Meditations

A potential sense of frustration bubbles under the surface of Marcus’s reflections in Book 5. He takes up similar frames of reference as he does in Book 3, here approaching them with a sense of urgency that seems born of anxiety rather than energetic good cheer. He is preoccupied with accepting the lot accorded to him by Fate and keeping himself on his directed path toward virtue in ways that suggest he is struggling to meet his own standards.

His potentially troubled state of mind is suggested in his discussion of Asclepius, an ancient Greek god of healing. His treatments may be unpleasant in the moment they are administered but prove beneficial in the long run. Unlike in Book 3, where the emphasis was on perceiving beauty and charm, here Marcus applies the same concept to the development of virtue, suggesting that he may feel himself in need of moral or spiritual healing as he struggles to keep anger at bay.

To do so, he turns to his ritual technique of questioning himself and stripping away the artifice of rationalizations. In one case, he asks himself, “Are you angry with the man who smells like a goat or the one with foul breath?” (43). He further remonstrates himself, “What would you have him do,” since the man’s armpits and mouth respectively are producing odors according to how they have been created (43). Apparently unsatisfied, Marcus pushes himself still further, questioning why a man who has reason does not apply it to resolve what within him causes offense to others. He follows with a reply to himself, “Well, good for you!” before conceding that he too can appeal to his reason to help the man (43). Anger is in no way necessary or beneficial to the situation in which Marcus finds himself. Marcus’s preoccupations with managing anger reflect a common trope in the ancient world, as overcoming anger was a pervasive concern across antiquity, from Homer’s epics through the philosophical schools of the Roman empire.

Similarly, Marcus takes up his familiar concern of coming to terms with the fate allotted to him and controlling the only thing within his power. The sources of encouragement he appeals to again and again are his trust in the divine and his belief in the transience of human experience. His struggle will not be long, since human lives pass quickly, but while he is alive, he must apply his reason and focus on benefitting the Whole, as the gods have determined.