Don't ever forget.
I opened my copy of Hays’ "Meditations" (Modern Library, 2002) this weekend for a bit of solace, and on the inside cover was written “2.9 – Don’t forget.” That reminder gets an ‘E’ for effort. Grin. After I was through with my last class, I looked it up – Book 2, section 9. Here, Marcus Aurelius states:
“Don’t ever forget:
- The nature of the world
- My nature.
- How I relate to the world.
- What proportion of it I make up.
- That you are part of nature, and no one can prevent you from speaking and acting in harmony with it, always.”
Okay – I don’t feel so bad about forgetting, and the message’s synchronicity entertains me.
I had just finished my ethics lecture, and was reminded that these are the underpinnings of making decisions and taking action. The more you know yourself, the more you know the world, the better you are at knowing which actions produce good results and which actions are about as good as shaking your fist at the wind. This knowledge gives you confidence to take action.
What struck me were the third and fourth lines – How I compare to the world, and the fact that I am empowered to speak my personal truth.
The leader of the roman empire is reminding himself in his journal that he’s just another person among so many, and has total permission to speak his truth. To think he felt compelled to remind himself floors and tickles me. Marcus was a human like you and me, regardless of imperial status.
Current events leave us all feeling weak and inconsequential. We feel out of control, and question what we can do. Here’s Marcus saying, "Know yourself and nature, and reminding yourself these facts give you permission to do and say what’s right." If you’re a bee, and embrace your bee-ness, your decisions will not hurt the beehive, but help it. Helping the beehive helps both you and the other bees. You may not know what the next steps are, but your bee-ness sure does. That’s comforting.
He’s telling us to become activists in authenticity. He’s compelling himself and us to call a spade a spade and be truthful to ourselves and the world through our words and actions. I’m reminded of all the times I accidentally blurted out what others were afraid to say, and how many times it changed the direction of the discussion or decision for the better.
Even in these ‘unique’ times, knowing who you are and what the world is (to the extent you can) – can help you move forward. If you don’t know where to start in this exploration, ask me – I have some ideas that seem to work well. If you don’t know where and how to take action, I have ideas there too. If you’re already listening to the world and yourself, you don’t need me – you have much more valuable teachers.
Enjoy the day,