Another quote for your consideration.
"Think not distainfully of death, but look on it with favor, for even death is one of the things nature wills. "
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
"Meditations"
2007-07-04 14:07:52 · 20 answers · asked by ? 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I enjoyed reading the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. I especially liked when he was trying to be patient, tolerant and forgiving but still could not help blowing up about the Senate now and then. He is one of my favorites of the Emperors of Rome.
To understand what he means by this you have to put it in the context of Classical Stoicism.
Death is inevitable. He believed that the life force returns to the great motivating fire that quickens the universe and reanimate more matter out of chaos and into life.
The Stoicism that he followed had some distinct parralels with Deism, not Theism.
The Stoics after Aurelius rapidly reverted to a pantheon with many Gods.
2007-07-04 14:21:03 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its how we live that truly matters. Death is but an instant. One minute we have breath the next we do not. Our true measure is on the content of our whole lifetime. What weight does it truly bear... Is there any eternal weight.. or are we full of vanity...
Were we living without any foresight... seeing as death is not death at all.. but the entrance into another dymension... the body can die.. but the soul and spirit live on. May we invest during our lifetime where it is worthy... learning to live a crucified life in Christ.. to die to the self to live by the spirit each day....to live the life that is really living.
..food for thought...
- the other side of the cross is resurrection
2007-07-04 21:21:10 · answer #2 · answered by Broken Alabaster Flask 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well theologically speaking death is a curse, punishment, and enemy of mankind. I think many such quotes like that are mankinds secular attempt to accept death as a natural part of the only life cycle they know of.
2007-07-04 21:20:54 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Understand and agree. Death nourishes life, just as life consumes other life, and just as death devours life.
A necessary cycle of the universe. I can also think of it in terms of balance. From birth/beginning of life, all things seem to drift towards chaos - until death brings it back to the source to complete the cycle(re-prossess), in a way it is part of the universal energies that continually maintains or pulls all things back toward order.
2007-07-04 21:20:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thank you for sharing an insightful quote- there are two things common to every human who has ever or will ever be- birth and death. I think it is strange how some people feel so unnatural about both.
2007-07-04 21:10:47 · answer #5 · answered by ecstaticdevine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think Mr. Antoninus smoked a little too much weed.
2007-07-04 21:11:57 · answer #6 · answered by MotherMayI? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Death is but the awaking from the dream of life.
2007-07-04 21:15:12 · answer #7 · answered by Dark Angel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oooooooooooooooook
2007-07-04 21:10:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
He didn't believe in the afterlife.
He wrote: 'We live for an instant, only to be swallowed in complete forgetfulness and the void of infinite time on this side of us."
2007-07-04 21:12:22 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whoa, that was deep! I'm looking this guy up!
I looked him up. OMG! I read an excerpt from "Meditations" and it is amazing. I'm getting it. I'm just wondering if Barnes and Noble is open on the 4th. Thanks for sharing!
2007-07-04 21:11:49 · answer #10 · answered by Tea 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋