Naturally, my interest in spirituality led me down the rabbit hole of Stoicism. At its root stands a Roman emperor who reached through time and inspired the beginning of a movement. All by writing in his diary, Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations captures the basis behind Stoicism, composing a way to find meaning in human’s daily lives.
It’s dizzying to imagine what life may have been like when the Roman Empire reigned. Yet Marcus Aurelius finds a way to speak through generations right into the present day, reciting life advice that pushes for absolute peace. Easily, you can empathize with the emperor’s thoughts, for what human beings can’t relate to yearning for a better present and future? Aurelius’s sincerity seeped through those personal pages, inspiring nations to pick up a whole new lifestyle.
Even the pieces of Stoicism I’m still trying to understand completely rearrange how I see my world, including how I strive toward becoming a better human. Marcus Aurelius wasn’t the first to spread these ideas, but he is one of our key pieces of history, reminding us how cyclical time undoubtedly is and how little things truly change.
Most of all, the human psyche still feels that tugging, longing sensation for more in our lives. Marcus Aurelius and many others seemed to find answers through Stoicism, understanding that a disciplined idea of the self is integral to calming our human psyches.
You have to wonder if Marcus Aurelius ever knew how far his private written words would carry, how largely his intimate thoughts and ideas would grow. Spiritual minds organized those thoughts into Stoicism, and we might be all the better for having it.
If only we had a way to reach across time like Aurelius did and say thank you, as merely the study of Stoicism has led me and so many others on a spiritual path of growth and renewal. As a passionate writer, I can only hope my words, meant to be public rather than private, get the chance to last through time just as long as his.