How Robust Was Marcus Aurelius, the Father of Stoicism?

Marcus Aurelius: A Nearer Look

Marcus Aurelius is broadly thought to be the daddy of Stoicism. He was a thinker and Roman emperor whose quotes are almost unavoidable on social media. Stoicism relies on the concept advantage and honor ought to be pursued whilst you endure the pains and hardships of life with little to no grievance. In a time of pandemics and financial hardships, it’s little surprise why Stoicism has made an enormous comeback in fashionable instances.

Historical past remembers Marcus Aurelius as a philosophical powerhouse. But, in actuality, Marcus Aurelius is simply one of many well-known classical philosophers who adopted the beliefs of Stoicism. He actually outlined what it means to be mentally powerful, however how powerful was he?

Would Marcus Aurelius have the ability to take in modern-day troubles with the identical stoic spirit that he did whereas he was emperor of Rome?

Was he bodily powerful, mentally powerful, or simply somebody who wrote about it in his journal?

Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the life and classes of Marcus Aurelius.

Bodily Toughness

You’ve in all probability seen a bodybuilding publish on social media with a quote from Marcus Aurelius. His stoicism quotes are sometimes used to assist inspire individuals to push themselves additional within the health club. One of the common exercise quotes is that this one: “Reject your sense of harm and the harm itself disappears.” – Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations.

You would possibly’ve additionally seen somebody posting about their tireless exercise routine with the caption: “You’ve energy over your thoughts – not exterior occasions. Notice this, and you will see that energy.”

From his well-known quotes, you’d suppose that Marcus Aurelius might completely squash a troublesome exercise routine, however was he a bodily imposing man in his actual life? Effectively, as a navy man, Marcus Aurelius wasn’t precisely a troublesome soldier like Valerian or Maximinus Thrax. The reign of Marcus Aurelius was troubled with rebellions and overseas uprisings from the Parthians and Germans. There isn’t any surviving document of Aurelius himself doing any of the preventing, however he led a vigorous navy marketing campaign to reassert the dominance of Roman rule.

In keeping with Britannica, Marcus Aurelius wasn’t a person of sturdy bodily well being. A few of his well being issues included chest and abdomen pains, poor urge for food, and issues sleeping. He had to deal with a continual ulcer and day by day drugs.

So, it’s protected to say that Aurelius’ bodily well being didn’t maintain with the fashionable picture of a troublesome man. Though he wasn’t an imposing fighter or navy determine, his struggles to retain good well being definitely benefitted from the beliefs of Stoicism. He might stand up to bodily punishment and he always handled the idea of his personal mortality.

“If you come up within the morning consider what a privilege it’s to be alive, to suppose, to get pleasure from, to like …” – Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations.

“Consider your self as lifeless. You’ve lived your life. Now, take what’s left and stay it correctly. What doesn’t transmit mild creates its personal darkness.” – Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations.

“Don’t act as in the event you had been going to stay ten thousand years. Demise hangs over you. When you stay, whereas it’s in your energy, be good.” – Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations.

Psychological Toughness

For those who’re battling troublesome individuals in your life or troublesome conditions, then Marcus Aurelius quotes can actually be useful. He typically spoke about ignoring negativity from others and focusing by yourself sense of shallowness. Aurelius was a proponent of internalizing problematic conditions and focusing your consideration on issues which you can change by ignoring issues which you can’t change.

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor in the course of the Golden Age of Rome. He got here from a distinguished political household; almost everybody held some form of excessive workplace earlier than or after Aurelius got here to energy. His transition to energy was peaceable and he was common among the many individuals he dominated over. So, why all of the brooding stoicism quotes from his writings?

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Marcus Aurelius confronted daunting diplomatic challenges. His writings in The Meditations might be thought to be notes to self. He wasn’t a lot as the daddy of Stoicism as he was the scholar of the philosophy. All his well-known quotes about being mentally powerful had been his manner of cultivating these habits inside himself.

“When one other blames you or hates you, or individuals voice related criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what kind of individuals they’re. You’ll notice that there isn’t a have to be racked with nervousness that they need to maintain any specific opinion about you.” – Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations.

“Little or no is required to make a cheerful life; it’s all inside your self in your mind-set.” – Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations.

The Hyperlink Between CBT and Marcus Aurelius

Some would argue that with out Marcus Aurelius we wouldn’t have Cognitive Behavioural Remedy or CBT. It’s a kind of remedy that has been confirmed efficient towards despair, nervousness, phobias, and suicidality. In CBT, there’s an underlying idea that your ideas, actions, and emotions are all related. CBT implores you to problem adverse perception techniques and ideas to create a brand new actuality for your self. CBT focuses in your present state of affairs, not a lot your previous, and the method of growing methods to interrupt out of adverse patterns.

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Donald Robertson, the writer of Tips on how to Assume Like a Roman Emperor, has made an intensive research on the lifetime of Marcus Aurelius. He praises Marcus Aurelius for his contribution to philosophy, psychotherapy, and the idea of psychological toughness. He additionally acknowledges the connection between the Stoics and fashionable Cognitive Behavioural Therapists.

In an interview with DailyStoic.com, Robertson famous that, “Greek and Roman Stoicism impressed cognitive remedy, as we’ve seen, which is definitely identified to be an efficient strategy to dealing with ache. The Stoics clearly distinguish the sensations of ache and discomfort, which they view with neutrality and indifference, from our emotional misery in response to ache, which they view as, at the very least partly, underneath our voluntary management and value bettering.  Most individuals really feel pissed off with ache, concentrate on it, and battle with it emotionally, and even when it comes to their behaviour. The Stoics train a radical acceptance of ache, which is definitely in line with fashionable evidence-based psychotherapy.”

Emotional Toughness

One of many prevailing elements of Stoicism is anger administration. In reality, Marcus Aurelius himself struggled to regulate his anger. There may be a whole part of his work, The Meditations, which offers solely with anger administration. So, this e-book was a self-help journal for Aurelius.

“From Rusticus, I gained the concept I used to be in want of correction and remedy for my character,” he wrote.

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor, and that top workplace will surely have moments that challenged his capability to regulate his emotional resilience. Stoicism was a terrific manner for him to redirect his power to issues that mattered probably the most. As an alternative of rising up in anger, he might problem the ideas and emotions to see in the event that they rang true.

“At any time when you’re about to search out fault with somebody, ask your self the next query: What fault of mine most almost resembles the one I’m about to criticize?”

And right here’s one other:

“The perfect revenge is to not be like your enemy.”

Marcus Aurelius clearly wished to domesticate a way of emotional toughness in himself. It’s one thing that he struggled with in his personal life. The widespread publication of his struggles with emotional toughness makes him worthy of the accolades bestowed to him by later historians.

So, How Robust Was Marcus Aurelius?

Though Marcus Aurelius will get a lot of the credit score for being the daddy of Stoicism, he wasn’t the originator of the idea. Aurelius realized Stoicism from Epictetus, Plato, Zeno, Sextus of Chaeronea, and different philosophers that got here earlier than him. But, he excelled at advertising and marketing it to the remainder of the world as a result of he was a Roman emperor.

Marcus Aurelius benefitted from residing within the time of Roman greatness often called the Golden Period. He wasn’t a very exemplary statesman or navy commander. His philosophy is common now, but it surely borrowed closely from the philosophers that got here earlier than him. Marcus Aurelius’ stoicism is all about conquering anger, overcoming self-doubt, reigning in dangerous habits, and coming nose to nose with one’s personal mortality.

These are internal demons that males grapple with each day. So, the phrases of Marcus Aurelius have a lot of worth for the fashionable man regardless that Aurelius wasn’t the powerful man that historical past paints him to be. He was resilient and handled private adversities in a really public manner. That alone makes him a mannequin for contemporary males to comply with.