Resilience: How The Stoic Marcus Aurelius Could Strenghten Our Will And Mind 1/4

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The Resilience Group is on Summer Loafer Hours until Labour Day.

Hello, dear friends, from the old loafer. I find the teachings of Stoicism a great help in strengthening my ptsd-scrambled brain. It has been universally beneficial to regular folks for 2,500 years now.
You may find it a useful, practical guide to strengthen your mind in these turbulent times.
Previously, I had written a 3-part essay series on the Stoic teachings of the Roman Epictetus that makes for a brief grounding in Stoic practical basics. You will find it in the Resilience Group Essay Queue:
http://caucus99percent.com/content/stoicism-trauma-survivors-part-13

This is the first of a four-part series on the thoughts to himself of the Roman Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome. I present an introduction on what Aurelius means to me and then his thoughts without comment: for they speak clearly for themselves directly to the reader. More below.

Japanese Zen Garden meditative music goes (un)surprisingly well with reflection on the sayings of Marcus Aurelius - the emperor at war, alone in his commander's tent at night on the frontier.


Introduction: How Marcus Aurelius Helped Me

My Loeb edition of The Meditations is dog-eared and filled with pencil markings from long hours of studying during quiet times on military exercises and deployment.
The growing ptsd steadily overwrote the coding and chemical channels within my brain structures.
I had no understanding of what was happening within me: only growing "irrational" anger, "weird" new paranoia, psychotic breaks, and growing dread, night terrors, and daily anxieties.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to hide my problems with the usual result of alienating everyone.

I should have crashed much earlier. I am still awed by the strength of will that kept me going, one foot in front of the other, form break to break, from day to night and night to day.
Stoicism steeled the will inside of me; I literally experienced the blacksmith's sword forging processes -
the fire, the water, the blows from the hammer on the anvil, the fire, the water, the blows, every day.
Marcus_Aurelius_Glyptothek_Munich_c99.jpg
I carried my paperback Stoic books in my gear or my webbing. I read them everywhere on breaks.
Because they helped me endure.
Once before a month-long exercise, which consisted mostly of digging armoured vehicles out of spring-time mud, I took the online George Long translation and copied my favourite sayings into a Word document.
This I carried in my trouser side pocket in a plastic bag and read when I felt overwhelmed.
I'm using that to share with you, hoping it could help you strengthen your mind during trying times.

Then, I learned that Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis both based cognitive-behavioural therapy on the Roman Stoics. And I went to the doctors to get help.
I've been in CBT therapy (with competent and incompetent psychologists) for ten years now.
I got the help I needed, but lost my military career to a medical release.
My diagnosis is complex and chronic. I will need CBT and Stoicism for the rest of my life.
And I am grateful for both for they saved my life, marriage, and family.

The Life of Marcus Aurelius

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(The only reason this statue survived was because the heathen Christians thought it was of their Emperor Constantine!)
The life of Aurelius was fascinating and you can read about in online. Here's just the header info from wiki:

Marcus Aurelius26 April 121 – 17 March 180 AD) was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers.

During his reign, the Empire defeated a revitalized Parthian Empire in the East: Aurelius' general Avidius Cassius sacked the capital Ctesiphon in 164. In central Europe, Aurelius fought the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians with success during the Marcomannic Wars, although the threat of the Germanic tribes began to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. A revolt in the East led by Avidius Cassius failed to gain momentum and was suppressed immediately.

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, are still revered as a literary monument to a philosophy of service and duty, describing how to find and preserve equanimity in the midst of conflict by following nature as a source of guidance and inspiration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius

Selections from The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

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Through not observing what is in the mind of another one is seldom unhappy. II.8

What is the nature of the whole, and what is my nature, and how is this related to that? II.9

That which does not make a man worse, how can it make a man’s life worse? II.11

Death is nothing else than an operation of nature, and if any one is afraid of an operation of nature he is a child. II.12

It is sufficient to attend to the daemon within, and to reverence it sincerely. II.13

A man cannot lose either the past or the future; for what a man has not, how can any one take this from him? The present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived. II.14

Lice destroyed Democritus; and other lice killed Socrates. III.3

A man should hold on to the opinion only of those who confessedly live according to nature. III.4

A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others. III.5

Never desire anything that needs walls and curtains. III.7

Examine methodically and truly every object that is presented to you in life. III.11

As physicians have always their instruments and knives ready for cases that suddenly require their skill, so have principles ready for the understanding of things divine and human. III.13

No longer wander at hazard. III.14

There remains that which is peculiar to the good man, to be pleased and content with what happens, and with the thread that is spun for him; and not to defile the divinity which is planted in his breast, nor disturb it with a crowd of images, but to preserve it tranquil, following it obediently as a god, neither saying anything contrary to justice. III.16

Let no act be done without a purpose, nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art. IV.2
Tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind. IV.3

The universe is transformation; life is opinion. IV.3

Death is such as generation is, a mystery of nature; a composition out of the same elements, and a decomposition into the same. IV.5

Take away your opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint, “I have been harmed.” Take away the complaint, “I have been harmed,” and the harm is taken away. IV.7

Either it is a well arranged universe or a chaos huddled together, but still a universe. But can a certain order subsist in you, and disorder in the All? IV.27

Nothing is either bad or good which can happen equally to the bad man and the good. IV.39

Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things which exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web. IV.40

What was yesterday a little mucus, tomorrow will be a mummy or ashes. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, just as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew. IV. 48

Part Two is here: http://caucus99percent.com/content/resilience-how-stoic-marcus-aurelius-...

I look forward to your comments and reflections.
Peace be with us, if we learn to strengthen our minds,
gerrit

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

We need this on the civilian side too, nowadays.

Thinking of showing this to my boyfriend.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Gerrit's picture

helps you and/or your boyfriend! And it applies to all walks of life: my context has been military, but humans are humans and we all need help in strengthening our will and minds in order to be more resilient in our turbulent times. Best wishes, my friend,

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

Pretty good day, so far.

I haven't, myself, been an advocate of this kind of thinking for most of my life--I was more of the "experience it all, intensely, you'll be plenty detached when you're dead!" type. But I'm starting to rethink that proposition.

Like most people, if the pressure gets turned up enough, I start to re-think my philosophy.

Thanks again for the info.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Gerrit's picture

in my energetic youth. Like you say, "experience it all, intensely..." I was 40 when the ptsd hit. I'm 53 now and my word, over the past 13 years I went from being so deeply immersed in experiencing everything to becoming very reflective. Hopefully, I will find some balance soon! So maybe you're also becoming more reflective as you're moving through life, eh? Cheers, mate,

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Hereticus's picture

"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones."

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Progressive, Independent, Gnostic, Vermonter.

Gerrit's picture

I'm not familiar with that quote as it is phrased. It does sound odd: Aurelius was a deeply devout person who speaks of the gods at all times with high respect. In other places, Aurelius says these things about the gods:

Book II:11
But to go away from among men, if there are gods, is not a thing to be afraid of, for the gods will not involve you in evil; but if indeed they do not exist, or if they have no concern about human affairs, what is it to me to live in a universe devoid of gods or devoid of Providence? But in truth they do exist, and they do care for human things, and they have put all the means in man's power to enable him not to fall into real evils.
And as to the rest, if there was anything evil, they would have provided for this also, that it should be altogether in a man's power not to fall into it.

Book IX.40
Either the gods have no power or they have power. If, then, they have no power, why do your pray to them [for events]? But if they have power, why do you not pray for them to give you the faculty of not fearing the things which you fear, or of not desiring any of the things which you desire, or not being pained at anything, rather than praying that any of these things should not happen or happen?

Book XII:14
With respect to that which happens conformably to nature, we ought to blame neither gods, for they do nothing wrong either voluntarily or involuntarily, nor men, for they do nothing wrong except involuntarily.
Consequently we should blame nobody.

At any rate, cheers and enjoy your day, eh,

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Alison Wunderland's picture

Though I don't hold with notions of divinity, Marcus seems to have a good grasp of the inter-connectedness of all things/beings.

I was particularly struck by the following...

Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things which exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web. IV.40

...despite the magical element.

Good read, Gerrit. And good to add some philosophical musings to our eclectic collection of essays.

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Gerrit's picture

hands doing, mate? Any better? You've got it exactly there; the Stoics share a lot in common with Eastern philosophies from antiquity, like Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism, particularly Zen.

And the Stoics thought of "the gods" in less magical terms overall than did the rest of the polytheistic world of antiquity. The Stoics were basically pantheists. Much of their "physics" thinking was straight pantheism. Aurelius spoke reverently (to himself in The Meditations and in correspondence) of "the gods" from out of his office as emperor, which included being Pontifex Maximus - chief priest of Rome. As Rome's Pontifex, his thoughts included the respect to "the gods" of the plebs. That's the same office which developed into the Papacy! The other Roman Stoics could speak more clearly in Stoic pantheistic terms of "the gods."

So yes, one call happily did what you do - just ignore the magical elements and enjoy the Stoic bonds with the other practical philosophies of antiquity. Cheers mate!

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Alison Wunderland's picture

Thanks for remembering. It only affects me occasionally and consequently I haven't pinned down the trigger, though I suspect it comes on after a particularly long manual session of one sort or another. Fortunately, SWPUWM got me a really spiffy brace that completely immobilizes the hand for the day or two it needs to recuperate.

I've been a cannin' fool lately - applesauce (Yellow Delicious), pink grapefruit marmalade, black raspberry jam, lime marmalade. (Orange and Lemon too.) They're going to be fantastic on my thumbprint cookies.
Did you know that pectin lowers cholesterol?

I cut up the old water barrels, salvaged and cleaned up the fittings, and picked up a 100gal. Bisbonian galvanized stock tank. The plywood base and cover are in the shop getting fiberglassed. I'll write a v2.0 story.

How's your project coming along? Did you read my last comment at that essay?

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Gerrit's picture

You've already got a Bisbo stock tank going! And canning; yes, Lovie says pectin is very good stuff. That hand thing; when I have a project that requires a lot of work with the drill and screwdriver, the next day I can't use that hand. It goes away after a few days. Yours sound more permanent: if it's like that and worse, I feel for you. You can't do anything in that state.

I'm grounded for a bit: my daughter and I moved a planter box and I felt that pull in the back that says, Oh crap!" The last few days have been that constant pain that benches you for the game. This morning I ventured for a small walk with Lovie and Lady. The dog is not used to going that slowly! I figure I'll be back at it early next week. I read your post carefully, TY, mate. I'll be back at it next week. Part of our problem is that I just want to go ahead and make stuff and Lovie has to remind me that we want to sell this place and I can't do stuff that house buyers don't want or are afraid of. They all commute to work in the city and they have no time for yardwork or home maintenance so they just want a house that sits there until the weekend when they just do a bit of puttering. Argh!

Anyway, we have a heatwave and I'm nursing seedlings. Tomatoes are loving it but the salad greens went back inside.

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Alison Wunderland's picture

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, after all we nutters should aught to stick together, but I have to go along with Lovie on this one. A ) It's going to be a lot of work, which by the sound of your physical capacity, is going to end up being brutal. B ) It's going to cost way more than you anticipate, (believe me it always does.) And C) Building an "eyesore" (not in your eyes or mine) that makes the sale more challenging if you're not going to stay there doesn't make any sense at all.

Bonus D ) There's no way the water from the city/town is going to cost more in the short run.

The other side of the argument if you were going to stay there.

A ) A young, strong helper on an as-needed basis would relieve your back.
B ) The amortization of the costs could be rationalized if you were going to make this place "the one."
C ) If you were going to stay permanently, you could do whatever you wanted without thinking of the short-term drawbacks.
D ) Long-term you'd undercut the city/town water, but that would take a long time.

You thought of where you're moving to? What's Lovie looking for?

Cherchez la ferme. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.) Mosking

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Gerrit's picture

want an acreage so my daughter and her partner could build an earthship. (Mr shite-for-brains) bought the plans from our engineer even before we had sold this place. Which didn't sell because new suburbs are taking our buyers....We're gonna try again next summer. We want to make sure our grandkids are living on an acreage underground when the climate really hits the fan. My whole life is now only about creating a climate refuge for my children and grandchildren. So Lovie keeps knocking down my resilience projects here for all the sound reasons you get better than old ptsd-brain does :=) I'm so frustrated because I keep starting stupid short-term projects because I can't help myself. Luckily, then she or my brother-in-law or a new friend :=) helps talk me down from the ledge. Like the rainwater project. The earthship will have a massive water cistern built into the northside berm. It will be filled from the well and from rainwater. So the matter is covered long term, but it drives me nuts here in the mean time to see the water gush out of the downspouts and be wasted, when I know what rain barrels could do.

You're in that great spot I want to be in: settled in your place, where you can take on projects and enjoy them long term. Your essay on your place was a classic illustration of the benefits of resilience projects done well in a long term place. Oh well, my turn will come.

I really appreciate it AB, that you take time from your busy schedule to help me think straight instead of crooked. It's hard for me to explain how much it means to me.

Thank you and enjoy your weekend. Good luck with the Bisbo project. I look forward to hearing more about it.

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jimpost's picture

I have a copy of Meditations next to the bed. I'm torn between the stoic outlook and my natural ebullience when the depression is under control.

When it is not, Aurelius has helped a lot.

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The more people I meet, the more I love my cats.

Gerrit's picture

bedroom bookcase though. Yes indeed, the Stoics weren't ebullient Epicureans or the heart of the street party on Saturnalia :=) Stoicism came naturally to the dour Roman republicans who needed tough minds to conquer their world and only faded away when Christianity destroyed the empire.

When the living is easy (and the electricity flows), folks pay their natural minds no heed. When reality bites though, that natural mind had better have been trained, schooled, and disciplined in order to support the will through the hard times of life au naturel and things like like depression, anxiety, or terror.

It is real good to run into other folks who love Marcus Aurelius. Thanks and please feel free to contribute throughout the four parts. Best wishes, mate,

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detroitmechworks's picture

Last ancient stuff I read was Thucydides, but I'm certain I missed a LOT because I read a translation. (Looking forward to learning Greek so I can get the full flavor)

What's interesting is that Thucydides actually didn't like pure democracy much... as we can see from our current elections that poor leaders affect the voters badly...

Just my personal observation of course.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Gerrit's picture

Pelopponesian War and that's a good read full of good stuff. I hope you'll have a look at Marcus Aurelius over this series. He's our kind of guy: a warrior who thinks. See what he does for you. Enjoy your evening with the kids, mate,

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detroitmechworks's picture

That I read was during my tenure in the service. I found Rommel's "Infantry Attacks" to be quite insightful as to foresight and the ability to adjust to changing circumstances, and Galland's "The First And The Last" to be quite interesting with regards to how somebody can be "In the Belly of the Beast" and yet not see it.

Will have to check Aurelius out. (And Brush up on my Latin.) One thing I think is particularly sad (Side Note) is that Gaius Marius never wrote a book. It would be very insightful with regards to how democracies get destroyed, as well as useful for looking at how armies get reformed.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Gerrit's picture

there are fine translations. I've got a bit of Greek and I failed Latin due to a severe lack of interest when young :=) Which I now regret of course. I'll help you find a good translation you could get from a used book store. I use the George Long one: it's online and uses Victorian language, but I just ignore the thees and thous :=) It's free online. I'll find the source.

Oh man, I would so love to know how Marius thought! He put the republican army back into good shape: reorganized it all over. And he was a great statesman who was right bout most things, including opposing the snake Sulla. I would like to read Rommel. My grandfather fought in North Africa and was wounded there. I've read British campaign histories, but not Rommel. I know he was a great general and he was one of the plotters to kill Hitler, but that's all. Oh and my grandmother called all her German shephards "Rommel" :=)

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detroitmechworks's picture

In WWI. Essentially it's mostly told from the Squad level, and written as an "Ideal" German Officer would make decisions. As a result it is a incredibly good insight into the way the guy thought. One of the interesting things was that he often made reference to using local resources, but ALWAYS emphasized the necessity of paying or giving receipts for any local things used. Winning "Hearts and Minds" was instrumental in his thought, and he also emphasized that fighting battles in cities was idiotic due to eventual civilian resentment and resistance.

Only problem I have with Marius is that he set the groundwork for Empire. While he didn't actively create it, the problem was that the system he created was abused by his successors. Of course, I think that shows that Marius was a patriot himself, who didn't feel the need to make certain personal loyalty and Roman Loyalty were the same. I feel from what I've read of him that Marius thought the issue was moot, since by being loyal to HIM, his men were loyal to Rome (Since Marius wouldn't have dreamed of setting himself up as a monarch). It was only when the politics of the Republic became fragmented that it became an issue.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Gerrit's picture

how the next generation generals corrupted his army reorg. Have a great day, my friend,

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

She's not into politics, but I think she'll be mondo into this discussion.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Gerrit's picture

her input. Cheers, mate!

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jwa13's picture

truly represents one of the great works of western Philosophy -- and was developed by a very preoccupied man trying to hold together his civilization, who was on campaign pretty much non-stop for the last 25 years of his life. Wonder what he would have done with an "ivory-tower" sinecure --

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When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.

Gerrit's picture

presume to think you are someone who appreciates the classics. If so, you're so very welcome here :=) Please help fill in the blanks and add to the conversation any way you wish. Best wishes,

Cicero librarygarden.jpg

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