Stoic philosophy is sometimes mistaken for pessimism. It is anything but that. Instead it is realistic, noticing reality without judging it, and it is radically accepting, always teaching us to be aware of the worst fault you find in others, as it may be the fault you most fear in yourself. In our mindfulness practice we follow this same philosophy closely. In these pandemic days it is easy to fall into the trap of pessimism, but our mindfulness practice guides us into seeing reality as it is, and our practice of acceptance allows us to respond with skill and with vigor. Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations reminds us of these timeless principles. In today’s meditation I have used some quotes from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. The video and audio of this session can be found beneath the quotes.
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.”
“You have the power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
If you would like to join one of these sessions in real time, here are the details:
11:50 am Zoom Meeting site opens (11:50 EDT [USA]; 15:50 GMT)
12:10 – 12:15 A Brief Talk from Dr. Walsh: Lessons we can learn from Mindfulness
12:15 – 12:30 Gently guided Mindfulness Meditation
After 12:30 feel free to stay in the Zoom Meeting site for reflection and conversation. The Zoom Meeting will have to close by no later than 12:45 pm EDT (USA), 15:50 GMT
In order to join a Zoom meeting just follow this link on your internet browser, on your phone or computer:
Once you have reached the zoom.us/join site, enter the Meeting ID:
Meeting ID: 154 883 178
James M. Walsh Pastoral Counseling 