Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: All things that are in the world, are…
All things that are in the world, are always in the estate of alteration. Thou also art in a perpetual change, yea and under corruption too, in some part: and so is the whole world.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
Nothing holds still. Our bodies change, friendships change, jobs change, cities change, and the version of ourselves we thought was permanent changes too. We know this in theory, yet we resist each alteration as if it were a malfunction. Marcus’s point is not gloomy. Change is the operating condition of the world. Decay and renewal are not exceptions to life; they are its rhythm. That can make a current loss easier to meet and a current success easier to hold lightly. The role you have now will not last forever. Neither will the pain that presently feels permanent. Instead of demanding stability where none exists, build qualities that travel well: adaptability, gratitude, courage, and a willingness to begin again. Look at one change you are resisting. What if it is not proof that life is going wrong, but simply proof that life is moving?
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