Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: That which the nature of the universe…
That which the nature of the universe doth busy herself about, is; that which is here, to transfer it thither, to change it, and thence again to take it away, and to carry it to another place. So that thou needest not fear any new thing. For all things are usual and ordinary; and all things are disposed by equality.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
Change is not a glitch in the system; it is the system. Things move, decay, become something else, and eventually leave the place they occupied. Jobs, relationships, bodies, cities, and ideas all follow this pattern. Marcus finds comfort in that regularity. The unfamiliar feels frightening mainly because we imagine it as an exception, but change is the oldest rule there is. You do not need to enjoy every transition to stop being surprised by the existence of transition. A move, a layoff, a child growing up, or the end of a season can hurt and still be natural. Resisting every alteration exhausts us because it asks life to remain still for our comfort. Today, name the change you are facing without calling it abnormal or unfair by default. Ask what is being asked to end, what may be beginning, and what steady part of your character you can carry through both.
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