In this episode we unpack Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher Marcus Aurelius's classic book "Meditations" from 170 AD.
This book explores...
Links to Reading & Articles mentioned
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
*note* reading is not required to enjoy this episode!
Host: Zach Stehura UnpackingIdeas.com
Guest: Steve Chung
Theme Music: Polyenso
Timestamps
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:11 Modern Interpretations of Stoicism
00:04:21 Translation
00:05:13 Why Aurelius Wrote the Book
00:08:30 Doing Good for the Wrong Reasons
00:09:37 Seeking Truth No Matter Who is Speaking it
00:13:10 The Logos
00:15:19 The Importance of Rationality
00:16:39 Doing What is in Our Nature
00:17:40 Focusing on Yourself
00:20:14 Expect People to Do What is in Their Nature
00:22:03 The Interconnected of All People
00:24:30 What is Natural is Good
00:25:58 Death = Change
00:26:49 Death as the Great Equalizer
00:27:43 Momento Mori
00:28:35 The Difference Between Stoicism and Nihilism
00:31:28 Your Legacy Won’t Live On After You Die
00:33:22 Seeking Approval From Others
00:36:08 Focusing on What is in Our Control
00:37:29 The Transgressor Harms Themselves When They Transgress
00:38:56 External Things Can’t Harm You
00:40:58 All Sin is Due to Ignorance
00:48:30 Equanimity
00:50:04 The Appeal of Stoicism During Times of Great Upheaval
00:53:11 Parallels to Buddhism
00:53:24 Seeing Things Objectively
00:57:35 There is Nothing New Under the Sun
01:00:00 The Present is the Only Time That Exists
01:02:55 Wrapping Up/Outro