Marcus Aurelius [Source] |
I
will die soon. Even the Emperor of mighty
Rome is ultimately a feeble human being whose body will be consumed by the
flames of time. Nothing will remain
after that. Nothing. Nothing but the earth. The earth will cover us all. Then the earth too will change. And the things that result from the change
will continue to change too. What is
there to be priced in this world of transitoriness?
Be
good. Do good to your fellow
creatures. Nothing else really
matters. Fame will mean nothing
ultimately. Everyone who remembers you
after your death too will die one day.
Those who succeed them too will follow them soon. Memories of you will be extinguished
totally. Even if there were means by
which you could make the memories eternal, what would you gain? What can anything mean to the dead? Meaning itself has no meaning once you are
dead.
Augustus
is lost to history. His court is
lost. So are his wife, daughter,
descendants, ancestors, Agrippa, Areius, Maecenas, their physicians and their sacrificing
priests. Not only the individuals, but
whole races are lost to history. Where
is Pompeii’s race today?
Even
the gods cannot save history. They
cannot change history. Neither the pride of Alexander nor the
indolence of Diogenes is my way.
I
will die soon. I will pass into
nothingness. But I will die happily that
I had a heart that was made wise through the right measure of pain and anxiety,
fear and despair. Without my
helplessness, without my awareness of my helplessness as a human being, I would
not have made the space in my heart for the generosity that I valued much. It is in giving that I got what I wanted.
Now
I’m giving up my life. Happily.
Note:
Marcus Aurelius [26 April 121 –
17 March 180 CE] was the Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 CE. The above lines are adapted from his
book, Meditations.
Philosophical post. The emperor earned a peaceful death with no regrets; something that is difficult to earn even for one who is perched so high.
ReplyDeleteHe was the genuine philosopher-king that Plato would have loved though Aurelius did not approve of Plato's abstract quests.
DeleteNothing remains, so true, still most people don't get this! May those who are lost soon gain the wisdom. Let us do our parts and be generous and be good and break this cycle.. No regrets :)
ReplyDeleteWisdom is very rare and you know it, Roohi. The very realisation is great...
DeleteDeath is inevitable. We all shall leave this earth one day. But, I too, believe that what remains is only a person's deeds, the better they are, the more nicely she/he will be remembered.
ReplyDeleteAurelius went beyond, Maniparna. Unconditional goodness is what he advocated.
DeleteBeautifully written ... we can make the best use of present and be kind to all
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yeah, life can be a simple affair if we wish....
Delete