“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work – as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for – the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?” - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

No one likes a complainer, but sometimes, when so many things seem to be going so very wrong, it’s hard not to feel like the world is against you. My friend Charles has a retort for every gripe: “Sad songs ain’t sellin’ this year,” he says, reducing your woe to a poorly timed ditty. You tell Charles you want something, and he’ll deliver his mother’s line: “The people in Hell want ice water.” This may sound unkind, but Charles helped teach me to think twice before whining, to have some personal agency, and to accept what I cannot change.

As a child, I was frightened of the strength of my emotions, and I remember wishing to do away with my ‘feelings’. I discovered quickly this was not an option (The people in Hell want ice water). As a young man, still seeking ways to mitigate the passions, I discovered Marcus Aurelius and Lao Tze, and I knit them together in my head to steel my heart, to carry life’s contradictions, and to hold my mind in peace. This is an ongoing project, but I thank Marcus Aurelius for giving me some of the important tools.

Born on April 24th, in 121 AD, Marcus Aurelius would have turned 1900 years old last Sunday. An ancient Stoic philosopher, like Epictetus, Seneca, and Cato, Marcus Aurelius was also the Roman emperor from 161 to 180. For Aurelius, Stoicism provided a framework for dealing with the stresses of daily life as leader of one of the most powerful empires in human history, and his rule was not without headaches: there were Parthian Wars, Barbarian invasions, and the Antonine Plague. Most likely smallpox, the plague was the first known pandemic during the Roman Empire, lasting from 165 to 180.

By all existing accounts, Marcus Aurelius was a wise, just, and kind emperor, a notable exception to the rule that absolute power corrupts. May we derive some inspiration and courage from his example and celebrate his legacy by being virtuous, focusing on the present, and drawing our strength from the good examples of others. Sad songs may not be selling this year, but honesty, optimism, and gratitude never go out of style.

Admiringly,
Max