Decide, Or It Will Be Decided

Worth remembering about the staple Stoic text that is Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is that it was not a book written for public consumption. It was a personal wartime journal Aurelius kept as a means of remaining grounded during the tumultuous periods he endured as Roman emperor. The broad-reaching utility of its insights aside, the book itself presents a useful meta commentary on the value of knowing who one wants to be.

Emperor for 19 years, there was no shortage of temptations to be who others wanted him to be. This journal of epithets to himself reminded him of what mattered, of who he wanted to be, and how he wanted to operate both as a leader and a human. What became known as Meditations was truly his own set of meditative principles that would inform all things.

Demonstrated by Marcus Aurelius' efforts in capturing lessons to himself is an awareness of the following: If you do not decide who you are, it will be decided for you.

In an age where our attention is the most sought-after currency, the ability to consciously select and manage one's inputs is a skill. Doing this well, however, requires a refined understanding of who and how we we wish to be—our principles, our values, our commitments. Aurelius knew what his were, and filtered everything through that lens accordingly.

It serves us to answer a question encouraged by Aurelius for ourselves: "...how can [you] live the best life possible in the time that is granted..?” In specificity, what does this look like? Is room left for the answer to evolve over time? Is there a willingness to adapt or discard what is no longer useful?

Whatever the answers are, be the one who defines them.

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