D

December 27th

DON’T LET YOUR SOUL GO FIRST

“It’s a disgrace in this life when the soul surrenders first while the

body refuses to.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.29

espite his privileges, Marcus Aurelius had a difficult life. The Roman
historian Cassius Dio mused that Marcus “did not meet with the good
fortune that he deserved, for he was not strong in body and was involved in
a multitude of troubles throughout practically his entire reign.” At one
point, he was so sick that a rumor spread that he had died—and matters
were made worse when his most trusted general used it as an opportunity to
declare himself the new emperor.
But throughout these struggles—the years at war, the crippling illnesses,
his troubled son—he never gave up. It’s an inspiring example for us to think
about today if we get tired, frustrated, or have to deal with some crisis. Here
was a guy who had every reason to be angry and bitter, who could have
abandoned his principles and lived in luxury or ease, who could have put
his responsibilities aside and focused on his own health.
But he never did. His soul stayed strong even after his body became
weak. He didn’t give up, right up to the second until his body finally did—
when he died near Vienna in 180 AD.