Book VI of Meditations felt like a shift in tone.
Less about discipline and repetition — more about essence.
It reads like quiet, personal truths — not for others, but whispered to himself.
A few ideas struck me deeply.
Marcus reminds himself that reason has no cause to do harm.
If you’re truly thinking clearly, you can’t arrive at injustice — it only happens when pride, fear, or confusion cloud the view.
He talks about not retaliating — not giving evil for evil — which felt powerful.
It echoes the teachings of Jesus: “Turn the other cheek.”
But here, it’s not religious. It’s solid, practical, and strong.
Choosing not to retaliate is an act of strength.
His idea of “stripping illusions” also stuck with me — like calling a luxury robe “lamb’s wool dyed in shellfish blood.”
He invites us to look at things not as they seem, but as they are.
It’s a timeless lesson — don’t be hypnotized by surface.
Then there’s the moment he says: “Be willing to change your mind when someone shows you better.”
That’s something I live by.
I don’t attach myself to opinions. I attach myself to truth.
Several times he speaks of change, decay, impermanence —
and while his tone is cool, I sense something tender behind it.
It’s not detachment — it’s understanding.
He also says that you shouldn’t get angry at those who are wrong — instead, show them the better path.
To rob someone of that chance with scorn is worse than their mistake.
And then a brilliant reminder to himself:
Don’t “become Caesar.”
Don’t let status or power warp who you are. Stay real. Stay kind. Stay honest.
But one thought stood out far above the rest — section 40.
This line hit harder than anything so far.
Marcus says that just as an object works best when it fulfills the will of its creator,
so should a human being live in harmony with the will of the one who made them.
That hit me.
It made me stop reading.
It forced me to ask something much bigger than “How do I live?”
It made me ask:
Why was I created?
What is the will of the Creator for me?
What is the purpose of life itself?
And that question no longer belonged to Stoicism — it reached deeper.
It led me to Scripture, to a different kind of clarity.
From the Bible, I saw that:
- We’re made in the image of God — to reflect His truth, love, freedom, and justice.
- We’re meant to love God and love people — and in doing so, fulfill the very reason we exist.
- We’re supposed to develop the talents we’re given — not bury them out of fear.
- We’re called to be light — not by preaching, but by living.
Not to possess, but to become.
Not to dominate, but to embody truth.
I’ve always felt the urge to give something real — to my daughter, to my friends, to strangers.
But this chapter helped me name it:
“I want to be exceptional, not for pride — but so the message of good becomes undeniable.
True power comes from the one who has strength, and still chooses gentleness.”