Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: The things themselves (which either to…
The things themselves (which either to get or to avoid thou art put to so much trouble) come not unto thee themselves; but thou in a manner goest unto them. Let then thine own judgment and opinion concerning those things be at rest; and as for the things themselves, they stand still and quiet, without any noise or stir at all; and so shall all pursuing and flying cease.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
The object of your anxiety is often much quieter than your mind makes it. The job title is not chasing you. The unread message is not attacking you. The possibility of rejection is not making noise in the room. We run toward things we want and away from things we fear, then blame them for the exhaustion. Marcus tells us to let judgment settle. The thing itself can be examined without the story attached to it. A bill is a number and a deadline. An awkward conversation is a conversation. A desire is a passing impression asking to be obeyed. This pause creates room for choice. You may still pursue the opportunity or address the problem, but you will do it deliberately rather than desperately. When you feel pulled in ten directions, name the object plainly and remove the drama. What action remains once the chasing stops?
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