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The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.3

Philosophy

The story behind the card

Marcus Aurelius (121–180) was Roman emperor from 161 and a follower of Stoic philosophy. His Meditations were private notes written in Greek, partly during long military campaigns on the Danube frontier, and never meant for publication; their Greek title means roughly 'to himself'. This line closes passage 4.3, where he reminds himself that people seek retreats in the countryside or by the sea, when the best retreat is into one's own mind. He then gives himself two rules: things outside us cannot touch the mind, because our distress comes from our own judgements, and everything we see is changing and will soon be gone. In Greek the closing line is only a few words, literally 'the world is change, life is opinion'; the wording on this card is a popular, freer rendering of it.

Türkçe oku
Evren değişimden ibarettir; hayatımızı ise düşüncelerimiz biçimlendirir.
Marcus Aurelius, Kendime Düşünceler 4.3

Marcus Aurelius (121–180), 161'den ölümüne kadar Roma imparatoruydu ve Stoa felsefesini benimsemişti. Kendime Düşünceler, onun kendisi için Yunanca tuttuğu özel notlardır. Bir kısmını Tuna sınırındaki uzun seferler sırasında yazdı ve hiç yayımlamayı düşünmedi; kitabın Yunanca adı kabaca “kendine” anlamına gelir. Bu söz, 4.3 numaralı bölümün son cümlesidir. Orada kendine, insanların kırlarda ya da deniz kıyısında sakin bir köşe aradığını, oysa en iyi sığınağın insanın kendi zihni olduğunu hatırlatır. Ardından kendine iki kural koyar: Dışımızdaki şeyler zihne dokunamaz, çünkü huzursuzluğumuz kendi yargılarımızdan doğar; gördüğümüz her şey de değişmekte ve yakında yok olacaktır. Yunancadaki kısa cümle, evrenin sürekli değiştiğini ve hayatı algılayışımızın yargılarımıza bağlı olduğunu anlatır. Karttaki söz, bu satırın yaygın ve daha serbest bir çevirisidir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Marcus Aurelius
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