book summary: pithy insights from ‘meditations’ [3/3]

• Marcus firmly believed that serenity is always accessible to us at a moment’s notice; you don’t need to alter your circumstances to experience it, instead, you must choose to immediately eliminate any negative and upsetting impressions from your mind.
• We must choose to elevate ourselves and be superior to pain and pleasure. This helps us to follow the logos and wholeheartedly accept the course that nature has designed for us. In addition, we become a person of virtue and character.
• You can be your own source of peace and contentment in any situation. Just detach from the external world and cultivate mindfulness and awareness in your everyday life, and you can have an instant retreat whenever you like.
• Even when we are surrounded by the wrong and the wicked, we can choose to be good and do the right thing.
• Marcus reminded himself to not get upset or disturbed by the misdeeds of others and instead respond with kindness and empathy, correcting them if possible. And if they still ignore our advice and don’t change their behaviors, then to just accept it and move on.
• No matter how annoying, unpleasant, and even horrible things other people do, we must always adhere to the essential virtues of philosophy.
• We’re only responsible for our own goodness, and so whenever we encounter difficult people, it’s best to think, say and act in a courteous manner.
• Marcus believed that people do terrible things out of ignorance. They are unable to distinguish between good and evil, and that’s why we should forgive them for their errors, even when they harm us.
• Rather than focusing on other people’s shortcomings and faults and letting them be a source of disappointment, disturbance, and distress in our lives, we must drive our attention and energy within and work towards correcting our own flaws and failings and bettering ourselves.
• Change is inevitable, and instead of resisting and fighting it, we must accept it willingly.
• Nothing or no one that exists in the universe, including us humans, can be harmed by change.
• Like a river, the way of life is to constantly flow, and the best thing that we can do for ourselves is to not resist but simply go with the currents, wherever they may take us.

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