"Time May Change Me, But I Can't Trace Time..."

Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that originally found its way to Rome in the early 2^nd Century BCE, hit its peak with Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He dropped the Meditations as a form of hardcore self-reflection. Originally, it was a deep dive into the universe, other people, and ethics. So, when you read his words, remember where they're coming from.

What's Marcus telling himself here? This passage is dripping with persuasion, like he's trying to pump himself up with a little persuasive rhetoric. You only gotta convince yourself of something if it isn’t already in your face. He's practically yelling, "Can't you see?"

The core concept here hits home for all of us: change. Getting older, breaking up, tying the knot, losing or scoring a job—life's a whirlwind. Research says getting hitched is huge source of stress, but it's not the specifics that matter, it's just the change itself messing with our heads. But Marcus Aurelius got it, change is part of the deal, it's "vital" to nature's flow. Stoics were all about nature, seeing humans as part of its grand chaos. We chow down on food and accept it changes inside us, so why not accept we change too?

Change is freaky, especially when it messes with who we are—our relationships, jobs, health. We love our stability, especially in our identity. It might sound harsh, but Marcus Aurelius is like, "Grow up—shit changes, deal with it." He's not being mean, just giving himself a reality check. Once we get that change is the only constant, maybe we can seek more freedom and comfort in this crazy life. Fighting some changes while accepting others just makes us unhappy hypocrites, and that's no way to live. But this is just my perspective.