Quotes Explained: Marcus Aurelius on Acceptance and Destiny
Roman history is full of mad and brutal emperors, but there were also those who were considered wise and rather peaceful in nature. Marcus Aurelius is considered to be just such a representative. By practicing Stoicism, he had a certain prudence and serenity. The following quote reflects exactly that.
We will take a closer look at what exactly lies behind these words and what we can learn from them (and apply to our modern everyday life).
"It is useless to resent fate; for it accepts no complaints."
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius was not the only great thinker who was a proponent of the view that it would do no good to worry about things over which we have no control.
Maybe you have already read my article about Miyamoto Musashi's attitude to acceptance read. In it we go into why it is better to accept things as they are instead of using yourself up trying to change something too unchanged.
Especially important here is also to learn to distinguish what is what. There is a well-known push prayer that goes as follows:
"God, give me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change things I can, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.
Niebuhr's prayer
As you can see, neither this prayer nor the quote from Marcus Aurelius is a call to apathetically observe what is happening around you. But just, a reminder to choose your battles well thought out. So that you can achieve as much as possible.
In terms of human psychology, it is that there are intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic, those that lie within us, that is, that we can influence, and extrinsic, which we can sometimes, but not always, influence. And somehow, we humans often have a tendency to be more fond of extrinsic goals.
Leo Tolstoy also struggled with why people tend to want to change the world but not themselves. In this article let's take a look at what exactly lies behind it.
It is therefore particularly important to be able to manage your energy correctly. This usually helps to avoid bad investments and frustration.
Of course, as humans, we are never perfect. And admittedly, I regularly catch myself getting upset about circumstances that are not even remotely within my control. But through constant reflection and practice, it gets better.
In the past, for example, I was often dissatisfied because of the weather. It was too hot, too cold, too rainy - you probably know that. Here, however, I can say with satisfaction that this is no longer the case. By purposefully questioning and consciously experiencing different weather, I have learned to find something beautiful in all weather situations and all seasons and now I love every season. What is practical, because you can not choose them. If I am interested in this topic more closely here a corresponding Articles for youwho can help you do the same.
One of my favorite books is "Zen and the Art of Happiness". The book covers this very topic in a detailed and descriptive way that is great to practice. You can find the book online in hardcover and also as a Audiobook (Audible). Personally, I take it to heart once or twice a year. Then already Seneca said not without reason: "One must, as long as one lives, learn how to live".
I hope I could give you a little push in the right direction to straighten out your attitude towards the unchangeable. Because probably you are well aware that it is useless to get upset about things that you have no influence on, but unfortunately man tends to know things, but not to act accordingly. This is exactly the discrepancy we'll be addressing in the following article, if you'd like to read a little more:
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