Meditation I

Chapter 17

As you yourself are part of the social fabric, you should also make your every action a part of the life of the whole society.But to act without any connection, direct or indirect, to the common ends of society, makes your life fragmented and ununified, which is nothing short of treason against nature.It is like a man at a public meeting going his own way, completely detached from the collective opinion.

The quarrels and frolics of children on one side, and the feeble old dying on the other, are such things; and so what is unfolded before us in the House of the Dead gives us a clearer sense of reality.

Gain insight into the formal properties of an object and observe it separately from its material content; then think of the longest time that this unique thing can last by its very nature.

If you are dissatisfied with your dominant faculties when they are doing exactly what they were born to do, you will be in endless trouble.Enough is enough now.

If someone condemns you or hates you, or if someone is speaking ill of you, it is a good idea to get close to their poor soul and see what kind of person they really are.You will find that there is no need to be troubled by these people, regardless of their opinions and opinions about you.But no matter what, you should treat them kindly, because they are your natural friends.Spirits are also present in various aspects, such as dreams and various omens to help them achieve the achievements they value very much.

The universe has the same cyclical motion, from top to bottom, from one era to another.The intelligence of the universe produces various effects by its own motion, and if this is true, you should have no complaints about the results; The mode of effect follows motion; another possibility is that the indivisible material element constitutes the source of all things. ——In a word, if there is a god, all is well; if it happens to rule the world, then don't let you be completely enslaved by it.

The earth will bury us all before long.But the land will continue to change, and the things derived from its changes will continue to change from moment to moment, and the cycle will never end.For if a man contemplates the unceasing flow of change, and considers the fleetingness of that change, he despises all perishable things.

The primordial nature of the universe is like a winter torrent that sweeps everything away.But how poor are the so-called politicians, who are so useless that they think they are playing philosophers.All fools.So, people, let's do what we should do according to our nature.If you have the strength, then act quickly, do not look around to see if others will notice your actions; do not dream of some Plato's utopia.Be satisfied with every little bit of achievement, don't do something small for good!Because, who can change people's opinions?But how is it possible to get rid of that slavery of feigning obedience and complaining without a change of opinion?Tell me now about Alexander, Philip, and Dematias of Faraland.They still need to judge whether they have experienced the nature of the universe, and make themselves train accordingly.But if they behave like tragic heroes, no one can accuse me of following their example.Simplicity and modesty are the work of philosophy.Don't lead me into laziness and arrogance.

Overlooking the world, countless people, and their countless ceremonies, and countless voyages in sometimes violent storms and sometimes calm seas.It may also be useful to examine the differences between those who are born, those who live with them, and those who die.Think again of those who lived in bygone times, those who lived after your death, and those who now live among barbarians.How many people do not even know your name, and how many will soon forget it, and who may praise you now, they may soon disparage you.Therefore, the so-called posthumous fame has no value at all. Fame is like this, and so are other things.

Things outside of you are disturbing, but your heart remains free; everything is done according to the inner cause and effect, so that you remain just.In other words, it is beneficial to society to behave according to this principle, because it is determined by your nature.

You should get rid of all the things that bother you, especially the useless things, these are completely up to your own judgment; you will gain more space for yourself, as long as you can hold the whole universe in your heart , to understand the eternity of time, to gain insight into the ephemeral changes of everything, the short process from birth to death, and the infinite time not only before life but also after death.

Don't chat with ignorant people

Everything you see will soon perish, and those who saw it all crumble will soon be gone.Those who lived to a hundred years were brought to exactly the same place as those who died young.

What is the rationality of these people?Why are they so busy?What are their reasons for liking and respecting?Imagine that you saw directly their poor naked souls.It is a very strange thought if they think that their condemnation will do harm and their praise will bring good!
Losing is just another form of change.But it is the nature of the universe to love change, and, in obedience to it, all things are going well at present, as they have always been in motion since time immemorial, and will continue to do so without end.So what do you say?Do you think that all things are evil, and will always be evil, that the gods have no power to correct it, and that the world is plunged into endless evil?
The decay of all things is precisely the root of all things.Water, dust, bones, rubbish; again, solid marble, which is really only the hardening of earth; gold and silver, which are only deposits; clothes, which are only piles of hair; in this way.Even people who can breathe conform to this rule of change, changing from this to that.

Life is so unhappy, so full of complaints and ridiculous intrigues, that enough is enough.why are you botheredSo what's new?What is it that makes you so uneasy?Is it the form of things?You have to see through it.Or is it the substance within?Also see clearly.But other than those two, there is nothing else.So, trust God, everything is finally simpler and better now.Whether we spend 100 years or 300 years examining these things, the conclusions we draw are the same.

If someone makes a mistake, it is he who suffers in the end.But maybe he didn't do anything wrong at all.

Perhaps all things originate from the same intellectual principle, and are brought together into a whole, and the parts should not be dissatisfied, because all they do is for the good of the whole; The mixing and dissolving of nothing else.So why are you bothering?Would you say to reason: Are you dead?Are you down?Are you playing the hypocrite?Are you going to become a beast?Do you have any dissatisfaction with living with other people?

A god may or may not have power.Why do you pray to them if they have no strength?Then, if they are powerful, why don't you pray to them and ask the gods to give you the strength to fear nothing no more; power, instead of praying to the gods for these things to happen or not to happen?Indeed, if the gods provide for man's needs, they will surely give us what we want.However, you may say that the gods have already given you these abilities.Would it not be better, then, to use your powers as a free man, than as a slave and a lowly man to covet what is beyond your power?Who told you that the gods will not help us achieve what we can do?You might as well pray like this and see what happens.A person prays like this: How can I spend the spring night with that woman?And you should pray like this: How can I make myself give up this lust?One prays like this: How can I get out of this?You have to pray like this: How can I not get rid of the desire?One prays like this: What can I do so that I don't lose my child?You should pray like this: How can I not be afraid of losing my beloved son?All in all, just pray with a different mindset and see what happens.

Epicurus said, even if I am sick, I will not say that my body is in pain, and I will not say this to those who visit me.I will continue the original topic.Emphasize this, and while the mind may be distracted by the pain of the poor body, it needs to be free from it.He said, 'I would never have my doctors put on a solemn face, as if what they were doing was some great thing, when in fact my life went on in peace and happiness.Therefore, whether you are sick or doing other things; never give up philosophy. Among all schools of philosophy, the most important principle is: Do not do nothing to those who are ignorant or do not understand the nature of nature. talk.Instead, pay more attention to what you're doing and how you're doing it.

When you are distressed because a shameless villain offends you, why not ask yourself: Is it possible that there are no shameless villains in the world?impossible.Don't force the impossible.Because the person who offended you is just one of the shameless people in the world.Think the same thing when you come across charlatans, treacherous people, and other evildoers.Only in this way can you remind yourself at any time: these people must exist, and in this case, it is more appropriate for you to treat everyone more kindly.It is also useful at the present time to consider what virtue nature confers upon those who are incompatible with all evil deeds.Nature has endowed man with a special power which is nothing less than an antidote against stupidity, madness, and other vices.No matter what the circumstances, you can persuade those who are lost in the world and set them back in the right direction; for everyone goes astray by doing wrong.But what else can hurt you?For you will find that among those who have offended you, none have done anything to defile your heart; the so-called harm exists only in the heart.

What harm can be done if the person who commits the uneducated behavior has no education at all?Is there anything strange?Come to think of it, you might as well condemn yourself, because it never occurred to you that these people would make such a mistake.Because, you could have predicted his mistake sensibly, but now you just forget it, and you still make a fuss about his mistake.More often than not, when you condemn someone for treachery, you can actually come back and condemn yourself.Because it is obvious that this mistake was made by yourself, or that you mistakenly thought that these people would keep their promises; get payback.Do you want more in return when you help others?What you do is completely in line with your nature, so you are not satisfied, must you get something in return?Just as the eyes require rewards for seeing things, walking with feet also requires rewards.These parts of the body are given to human beings for a certain special function, and they become themselves only after working according to their respective structures; the same is true for human beings, who are born to do benevolence, when people do benevolent deeds, or do public welfare When he acts, he acts according to his nature and becomes himself.

(End of this chapter)