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.