Reconnecting with Marcus Aurelius
I am reconnecting with Marcus Aurelius, and I have begun to read The Essential Marcus Aurelius, Tarcher Cornerstone Editions, authored by Jacob Needleman and John Piazza.
It has been decades since I read Meditations.
The book blurb reads in part:
This inaugural-and all new-Tarcher Cornerstone Edition presents a stunningly relevant and reliable translation of the thoughts and aphorisms of the Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, properly placing the philosopher-king’s writings within the vein of the world’s great religious and ethical traditions.
In the Introduction, Jacob Needleman writes:
…to discover the real secret of this book, you must open it when life is breaking your heart or when you are engulfed by anxiety or self-pity or resentment or—far more difficult—open it when all your dreams seem to be coming true and it seems that all will be well forever.
I am currently relating to the former, as all my dreams are far – very far – from coming true, and I have been feeling engulfed by anxiety, with a smidge of self-pity, and a pinch of resentment, thrown in for good measure. Balance in life is important after all. 🙂
The Introduction by Jacob Needleman is a wonderful read that lays well the groundwork that helps one to understand where Emperor Marcus Aurelius was coming from in time and headspace. Delightful.
If you are familiar with this edition I would enjoy hearing your comments.
