Today, I want to offer two entries from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. Both are from II.2. I will mention the first one only in passing and then comment on the second one.
* "Throw away your books; no longer distract yourself; it is not allowed."
* "Consider thus: You are an old man; no longer let this part be a slave, no longer be pulled by the strings like a puppet by self-seeking impulse, no longer either be dissatisfied with your present lot, or shrink from the future."
In the second quote (the first one's just crazy!!!) I think Aurelius sounds, once again, quite like the Apostle Paul. Actually, the first portion of the sentence sounds much like 1 Thess. 4.3-5, which says: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him." The second half of the sentence sounds a little like what Paul says in Phil. 4.12.-3: "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Of course, the difference between Marcus and Paul is that Paul places trust in and reliance on Christ and Marcus doesn't. Perhaps this is a good illustration of where two philosophies with similar concepts arrive at two totally different conclusions!
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