arrogance for taste — although there is some redemption that comes in its recognition.

“Life is harshly beautiful” … something a pair of new age philosophers came up with a while ago, a reality of life, and something a man like Marcus Aurelius would understand intimately — at one moment embracing the love of his family and in another unleashing the dogs of war. There is little doubt he was intimate with what the four horsemen of the apocalypse could accomplish, and with it, an understanding for life’s beauty to balance the scale.

In hindsight, it makes a lot of sense this quote came from Marcus Aurelius — he would have been in a very good position to offer insights into what’s important in life.

iamgpe