Brilliant quote by Marcus Aurelius

I was reading Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" when I came by this quote and I just loved it

The man having the largest intelligence ought to be very generous to the other. Being thankful that he has been blessed in so many ways, he should do all in his power to enlighten his less favored fellow, rather than be angry with him on account of his misfortune. Is he not sufficiently punished in being denied the light?

I fully agree with it. For me, personally, the quote signifies the importance of genetics in one´s life. One might get far, become successful, but he/she should never forget, that a large role in the reasons why he/she got that far, was played by the predetermined genetical factors and that is something one should be thankful for. Most people have not given such talent and they should not be mistaken for being too lazy, too undisciplined, too whatever, but rather helped to get up due to their misfortunes.

PS. For anyone who is interested in reading Meditations, it is legally available here (html, epub, kindle etc):

www.gutenberg.org...

Minus a few things primarily due to his military training and role in Rome's government. The Meditations are an excellent read, and provide much to think about, and weigh yourself. The Meditations are available, for free, on the web.

Cabin
I was reading Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" when I came by this quote and I just loved it

The man having the largest intelligence ought to be very generous to the other. Being thankful that he has been blessed in so many ways, he should do all in his power to enlighten his less favored fellow, rather than be angry with him on account of his misfortune. Is he not sufficiently punished in being denied the light?

I fully agree with it. For me, personally, the quote signifies the importance of genetics in one´s life. One might get far, become successful, but he/she should never forget, that a large role in the reasons why he/she got that far, was played by the predetermined genetical factors and that is something one should be thankful for. Most people have not given such talent and they should not be mistaken for being too lazy, too undisciplined, too whatever, but rather helped to get up due to their misfortunes.

PS. For anyone who is interested in reading Meditations, it is legally available here (html, epub, kindle etc):

www.gutenberg.org...

edit on 5-4-2014 by Cabin because: (no reason given)

That is a really cool quote...I suppose ive heard things like it but I like how that is written...will look up the book...havent really ever gotten too much into philosophy..yet

The quote to me does not mention any importance of genetics.
People who you judge do not have "talent or are not successful " are not judged by you as talentless or unsuccessful because of their genes.
When you make up your ideas of what success is [and who is successful] surely you do not scan their DNA first and then you say have "talented/successful DNA ".


What is it that your consider to be success?

DNA does not always determine success. I saw some very bright kids who were destined not to succeed because they were not making good choices in their lives.

I've also seen some other kids who were otherwise unexceptional in every way who were determined to succeed and did through their own determination. Imagine what they would have done with the talent of the kids in the pool above?

Sometimes, being born with great natural gifts is an Achilles heel as much as it is an advantage. A person can cruise on their talents only so far, and when they run into the wall, they realize they haven't developed either skills or the strength of character to deal with adversity, so despite an abundance of talent, they founder and fail.

BDBinc

What is it that your consider to be success?

"Success" and "gifted"in elite's standard ?LOL
Marcus Aurelius seem to be a elite in his time.

candlestick

BDBinc

What is it that your consider to be success?

"Success" and "gifted"in elite's standard ?LOL
Marcus Aurelius seem to be a elite in his time.

Judge him as you will, but Marcus Aurelius did not share the thread writers thoughts on the importance of genetics or that genes determine success/talent.

BDBinc

candlestick

BDBinc

What is it that your consider to be success?

"Success" and "gifted"in elite's standard ?LOL
Marcus Aurelius seem to be a elite in his time.

Judge him as you will, but Marcus Aurelius did not share the thread writers thoughts on the importance of genetics or that genes determine success/talent.

Talented people (whatever which kind talent)must be the small part in the population.As a politician,he have to please the majority.

I love his thoughts. Been a big fan for a while now.

I have a bit of a different take on this one in that I don't agree that it's about genetics or being to the manor born or anything like this at all. From all I've read from him and on him, he doesn't seem to think this way or made this kind of distinction, that someone is born better than another. He found his own wisdom and knowledge in a lot of things, in nature and in simple things. That's what makes him special to me.

Intelligence or knowledge can be gained through a variety of ways, through learning and exploring and collecting. I think what he means by those more blessed are those who get the chance to do this or simply have done this should share it with someone who hasn't had the same opportunity.

Those who had the opportunity to gain intelligence that he learned from were not always only those born to wealth, and many times it was quite the opposite.

One of my faves...

“Never forget that the universe is a single living organism possessed of one substance and one soul, holding all things suspended in a single consciousness and creating all things with a single purpose that they might work together spinning and weaving and knotting whatever comes to pass.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Cabin


I fully agree with it. For me, personally, the quote signifies the importance of genetics in one´s life. One might get far, become successful, but he/she should never forget, that a large role in the reasons why he/she got that far, was played by the predetermined genetical factors and that is something one should be thankful for. Most people have not given such talent and they should not be mistaken for being too lazy, too undisciplined, too whatever, but rather helped to get up due to their misfortunes.

www.gutenberg.org...

edit on 5-4-2014 by Cabin because: (no reason given)

I took it to mean that each of us, has a greater obligation to the whole of humanity based off the inherent gifts we have been given.

Not to look down on one another, but instead try to use your gifts to uplift, not to horde them to yourself and be smug about it.

But its been awhile since I read them, perhaps another look.

reply to post by Cabin


Now that is high quality wisdom right there.
Excellent, thanks for sharing.

S&F

Awesome quote and message!

Many people, these days, are quick to kick his fellow man when he's down. It is a dangerous trend and politicians hold some of the blame. Two elections ago they used this as a tactic to paint unfortunates as slime out to get the fortunate's fortunes.

They coined a myriad of newspeak like: Nannystate, handouts, entitlements, lazy, free stuff etc.

People ate it up and let it polarize us. Now we are left with that twisted mindset of those failed campaign tactics. Empathy is in short supply now, brothers and sisters....but I still have hope.

reply to post by Cabin

Is he not sufficiently punished in being denied the light?

Yah, geez… give the poor sod your flashlight so he can find his way back to his bed roll.

The man having the largest intelligence ought to be very generous to the other. Being thankful that he has been blessed in so many ways, he should do all in his power to enlighten his less favored fellow, rather than be angry with him on account of his misfortune. Is he not sufficiently punished in being denied the light?

Righteous.

candlestick

BDBinc

candlestick

BDBinc

What is it that your consider to be success?

"Success" and "gifted"in elite's standard ?LOL
Marcus Aurelius seem to be a elite in his time.

Judge him as you will, but Marcus Aurelius did not share the thread writers thoughts on the importance of genetics or that genes determine success/talent.

Talented people (whatever which kind talent)must be the small part in the population.As a politician,he have to please the majority.

Marcus Aurelius did not talk about genetics,talent or success ( as the elites judge success in this world) .
It is a misunderstanding of the quote "Is he not sufficiently punished in being denied the light"
Light here is not referring to fame, fortune, genetics or talent.

Got to agree there. Well that was how I grew up. Not the brightest, but the most determined to do everything in my power to obtain what I wanted. In fact at one point I went to the Fijian schooling system since I had family that attended this school. While I was visiting, I met all these smart kids who were stuck up and just jerks in general.

Then I kept going down to the lowest classes and while the test scores may have been lower, the kids I met were so determined in their own education. They were less privileged, didn't have transport, walked miles barefoot in the cold and heat just to get a basic education, they didn't even have light bulbs so they used those kerosene lamps to read. But make no mistake they were determined. I even saw my poorer relatives complete high school there, they got into the 70-80 marks on their final exams which is astonishing if you look at their background.

You can't only have a natural aptitude for education but kids and teens need the determination to actually succeed in school and life. So I definitely agree with you here.

I watched this amazing documentary the other day.
Richard Feynman speaks about how his intelligence was developed and how he does not like to be put on a pedestal - this thread just reminded me of it and I thought I would share it.

He was just very interested in the way things are but realizes that he does not know why they are the way they are. He won a noble prize for his observations.

reply to post by Cabin


What of those who view the less enlightened so sympathetically that they encourage them to remain just as they are?

I am much an admirer of Aurelius, and am actually reading his Meditations again this week, so finding this topic is fitting as I enjoy my journey through its pages yet again. My preferred translation is Gregory Hays' seminal and recent contribution to understanding this loose collection of very personal notes on the Emperor's own internal thoughts; which, thankfully, by historical accident, were published and transmitted to us today in the book those of us in this thread are mutually bound in admiration of.

A remark Aurelius makes sits quite resonantly well with me, that we must each always hold in our minds, that anything and everything that is humanly possible, is, too, possible for us each to achieve, without limit. Certainly encouraging as well as provocative. Aurelius' typically terse, Stoic style, and the apparent disjointed array of otherwise personal "notes" make for really profound reading. Anyone here who has not yet encountered the Meditations should! Aurelius really hits home the power one's Perception plays in one's life, and how crucial it is to not at all waste any more of one's life and time on caring at all about how he or she is perceived, since the opinions of others--excepting in circumstances of attaining the greater good for all people--prove only one thing: that we have been coerced into letting others dictate our Perception, which is our most valuable asset and one which we should never relinquish to anyone else.

So many of the concepts people are speaking of in topics here at ATS can find an original emanation, and in a much more succinct, and mind-blowing expression, in Meditations without buzzwords like "Law of Attraction" and "Synchronicity" and so on. The concepts are nearly identical, but more organically expounded by Aurelius, and so many millennia prior.