Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome between 161 and 180 A.D. He is typically regarded as the last of the "Good Emperors". The "Meditations" are a journal of the good emperor's thoughts. Here it is revealed how his stoical philosophy helped him to deal with his everyday problems as well as the great problems of running an empire. Thus, much of the work has direct application and interest for us today.

Stoicism is a fundamental world view. It was most vigorously espoused and popularized by the best of Rome's hard headed intellectuals. Parallels between Rome and modern America abound. Even in the area of philosophy we find similarities between the two nations. The "Meditations" praise independence of thought. They demonstrate the importance of the idea that a person is responsible for his own actions and that everything beyond his control is not worth worrying about. For Aurelius and for us life is a matter of choices, and one must always choose the good.

Stoicism as a philosophy in its modern form was recently highlighted in Tom Wolfe's novel, "A Man In Full". It does not drive the major characters but leads them toward goodness, responsibility and ultimately happiness - even in the face of adversity.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius have influenced human action for the good and toward the conservative for over 1800 years. The book is an excellent addition to any library that purports to contain the greatest conservative works.