When You’re Tired Of Life… | Ask DS
The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures
4.5 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 July 2023
⏱️ 18 minutes
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Summary
He buried too many children. He was betrayed by those closest to him. He dealt with health issues. He was surrounded by the corrupt and inept and endlessly ambitious. He saw plagues and floods and war.
So yeah, there is a hint of world weariness in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. It would be stranger if that didn’t color his writing. While critics are wrong to call Marcus depressing or negative, he was unquestionably in pain, tired, and frustrated. This was a man who quite understandably found himself, as we all do, tired of life.
Yet despite the role that suicide has played in the history of Stoicism and the more accepted place it had in Roman history, Marcus did not choose that route.
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And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions from students of the Daily Stoic Stoicism 101 course. The topics covered include whether it is better to be the first or the only person to do something, what the Stoics have to say about decision-making, the historical relations between Stoicism and Buddhism, and more.
Check out the full 14-day course, Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life, at https://store.dailystoic.com/products/101.
If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis and you live in the United States, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. For resources outside the United States please click here.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Daily Stoic podcast, where each day we read a passage of ancient wisdom |
| 0:07.7 | designed to help you in your everyday life. |
| 0:10.3 | Well on Thursdays, we not only read the Daily Meditation, but we answer some questions |
| 0:14.2 | from listeners in fellow Stoics, we're trying to apply this philosophy just as you are. |
| 0:20.2 | Some of these come from my talks, some of these come from Zoom sessions that we do with |
| 0:25.6 | the Daily Stoic Life members, or as part of the challenges. |
| 0:29.8 | Some of them are from interactions I have on the street when there happen to be someone |
| 0:33.5 | there recording, but thank you for listening and we hope this is of use to you. |
| 0:45.3 | When you're tired of life, he buried too many children. |
| 0:50.2 | He was betrayed by those closest to him. |
| 0:52.1 | He dealt with health issues. |
| 0:53.2 | He was surrounded by the corrupt and the inept and the endlessly ambitious. |
| 0:57.0 | He saw plagues and flood and war. |
| 0:59.6 | So yeah, there is a hint of world weariness in Marcus Aurelius' meditations. |
| 1:04.4 | It would be stranger if it didn't color his writing. |
| 1:08.0 | While critics are wrong to call Marcus Aurelius depressing or negative, he was unquestionably |
| 1:12.5 | in pain, tired and frustrated. |
| 1:15.1 | This was a man who quite understandably found himself as we all do, tired of life. |
| 1:21.6 | Despite the role that suicide had played in the history of stoicism and the more accepted |
| 1:26.1 | place it had in Roman history, Marcus did not choose that route. |
| 1:30.0 | He did not blame anyone. |
| 1:31.2 | He did not resent the hand he was dealt with the painful cards he had to play. |
... |
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