“A person’s true greatness comes from the recognition of a lifestyle aimed at honesty. It is based on a fair evaluation of oneself and everything, and is based on regular self-esteem. Introspection, firmly abide by the principles he believes to be right without letting himself get into trouble. "George Long's preface perfectly summarizes the life attitude of the ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato proposed the concept of the philosopher king, and Aurelius, a latecomer, was a rare practitioner.

The way of inner saint and outer king was unified in him, and he personally practiced this seemingly impossible love.

He was the last emperor of the Roman Empire in the era of the Five Wise Emperors. He was also a rare sage emperor in the entire Western civilization. He lived nearly two thousand years ago (121-180), and wrote "Meditations" which has been passed down to the world. "Meditations" is a short book. The most valuable thing about it is that the author did not intend to spread it to others when he wrote it, but only reflected it for himself. In this way, although there are many repetitions in the ideological content of the book, it is sincere enough, and this kind of sincerity is the most valuable. He believed that there is a divine aspect in every human heart and that we need to hold on to that divinity.

A person's growth and education are not affected by one person, but are deeply affected by everyone and things around him, tangible or intangible. Each of us affects others, good or bad. For good influences, like the light in the morning sun, what we have to do is to repay gratitude and continue to reflect this light. For bad influences, it is a time to sharpen our will. The reverse side provides us with the opportunity to understand ourselves, and at the same time, cherish the light more.

Aurelius was deeply influenced by the teachings of his imperial adoptive father, as well as the teachings of many mentors, and he followed their examples. He is grateful to God for giving him kind and amiable brothers, sisters, relatives and friends, as well as all the good things. In such a good atmosphere, coupled with his humility in learning, diligent study, frugality and introspection, he finally became a heroic, wise, kind and forgiving king. At the beginning, he recorded the quality inheritance from his life circle, listing fifteen people and their beautiful qualities that influenced him.

The following is an excerpt from "Meditations":

1. From my grandfather, I learned the importance of good moral character and controlling one's emotions.

2. From my father’s reputation and memories of him, I learned about humility and manhood.

3. From my mother, I exaggerated piety, love and restraint, not only abstaining from evil deeds, and even abstaining from evil thoughts; moreover, I also learned a simple way of life, abandoning the luxury of the rich living habits.

(Commentary: China also had such a diligent and frugal emperor, Liu Bang’s son Liu Heng, Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty. Liu Heng advocated frugality and often went to the palace to work wearing straw sandals. His harem also wore simple clothes. The dragon robe with lace embroidery, which is the most valued by every emperor, is often patched on Liu Heng's body. He has been the emperor for twenty-three years and has never built a palace, built a garden, or added any carriages or horses. Achieved the rule of Wenjing)

4. From Diogenatus (his first teacher), he learned not to busy himself with trivial matters; he learned not to sow discord, and was neither enthusiastic nor afraid Fight; learn to let people speak freely; learn to get close to philosophy.

5. He is moderately concerned about his physical health, neither overly attached to life nor like those who don’t care about personal image.

6.? He can both restrain and enjoy these things, but many people are too weak to restrain them, and they can easily enjoy them without restraint.

7. The longest-lived person and the shortest-lived person lose the same thing. Because "now" is the only thing that can be deprived of a person, if it is really the only thing he has, then a person cannot lose what he does not have.

8. Those things that come along with other things also have a pleasant and attractive side in themselves. For example, when bread is baked, the crust will crack. Although it goes against the baker's original intention, it is beautiful in a sense and makes people salivate in its own way. Another example is a fig, which splits when it is ripe to a certain extent... Therefore, if a person has an emotion for everything in the universe and has a deeper understanding of things, then in his opinion, almost anything All have their pleasant sides.

9. If you take action, do it willingly. After considering the stakes and careful consideration, you should work hard wholeheartedly, and don't just follow the rules without thinking.

10. You exist as a part. You too will disappear into the matter from which you were created; but more precisely, you will return to the principle of reproduction through transmutation.

11. Don’t live like you can live for 10,000 years. Death is watching you. While you are still alive and you still have the ability, do more good deeds.

12.? In a sense, beautiful things are beautiful in themselves. Its beauty comes from itself and does not need to be praised as a part of itself.

13. In the morning, when you get up reluctantly, please think like this: I got up to do a "human" job. Haven't you seen the little plants, birds, ants, spiders, and bees all working together and performing their duties in the universe?

14.?Look within yourself and don’t let any of your unique qualities and their value leave you. The best way you can get back at others is by not becoming like them.

15. The essence of the universe beyond all things in the universe is like the wax used to make a horse. When this waxy horse is melted, it can be made into a tree or a person. Then melt it to make other shapes. Each crafted object only exists for a short period of time.

16.? The art of living is not so much the art of a dancer as it is the skill of a wrestler. It is necessary to stand firm and bravely meet the blow, even if the blow comes suddenly.

17. The perfect moral quality is this: Live every day as the last day of your life to the fullest, without being extremely excited, lazy or weak, let alone hypocritical and cunning.

18. Human beings exist to support each other.

19. Understand everyone’s talents and let them understand yours.

20. Do not work with a depressed look, nor work like a person who is being pitied or praised, but focus your intention on a certain thing and put it into action. Keep reflecting on yourself.

21. A philosopher should be simple and humble, and should not lead me into the abyss of laziness and arrogance.

22. What are your responsibilities? Do more good deeds. So how will this be done? In addition to following general laws, some are about the nature of the universe and others are accurate laws for human beings?

23.? It is not manliness to get angry casually, but kind, friendly and gentle actions, because they are closer to human nature, are what men do. Those who possess these qualities have strength, courage, and courage, while those who are motivated and dissatisfied with criticism do not. This is also equivalent to the fact that the less a person's mind is free from ups and downs, the more powerful he will be. Pain is a sign of weakness, and so is anger.

After the question:

It is the good time of spring again, the flowers have fallen one after another, and small green fruits have formed. It can be seen that spring is not only the sadness of "no one feels pity when the red and fragrant flowers disappear" and "spring is over as the flowers fall in the flowing water", but also the joy of returning to nature as "the flowers fall into mud and become dust". Everything has its own order.

Today is my birthday. “May your wishes be strong, your aspirations firm, your heart humble, and your spirit gentle in the years to come.” The blessings I wrote to myself last year will continue to be passed on to the new year. In this world, I still hope that I can take advantage of the sun, grow up towards the sun without any delay!