They called him “the philosopher emperor,” and he is considered one of the greatest Roman emperors. He did not govern only with military and political power, he also did so with wisdom. He is one of the greatest Stoics in history, and he left us a great legacy in his Meditations. We are talking, of course, about Marcus Aurelius, emperor of ancient Rome and one of the most important figures in the history of philosophy.

Among his extensive legacy, which transcends his wars and conquests, We find a life manual based on resilience, acceptance and serenity. From him, precisely, we extract one of the great life lessons left by the guru of the Stoics, which can help you be happy at all times.

The great lessons of Marcus Aurelius

To say that Marcus Aurelius left us a great and unique life lesson would be, at the same time, true and false. There is a key, fundamental, essential and basic, that we must apply to our lives if we want to be happy.. One that, by the way, he shares with other great Stoic philosophers, such as Epictetus and Seneca. But entering into it without understanding much of Marcus Aurelius’ legacy would result in a sad understanding of what he sought to communicate.

That’s why We must start, as always, at the beginning. Bring us closer, lesson by lesson, to that valuable key that will change your way of understanding life. Do you dare to embark on this journey?

What was happiness for Marcus Aurelius?

Perhaps the most important question we must ask ourselves to understand the emperor’s famous lesson is, What was happiness, from your point of view? In their Meditationsthe philosopher wrote “a happy life lies in very little.” Or what is the same, you need very little to be happy.

According to Marcus Aurelius, it was not wealth, success or fame that granted the blessed gift of happiness, the one that we all want to achieve. No.

Happiness was found in being “free, modest, sociable and obedient to God.” We could change the latter to “being virtuous”, a somewhat more modern concept adapted to the 21st century.

Live beautifully

In addition to trusting in the capacity of human beings to be good and fulfill their responsibilities, Marcus Aurelius assured that one had to “live in the most beautiful way”. However, the Stoics assured that luck did not exist, and it was in vain to dream of changing destiny. What, then, was the great philosopher referring to with this idea?

For Marcus Aurelius, the power to live beautifully “lies in the soul, in case it is indifferent to indifferent things.” That is to say, that The only way to live life with beauty is to stop worrying about what is indifferent.. Or what is the same: you have to downplay the importance of things.

And to do so, the philosopher emperor recommended observe “each one of them separately”. That phrase “divide and conquer”, you surely know it.

If you take your worries, one by one, and separate them so much from the context that you come to observe them with complete coldness, You will discover that, in reality, they were not that big a deal. In fact, the philosopher posed a much more important question to the reader of his Meditationsasking «what is wrong with these things being like this? If, then, it is in accordance with nature, be happy with it and it will be easy for you. And if it is contrary to nature, find out what corresponds to you according to your nature and strive to seek it, even if it lacks fame. For every person who seeks his or her particular good has an excuse.»

This idea of ​​living free of worries is reinforced with another great quote from the philosopher, which says “Happiness is a good numen, or a good “family spirit”. What are you doing here, then, oh imagination?” The philosopher asked the gods to take her away, that ability we have to imagine that everything is dark or that everything is bright, and that generates unrealistic expectations in our minds. To her he said, «I don’t need you. You have come according to your old custom. I am not angry with you; just go.»

The formula to be happy by Marcus Aurelius

Perhaps you have already found the common pattern behind the teachings of the philosopher that we bring you in this article. All of them, in one way or another, come together in this phrase: “When you accept what destiny offers you and try to cooperate with the inevitable, you do so with the hope of evolving, since everything that happens to you has a meaning, even if you don’t understand it.”

For Marcus Aurelius, as for many other Stoic philosophers, the only way to be happy is to accept reality. Or as the Stoic doctrine says, the natural. It is impossible to prevent bad things from happening to you, accept it. And after doing so, embrace the white waters and storms, to turn them into the wind that drives your sails. Because, as Seneca, another important Stoic, said, “there is no favorable wind for those who do not know which port they are heading for.”