Chapter VIII Volume VIII
Happiness consists in doing what human nature requires to do.
You can't live your whole life like a philosopher, or at least your youth. Both you and many others are well aware of the distance between you and philosophy. This reflection can help to get rid of the craving for fame. You then enter into disorder, and you can no longer easily gain the reputation of a philosopher. Your life plan doesn't fit it either. If you do figure out what the problem is, then discard that notion. If you can spend the rest of your time in the way your nature wants, you will be content. Why should you care what others say about you? You have a lot of wandering experience, however, you never find happiness. Whether it's in prestige, pleasure, or wealth, you don't find happiness. You can't find happiness no matter if you're in**. So where does happiness exist? It is present in what the nature of being human requires to do. Therefore, focus on what your nature wants to do and don't distract your mind from anything else. How can one do what one's nature dictates to do? If he had principles that aroused his manners and interests, what were they? The principles that relate to good and evil: the belief that there is no such thing as good for man—if it does not give people restraint, freedom, valor, and integrity. Believe that there is nothing bad for people - if it does not cause people to be infected with the opposite qualities of the previous ones.
Whatever you do, you should ask yourself, "How does it relate to me?" Will I regret doing this in the future? I'm going to die, and everything will be gone. If what I am doing right now is the work of a person who is in harmony with society, the work of a person who is in the same Dharma as God, the work of a person who is sensible, then what else do I hope for? ”
What kind of people were Alexander, Gayers, and Pompey compared to Diogenes, Heraclitus, and Socrates? These people have the same principles of domination. The reason is that they understand things, and they understand what they are and why. However, the latter will think that they are focusing on too many things, that they are slaves to too many things.
Even if they get angry, people will do the same thing. Think about it.
Whatever it is, it is in accordance with the nature of the universe. It won't be long before you'll be as completely gone as Augustus and Hedrian, never to be found again. Don't be bothered, that's where the key thing is. Next, you need to pay attention to your own things and remember these things: through a natural and humble attitude, and a good temperament, say what you think is most appropriate; It is your obligation to be a good person and to be decisive in doing whatever your nature dictates to do.
The nature of the universe needs to do the kind of work of moving things from this place to that place, changing them, bringing them from this place to that place. Everything is changing. But we don't have to be afraid of anything new. We are familiar with everything. The distribution of these things remains the same way.
When a rational nature limits its abhorrence and desires to what it can promote, when it disagrees with anything in its own ideas that is not clear or correct, when it is content with all that the universal nature assigns to itself, when it directs its activities only to actions that will bring benefits to society, we say that a rational nature is progressing quite well in following its own path. Regardless of nature, as long as you follow your own path quite well, you are content with yourself. Just as the nature of the leaf is part of the nature of the plant, so any unique nature is part of this common nature. However, the nature of the leaf is part of the nature of the plant that is easily hindered, and it is not rational or sentient. Human nature is part of a nature that is rational and just, and which is not easily hindered. According to the value of each thing, this nature gives all things a fair grant of entities, activities, causes, things, and time. We should compare all the parts that make up one thing with all the parts that make up another. It is not our goal to find that any two things are equal in all fields when compared.
You don't have the ability to read, or don't have the free time to do it. However, you have free time to transcend sorrow and joy, you have free time to transcend the love of false fame, you have free time to put an end to pride, and you have the ability to put an end to pride. Don't be troubled by those who are treacherous and stupid, and don't even bother with them.
Whoever it is, don't let him hear your complaints about your life or the life of the palace.
After neglecting something useful, people blame themselves. That's regret. A perfect person should go after something that is good, because that kind of thing must be useful. No perfect person will regret rejecting the pleasure of the senses. In this way, joy is neither useful nor good.
What is a thing in itself? What is its structure? What is the nature of its cause? What are its raw materials and entities? What is it doing in this world? How long will it continue to exist?
Sleep is the same for irrational animals. When you have to get out of bed, you are socializing according to your nature and your structure. Keep this in mind. Something that follows the nature of each individual is more joyful and more in line with his nature. This kind of thing is something that is more uniquely its own.
If possible, the principles of ethics, dialectics, and physics are constantly applied to every impression the soul receives.
No matter who you meet, you say directly to yourself, "What is this person's view of good and evil?" If he had held this or that view of life and death, honor and shame, joy and sorrow, and their causes, I would not have been at all surprised or incomprehensible at him in this or that kind of behavior. That's all he can do. I'll keep that in mind.
It's a shame to be surprised that the world has produced something that is what it was meant to be. It's like being ashamed to be surprised that a fig tree produces figs. It is a shame for a man at the helm to be surprised that the wind is not in the way man wishes, and a doctor is ashamed to be surprised that a man has a fever. Keep that in mind.
Just as you insist on your faults, it is consistent with freedom to change your perception and follow the person who corrects your shortcomings. This is an activity based on your own comprehension, as well as your judgment and movement. It's your own activity.
If you can do one thing, why not?If it's someone else who can do this, then who do you blame?Blame the gods or the atoms?It would be unwise to blame anyone. You shouldn't blame anyone. If you can do it, change the cause. If you can't, then at least you should change the thing itself. If you can't even do that, what's the point of your complaints?Whatever it is, when it is done, it has a certain purpose.
Things that disappear don't run out of the universe. If it stays in this place, it will also change in this place and be broken down into its proper parts, which are your own elements and the elements of the universe. They are also changing, and they are not complaining.
Whatever it is, it exists with a purpose in mind. Like a vine or a horse. Even the sun will say, "My existence has some kind of purpose." Other gods would say the same thing. So what is the purpose of your existence?Is it for pleasure?Let's see if this argument can be allowed by common sense.
Like a person who throws a ball upwards, nature gives it no less care at the end of everything than it does at the beginning or in progress. What are the benefits of being thrown at the ball?What harm can it do to it if it starts to fall or fall to the ground?What are the benefits of forming a bubble?What harm does shattering do to it?The same is true for a bolt of lightning.
Observe the body carefully. Look at what kind of thing it is. Look at what it becomes when it ages, and what it becomes when it gets sick.
Whether it is a person who remembers others or a person who is remembered, whether it is a person who praises others or a person who is praised, they only have a short life. These activities all take place in a corner of a certain part of the world. Even the people of this place don't have the same opinion. No, not everyone is with themselves. The whole earth is just one point.
Pay attention to what's in front of you. See if it's a gesture, an opinion, or a word.
Since you'd rather make this thing good tomorrow than good today, you tolerate it fairly.
What am I doing? I'm doing something related to human good. Did something happen to me? I accept it and attribute it to the ** of all things, that is, the gods. Everything that happens comes from them.
While taking a bath, you witness dirty and greasy water. Every part of life, and everything, emits a disgusting smell.
After witnessing the death of Maximus, Sicomte also passed away. After witnessing Restina's death, Anthony also died. After witnessing the death of Verus, Lyusina also died. After witnessing the death of Deotimus, Epitienzanus also died. After witnessing Hedrian's death, Saler also died. That's what it's all about. Where did the prophets, the wise or the arrogant, go? Demetrius, Charax, Youdeman, the Platonists, and others like this were all intelligent men. These people all passed away a long time ago. Some became legendary heroes. Some even disappeared into the legends. Others are indeed forgotten in a short period of time. Keep this in mind: your insignificant assemblage will stop breathing, or be moved somewhere else, or disintegrate.
A person is content when he is able to do the work that suits him. A job that suits a person is that there is a correct judgment of phenomena that seem to be worth believing; Be kind to your own kind; a contemptuous attitude towards sensory activity; A unified view of the nature of the universe and what happens in it.
It is your obligation to keep your life in order.
There are three kinds of connections between you and other things: one is with the people you live with; One is the connection with the things around you; One is the connection with the divine cause that produces everything.
Suffering can be an evil to the soul or an evil to the body. However, the soul is able to hold on to its own calmness and tranquility and thus not to regard suffering as an evil. All boredoms, desires, activities, and judgments, occur in the mind. No matter what kind of evil it is, it can't rise to such a height.
In order to get rid of your illusions, always say these words to yourself: I am able to keep no desires, troubles, or evils from entering my soul. I use a thing according to its value. Through observation, I learned about the nature of things. Remember this power from your nature.
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Be natural and concise. This proper way should be used when speaking to anyone, except in the Senate.
All the people in Augustus' palace were gone, including his ancestors, his wife, his daughters, his sisters, his relatives, his friends, his favorites, his priests, his doctors, and Alephus, his Egribe, and Misinas. Let's look at something else. Think of the death of an entire family, not the death of one person. For example, Pompey's family. The grave is inscribed: the last of his family. Then consider the troubles that those who preceded them about the offspring they might leave behind. Someone is bound to be the last one next. At this time, think about the death of the whole family.
Of all the activities, it is your obligation to properly keep your life in order. If every activity can fulfill this obligation to the best of its ability, then be content. No one can afford to make your event fail to fulfill its obligations. However, there are certain external things that can cause obstacles. Nothing can stop those cautious, sober, and reasonable activities. However, some other initiative may be hindered. However, another opportunity for action will come straight to you by being content to move your efforts to what is approved and to acquiesce to the obstruction in a way that replaces the obstructed activities. This opportunity for action is equally appropriate to the order we have just spoken.
Naturally accept prosperity and wealth and intend to give it up at any time.
If you have seen a head, a foot or a hand cut off before, if you have seen a rest of the body lying there without the rest of the body, then those who complain about what happened are doing so hard to make themselves like this, to do things that are contrary to society, or to distance themselves from others. If you allow yourself to be free from this natural unity, then you still have a good way, and that is that you can still be unified again. The gods did not give other animals the ability to unite themselves again after they had been separated. However, think of the gods promoting the good thoughts of people. He made people able to do these things: to be able to return, with the approval of the gods, to be united again, and to occupy their place as a part;It will not be completely detached from the universe.
The nature of the universe gives every rational being all the other powers that it possesses, and therefore, we also derive these powers from it. The rational animal is able to make all obstacles its own material, and through it to achieve the goals that it may have in mind. It is as if the nature of the universe is changing or deploying all the things that oppose and prevent itself in a predetermined place in itself, so that these things become a part of itself.
Don't bother yourself by thinking about your whole life. Don't let your ideas get into contact with all the troubles you might anticipate you are about to face. Whatever the occasion, you should ask yourself, "What is there about this occasion that I can't pass through or can't stand it?""The reason is that you will be ashamed of admitting it. It's the present that can make you feel pain, not the past and the future. Keep that in mind. If you just limit this suffering, it will become insignificant. If you can't resist that, criticize your heart.
Is Deortimus or Joneas still sitting at Hedrian's grave today?Is Pergamus or Panser still sitting at the tomb of Verus today?That would be unreasonable. Well, if they were still sitting there, would the deceased feel it?If the deceased could feel it, would they be gratified?If they would be gratified, would they be able to gain eternal life for it?Isn't it the order of fate that these people will first become old men or old women, and then die?So what will happen to those who have passed away?Whoever it is, will embark on this path.
Philosophers say that if you can make in-depth observations, you will be able to make correct investigations and judgments.
I can see in the structure of the rational animal the departure from the virtue of loving pleasure, restraint, and the complete failure of the virtue of righteousness.
If you can get rid of the perception of things that seem to be causing you pain, your ego will be completely secured. This ego is rational, but I am not rational. Then let reason not bother itself. If the rest of you suffers, let it express its opinion of itself.
For animal nature, movement, then, to admit this hindrance, is an evil to you, who are considered a rational animal. If you think about the general process of things, you are still not hindered or harmed. Since iron, fire, invective, and tyrannical rulers have no access to things suitable for comprehension, no one can stop them. When it is made into a sphere, it remains a sphere.
I didn't mean to hurt others, so it's inappropriate to think that I'm causing pain on myself.
People exist for each other.
Different people will be relieved by different things. My comfort is to let dominance be uncompromised and not to detach from anyone or anything that happens to people; Let it use things according to their value; Let it see and accept all through a welcoming gaze alone.
Those who prefer to pursue posthumous fame fail to take this into account: the people of the future will die like those they have forgotten now. So you have to make sure of yourself that you are in this moment. What does it matter to you whether people in the future will say this or that to you, or whether they will think of you this or that?
I can keep the peace of the sacred part of my heart where you are going. In another way, if it can feel and act according to its proper structure, then it is content. So, take me where you're going. Why should my soul become meaner, more decadent, more cowardly, more arrogant, more terrible, and more miserable than it was before? Is there a good reason for such changes? Can you find such a good reason for it?
A stone does not trigger something that does not suit it. A vine does not cause things that are contrary to its nature. A bull does not cause things that are contrary to its nature. People don't cause things that don't belong to people. If everything is natural and normal, then why should you complain? Anything that comes from a consistent nature is caused by you.
If something external makes you feel pain, then it is your own judgment of the object, not the object, that bothers you. You have the power to get rid of that judgment right now. If there is something in your own mind that can bring you pain, then who can stop you from correcting your opinion? Even if you're miserable because you didn't do something that you thought was appropriate, why didn't you do it and not complain? Is there an insurmountable obstacle ahead? Then don't be sad about this, because you can't control why you don't do it. If you can't do this, isn't life worthwhile? Then take comfort in what is an obstacle and contentedly abandon your life as the one who has been active enough to pass away.
If your dominant part does not do anything it does not want to do, then it cannot be conquered. This is true even if it is fought out of sheer stubbornness. When it calms itself down, it is also content with itself. But what if it develops a judgment about things with the help of prudence and reason? The heart that escapes from passion is therefore a castle. This is the safest place that people can use to protect themselves, and it is a place where they can calmly wait for the future. It is an indestructible castle. A man who does not understand this is a fool. A person who understands this and does not rush to this shelter is a poor man.
Say only to yourself what the first phenomena have noticed. If someone informs you that someone has said something bad about you, then the message is notified. Yet you are not harmed, and there is no notice that you have suffered. I saw my child sick, I saw it, but I didn't see him in danger. Listen to the very beginning like this and add nothing to your mind. That way, nothing will happen to you. You can also add something like someone who understands everything that is happening in the world.
If there are thorns in the road, then avoid them. This cucumber is bitter, then discard it. That's enough. Don't add anything and ask why such things exist in this world. If you do, people familiar with nature will ridicule you. It's like a shoemaker or a carpenter who will taunt you when you're picky in their shop because you find scraps and shavings. However, they still have a place to put the scraps and shavings. The nature of the universe does not have such an external void. However, the nature of the universe, though it limits itself, is capable of turning into itself everything that appears to be old, decayed, and useless. She was able to create something new and the same out of these things. She therefore did not need any entities from the outside, nor a place where she could place the rotting things. This is the most unique aspect of her art. As a result, she is content with her materials, her space and her art.
Don't let your perceptions get cluttered. Don't let your rhetoric get out of order. Don't let your movements become sluggish and slow. Don't be so busy in your life that you can't get free time. Don't let your soul rush outward, and don't let your soul stir up internal strife.
Even if people kill you, chop you up, and curse you, your mind will still be alert, upright, sober, and innocent, and will not be stopped by these things. The spring does not stop flowing water that can be drunk because of a person's curse. Even if the person stuffs garbage or dirt into the spring, the spring will quickly flush it out and wash them away so that it will not be contaminated. What if you have an eternal spring, not just a well? In order to achieve the freedom to become one with simplicity, humility, and contentment, you need to shape yourself at all times.
People who don't know what the world is are also don't know where they are. People who do not know what the world is for exist are likewise unclear about what the world is and who they are. People who are completely unaware of these things cannot even say what they are for what purpose. What do you think of people who don't know who they are or where they are?What do you think of those who run away from or seek praise and cheers?
Do you want to gain the favor of someone who doesn't like you?Do you want to get a compliment from someone who criticizes themselves three times an hour?Would a person who regrets almost everything he has done like himself?
You should keep your intellect in harmony with those that encompass everything at the same time, and you shouldn't just let your breath be in harmony with the air that surrounds you. Just as air is to those who can breathe it, so the power of reason is also in all things and above all parts to those who are willing to use it.
Evil generally does not cause harm to the universe. One person's evil in particular does not cause harm to another. It will only do harm to those who have the power to ward off evil if they want to.
Like his joyful breath and body, my neighbor's free will has no connection with me in the eyes of my free will. Each of us has the power to have our own space for movement, even though we are deliberately created to cooperate with each other. Otherwise, the wickedness of my neighbor will cause me harm. However, the gods did not allow our misfortunes to influence each other's thoughts as well.
When the sun shines down, it does seem to be distributed in all directions. It's not an outflow, though. Since its rays are expanded, its rays are called expanded. In this way, such a distribution is an extension. When sunlight enters a dark room through a narrow hole, a person can understand what kind of light it is if he observes it carefully. It extends forward in a straight line. If it encounters a solid entity that blocks the air and blocks its path, we can say that it is separated. The light doesn't get smaller or slide, though, and it will continue to be stable there. Comprehension should also be irradiated and distributed in this way. It should be an extension, not an outflow. It should smoothly illuminate those who accept it, and should not be timid or violently collided with obstacles that stand in its way. If it is not accepted, the object cannot receive light.
People who fear death may be afraid of a different feeling, or they may be afraid of the loss of feeling. If you lose your senses, you won't be able to feel hurt either. If you are going to get another sense, then you will be a different creature and you will not end your life.
People exist for each other, so put up with them and educate them.
An arrow moves in this way. The mind moves in another way. The mind, when it is studying or moving deliberately, moves in a straight line towards its goal.
Observe everyone's dominance, and let everyone observe your dominance.
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