Another day, another musical tribute to our favorite dead Roman emperor.
"Concentrate every minute like a Roman- like a man- on doing what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes, you can- if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered , irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this, that's all even the gods can ask of you." (Meditations, using the translation here.)
"Concentrating every minute like a Roman, like a man."
I can imagine what he felt writing "like a Roman". Not a “Roman” style of concentration as such, but a world view. Being Roman meant he was heir to a very serious tradition and a set of responsibilities. The ideal might be from some external source but the gaze, the effect which is sought, is clearly an interior one.
Marcus, at least as I understand what he is saying, touches on something Viktor Frankel would have understood well. We always have the choice to live according to our values, to celebrate and uplift the virtues in our thoughts and, hopefully, also our acts.
As to thinking like a man, I think this has nothing to do with gender. I take it to speak of values which make an ideal person. Universal ones, not bound by gender. I’d render it as “like a whole person.”
"Doing what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness"
I love how these words sound. "Precise and genuine seriousness." This is not just working hard, it is working with a purpose and perhaps passion. And not things we enjoy or want--no, whatever happens to be in front of us. There is value inherent in treating everything thoughtfully if we can.
”...As if it were the last thing you were doing in your life”
Now Marcus gets demanding. "[D]o everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable." Well, alright then.
At the moment, I am concentrating on the first part this admonition but the whole thing resonates with me. God knows there's enough to work on.
There will always be space between our intentions, set out in the abstract, and what we actually do in the real world. If that is the case, let it be from weakness, or lack of awareness, or accident--and not from purposely setting what would be good aside.
Our actions could be the last record of ourselves which we leave behind. What should that record tell others about us? Being well thought of does us no good after our deaths, after all. But acting well leaves traces in life, traces in the hearts and on the minds of those who knew us.
We should be striving to set an example--living out our values in the sight of others. Leaving nothing behind for which we would want to apologize or make amends after we are gone, no harm left unhealed behind us.
No, it’s super-easy. Really.
How few are the things we need to live a satisfying and reverent life, Marcus? Easier said than done, as he knew--after all, if it had been easy, he'd not have left pages of notes reminding himself to be the things he professed. I suppose what he means here are the four virtues which his philosophy espouses. In that sense it is simple.
So what simple things could I do to come closer to a satisfying and reverent life?
First, I suppose, stop embracing things which are bad for us and for those around us. The passage gives us some interior work to start with: not being self-centered, irritable or hypocritical.
Enact that precise and genuine seriousness in all things, not just those which are easy.
And to remember, as well, to ask and honestly reflect on this: if today was my last day, would I have lived it in a way which leaves harm behind in my relationship with anyone else?
That would be truly a worthy monument for a life.