Chapter III, Volume III
Enjoy the pleasures of what you see as the most beautiful.
In addition to wasting time and having less and less time, we should also pay attention to one other thing: if a person can live for a long time, then he may not be able to understand things or learn about gods and humans in his old age. The reason is that he will enter a state of Alzheimer's before his imagination, eating, absorbing nutrients, excreting waste, and similar abilities decline. The ability to discern explicitly by one's own power, the ability to meet the standard of obligation, the ability to measure whether one should choose to die at the moment, and the ability to make a similar difference, must have a precise rationality. However, this rationality has completely declined. The reason why we need to value our time is also that our ability to see and understand things will decline prematurely, not just that we are dying day by day.
That which appears after something that is born in a state that conforms to nature is not only attractive, but also brings joy to man. We also need to pay attention to this. For example, during the baking process of bread, there are some cracks on the surface of the bread that are still beautiful to a certain extent, despite the fact that they have a form that is not expected by the baker. It whets people's appetites in a unique way. When ripe, figs can also crack. As they approach decay, ripe olives add a unique beauty to the fruit. One would not find a lion's eyelashes, a wild boar's saliva, drooping grains, and a plethora of other things beautiful when they are alone. However, they feel good because these things are the result of naturally developed things, and they can have a decorative effect on things. If a person has a good sense of observation or a feeling of things in the universe, then he will think that those things that exist as a result of things are almost all distributed in some way that brings joy to people. Compared to what a sculptor or painter creates by reference, he can also reap a lot of joy when he has the open jaw of a real beast. He is able to observe the cuteness and charm of young people through pure eyesight. He was able to find something reasonable and mature in the old man. Such things are capable of bringing joy to those who are truly familiar with nature and its works, but not for everyone. There will be a lot of similar things in the future.
After curing many patients, Hippocrates himself died of illness. Fate also took away many people after astrologers predicted their deaths. After defeating hundreds of thousands of infantry and cavalry, and razing cities one after another, Caesar, Alexander, and Pompey all died. After many problems related to the fire in the universe, Heracles eventually died of edema. On his deathbed, he was covered in sludge. Some bugs damaged Democritus, others damaged Socrates. What do these things represent? You board the ship, sail forward, and then get closer and closer to the shore, eventually leaving the ship. If you are indeed sailing to another life, then you don't need the help of the gods, even after you reach your destination. If you sail to a place where you are unconscious, then you will no longer be at the mercy of joy and sorrow, and you will no longer be a slave to your body. At that time, the more humble your body will be, the more remarkable it will be to serve. The reason is that the former is dust and something that perishes quickly, while the latter is rational and divine.
Don't waste your later life on worrying about others, if you don't put your thoughts into an ideal of the common good. Once you have that thought, you lose the opportunity to do something else. What are we looking at, such as what this person is doing? Why did he do this? What was he thinking? What is he expressing? What is he arguing about? When this kind of thing happens, you don't pay close attention to your ability to control it. When thinking, we should put an end to all notions that do not have value and purpose, and many ill-intentioned and inquisitive emotions. One ought to allow oneself to think only of these things—and when suddenly asked what I was thinking, I was able to reply bluntly: I was thinking about this or that, and it was made clear in your words—that your heart was full of kindness, simplicity, and something that was beneficial to a social animal. You don't have the idea that you would be ashamed to speak out, and you don't have the mentality of being suspicious, jealous, or hateful of others. A person who is able to answer questions decisively in this way can be called the best. These people are quite similar to the messengers of the gods. By using the divinity in his heart, the messenger is able to resist the hurt of grief and the pollution of joy, and is also able to repel all evil and all results. The messenger is one of the noblest soldiers in war. No matter what kind of impulsive emotions it is, it cannot affect the messenger. He was passionately pursuing justice. He accepted all the situations he faced, and all the things he had gained, with joy. Based on a wide range of interests, he thinks about the perceptions and mannerisms of others. He doesn't do it very often, though. The decisions he made were the only thing that belonged to him. He was constantly thinking about how to make himself act with integrity, how to convince himself that what he had gained was good, and what he had gained from things in general. Everyone is in control of their own destiny. However, fate is in control of everyone. He will see the act of caring for each person as a practice that is consistent with his nature. He would treat every rational animal as his own compatriot. One should listen to those who live explicitly according to their nature, and not to everyone. He will keep in mind the work done by those who do not live according to their nature, the conditions of the day and night, and the kind of people with whom they live a life that is not pure. Since such people may also have an attitude of disgust towards themselves, he will not pay attention to their praise at all.
Don't be distracted, don't blaspheme the public interest, don't act blindly, don't hate labor, don't be too hasty or instigated, don't give up your ideas because of superficial learning. Turn your inner deity into a protector, a living protector, a protector of a politically engaged and mature man, a Roman and a ruler of rulers. Like a man waiting to be called by the signals of life, this ruler accepted his position. He doesn't need testimony from others, and he doesn't need to take an oath. Don't seek the peace they bring, and don't seek outside support. Have fun. In this way, a person can stand proudly in the world without the support of others.
In life, if you find something superior to truth, justice, patience and restraint, that is to say, if you find something superior to the contentment of your heart, then don't take it seriously. Once you go astray and focus on something else, you can no longer focus on the good things that really work for you and belong to you. It is not right to use other things, such as power, pleasure, or praise from the crowd, to oppose the good that exists in the practical, political, and rational realms. These things are able to gain the upper hand for a short time and carry us away, even though they seem to be able to adapt to something better within the prescribed limits. Your point is that something that brings benefits is a good thing. My opinion is that you should just go straight to the better and hold on to it. If something can be a rational being and can bring you benefits, you should grasp it. If this thing can only benefit you as an animal, then you should reject it. Don't hold your judgment on the basis of conceit, and focus on the act of delving into it in a proper way.
Don't think that they will do you any good when it comes to things that will make you lose your dignity, hate others, break your oaths, and give birth to harshness, suspicion, greed, hypocrisy, and all that requires curtains and walls. Those who love their reason and their deity more, and who revere their deity more, neither wail in pain nor play the role of grief. They don't need a lot of friends and they don't need to be alone. The most important thing is that they don't care how long their souls can stay in their shells. They are neither obsessed with death nor run away from it. If he had to leave at this moment, he would have left with joy as if he had done something just and reasonable. He does not distance his ideas from those who belong to a group of citizens, and what belongs to a sensible person. He focused only on this throughout his life.
In tempering and purifying one's heart, you will not find the slightest healing wound, transgression of the law, or corruption. Just as an actor is asked to leave the stage after a play is over, if fate takes a person's life, then that person's life is not flawed by it. He is neither pretentious nor servile. He doesn't criticize anything, and he doesn't run away from anything. He doesn't get keen on something, and he doesn't stay away from something.
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The longest reputation is only for a moment.
The ability to generate opinions should be respected. This ability completely determines whether or not there is an opinion of irrational animal temperament and nature in the part of your control. This ability allows you to be kind to others, to obey the gods, and to make decisions carefully.
Focus on these few things, and don't think too much about them. The present moment is a point that cannot be separated. No matter who you are, you only live in the moment. Other parts of his life are either undetermined or have passed. You should keep this notion in mind. No matter who you are, you can only live for a short period of time. The place where he lives is not big. The reputation of a deceased person, even for a long time, is only for a moment. It is only those who deserve sympathy for maintaining this reputation. It won't be long before these people will pass away. They hardly even know themselves, let alone those who have long since died.
It is necessary to add a few things here that can make the above concept more thorough. In order to be able to clearly observe the nature of the things that are unfolding before your eyes, from their substance, their completeness, and their manifestation, and to give them and the various things that make them up? Which of these virtues should we use to deal with these things, such as decisiveness, sincerity, loyalty, simplicity, contentment, and gentleness? In whatever circumstance one should say: these things come from the gods, and are arranged according to things like chance and coincidence, or woven and distributed according to the threads of fate; These things come from people who have the same origins as me. This person doesn't know what is in his nature. He is my compatriot and my friend. Since I know what is in my own nature, I ought to deal with them in a just and merciful manner, according to the natural law of my fellow man's affection. Also, I'm going to determine the value of each of these things that I don't care about.
You should keep your energy high when carrying out the work of the moment; Maintain a state of concentration; Maintain some of the divine simplicity of personality that you have; conscientiously follow the right reason; Don't put your mind to anything else, like you have to just send it back. If the activities of the present nature can satisfy you, if the courageous sincerity that manifests in every syllable and word you speak can satisfy you, if you have nothing to fear or desire, then you can live a very happy life. No one can stop this.
In order to understand the things of the gods and people, and how to do things, you should have certain principles. You can acquire these principles by recalling the agreement that unified the gods and men. It's like a doctor having a scalpel and other tools ready to take care of a patient who needs their technique at all times. If you don't refer to the things of the gods, you can't do good human things. In the same way, if you don't refer to human things, you can't understand the things of the gods.
Your memory will deteriorate. At that point, you won't be able to read the books you've saved for later reading, and you won't be able to recall the mannerisms of the ancient Romans and Greeks. So, you shouldn't be hanging around anymore. Let go of those hopeful expectations, take advantage of the time you have left, and allow yourself to help yourself. You are more than capable of putting your mind to taking care of yourself.
Take it easy. Think about what you should do. It is not the eyes that can influence this behavior, but a different kind of insight. It's not clear how much can be accomplished by planting, buying, or plagiarizing words.
Principles belong to reason, interest to the soul, and touch to the body. Even animals possess that ability to acquire formal impressions by virtue of phenomena. Whether it's the beast or the kind of man who turns himself into a woman, he is driven by a series of desires. This is the equivalent of Nero and Phaleris. Those who betray their homeland, those who do not believe in the gods, and those who do bad things behind closed doors all have the intellect to dictate what is reasonable. If all the people I have just talked about have all the rest, what are the good people alone? The answer is that they do not desecrate the divinity of their hearts, nor do they bother it with a large number of images; They will regard divinity as a deity and obey it; They will keep the divinity in a state of tranquility; They don't do injustice, they don't say things that aren't right; They will be happy and content in all matters and in the thread of fate that has been woven for him; They don't lose their temper with anyone, even if anyone doesn't believe they live a life of humility, contentment, and simplicity; They will not deviate from the path that will lead them to the end of their lives. In the view of this path, a person should remain calm and simple, should be completely in line with his fate, and should not be disgusted to leave.
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