{"product_id":"2940012472939","title":"THE THOUGHTS OF THE EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS","description":"PREFACE.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps some may question the wisdom of putting out the Thoughts of\u003cbr\u003eMarcus Aurelius Antoninus to be used as a Reader by children in the\u003cbr\u003eschools. It may appear to them better suited to the mature mind. The\u003cbr\u003eprinciple, however, that has governed us in selecting reading for the\u003cbr\u003eyoung has been to secure the best that we could find in all ages for\u003cbr\u003egrown-up people. The milk and water diet provided for \"my dear children\"\u003cbr\u003eis not especially complimentary to them. They like to be treated like\u003cbr\u003elittle men and women, capable of appreciating a good thing. One finds in\u003cbr\u003ethis royal philosopher a rare generosity, sweetness and humility,\u003cbr\u003equalities alike suited to all ages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdopting the philosopher's robe at twelve, he remains a student all his\u003cbr\u003elife. The precepts that he would give for the government of others, he\u003cbr\u003ehas practised upon himself. In his time, as in ours, there were good\u003cbr\u003ephysicians for the mind and body, who could make wise prescriptions for\u003cbr\u003ethe government of their neighbors, but were unable to apply them to\u003cbr\u003ethemselves. The faults of our fellows are so numerous and so easy to cure\u003cbr\u003ethat one is readily tempted to become the physician, while our own faults\u003cbr\u003eare so few and so unimportant that it is hardly worth while to give any\u003cbr\u003eattention to them. Hence we have a multitude of physicians for humanity\u003cbr\u003ein general, and a scarcity of individual healers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was the doctrine of Marcus Aurelius that most of the ills of life come\u003cbr\u003eto us from our own imagination, that it was not in the power of others\u003cbr\u003eseriously to interfere with the calm, temperate life of an individual,\u003cbr\u003eand that when a fellow being did anything to us that seemed unjust he was\u003cbr\u003eacting in ignorance, and that instead of stirring up anger within us it\u003cbr\u003eshould stir our pity for him. Oftentimes by careful self-examination we\u003cbr\u003eshould find that the fault was more our own than that of our fellow, and\u003cbr\u003eour sufferings were rather from our own opinions than from anything real.\u003cbr\u003eThe circle of man's knowledge is very limited, and the largest circles do\u003cbr\u003enot wholly include the smallest. They are intersecting and the segment\u003cbr\u003ecommon to any two is very small. Whatever lies outside this space does\u003cbr\u003enot exist for both. Hence arise innumerable contests. The man having the\u003cbr\u003elargest intelligence ought to be very generous to the other. Being\u003cbr\u003ethankful that he has been blessed in so many ways, he should do all in\u003cbr\u003ehis power to enlighten his less favored fellow, rather than be angry with\u003cbr\u003ehim on account of his misfortune. Is he not sufficiently punished in\u003cbr\u003ebeing denied the light?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAssisting his uncle in the government of the great Roman Empire at\u003cbr\u003eseventeen, it was his aim constantly to restrain the power of the strong\u003cbr\u003eand to assist the weak. He studied the laws of his country, not for\u003cbr\u003ewisdom alone, but that he might make them more beneficial to his people.\u003cbr\u003eAll his life he tried to bring his fellows to a higher level, and to\u003cbr\u003ethink charitably of each other. Occupying himself a palace he lived\u003cbr\u003esimply, like other men. It was his greatest delight to retire to his\u003cbr\u003ecountry home and there, dwelling among his books, to meditate upon the\u003cbr\u003egreat problems of life. He claimed that a man's life should be valued\u003cbr\u003eaccording to the value of the things to which he gave his attention. If\u003cbr\u003ehis whole thought was given to clothing, feeding and housing himself\u003cbr\u003ecomfortably, he should be valued like other well-housed and well-fed\u003cbr\u003eanimals. He would, however, derive the greatest pleasure and benefit in\u003cbr\u003ethis life by acting in accordance with reason, which demands of every\u003cbr\u003ehuman being that his highest faculties should govern all the rest, and\u003cbr\u003ethat each should see to it that he treated his fellow kindly and\u003cbr\u003egenerously and that if he could not assist him to a higher level he\u003cbr\u003eshould at least not stand in his way. When he speaks of the shortness of\u003cbr\u003etime and the value of fame, riches and power, for which men strive in\u003cbr\u003ethis world, he speaks not from the standpoint of one who would wish to\u003cbr\u003eobtain these things, but as a Roman emperor enjoying the highest honors\u003cbr\u003ethat man might expect to attain in this world. He certainly was in a\u003cbr\u003eposition to speak intelligently concerning these matters, and his\u003cbr\u003eopinions ought to have weight with the coming generations. Children may\u003cbr\u003enot prefer to read such thoughts; perhaps the majority of children do not\u003cbr\u003eprefer the Bible to other books. Still, we all think it is well for them\u003cbr\u003eto be obliged to read it. Perhaps requiring the use of such literature in\u003cbr\u003ethe schools might be as valuable as the adding, subtracting, multiplying\u003cbr\u003eand dividing of interminable numbers, the memorizing of all the capes,\u003cbr\u003ebays and rivers in the world, and the dates of all the battles that have\u003cbr\u003eoccurred since the creation of man.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47145290137840,"sku":"2940012472939","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012472939_p0.jpg?v=1763569475","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012472939","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}