Pauly_Flatline

Have you ever read the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius' Meditations? And, if so, can you reconcile your experience with his self dialogue.

Its really hard for me to describe... because it remains a bit of an enigma for me.

Marcus Aurelius was a philosopher emperor of Rome who adopted the philosophy of Epictetus, incidentally a freed slave. So here is a situation where a Philosopher-Slave became the philosopher of the time and the most powerful person in the Western World (likely the entire planet at that time due to the land holding and influence of the Roman Empire) adopted his outlook.

The Meditations were not named by Marcus Aurelius, he never intended anyone to read them, both its name and structure were added by the scribes that have carried a gem from the ancients to us today, they were personal notes, ὑπόμνημα, hypomnemata.

Greek spiritual exercises to keep Marcus on the path to ,ἀρετή, arete (Virtue) during intrigues of the court and expeditions on the battlefield (some of the Meditations were written while Rome was at war with the barbaric tribes).