Evening star., 1925-07-11

things); or remember the arguments
| by which 1t has been proved that the
world is a kind of political com.
munity, and be quiet at last"
His argument here, it seems, is
that either we are all the result of
Providence assigning us our places
as well as our houses, cars, etc, or
merely the result of chance, and that
/ In either case we cannot much alter
results, and that the world is a huge
ward in which the Boss Politicians
have control, 'and so stop your kick.
| ing"
With this argument we may regis
ter some dissent, remembering the
chaotic years in which our author
wrote, when the old gods were van.
| ishing.
If pain and pleasure worry one too
much, Marcus says, making one dis
contented, he should realize that in
| the mind, II he has a workable one
he possesses a means to subdue them
To me 1t has always give thrill
| TO remember that the mind does not
| sweat. No matter how ones bones
ache, the trusty old brain does it's best
| to function, and generally does so to
| the best of its ability.
Maybe the desire for fame torments
| one, our philosopher says. See how
soon everything is forgotten he con.
tlnues, adding a striking sentence:
Look at the chaos of infinite time
on each side Of the present"
He pictures the present as a noun.
| tain peak, set in the middle of great
| plain, or, better, a great sand dune in
| waste of beach, with time past on
| one SIDE, and time to come stretch
ing away on the other-and the dune
| itself moved with the winds.
Now hear the conclusion of the
| whole matter:
This, then, remains: Remember tc
| retire into this little territory of thy
| own, and look at things as a
man, as human being, as a citizen. -
Our perturbations come only from
| the opinion which is within, he says
| recalling the biblical injunction, LAS
| a man thinketh in his heart, so is he >
Life is opinion" says Marcus Azure
| lius, and it takes one many, many
years of living to even begin to find
out that he was more or less correct
Take away thy opinion, and then
| there is taken away the complaint, !
| have been harmed Take away the
complaint, I have been harmed and
| the harm is taken away"
He who will inwardly digest that, tc
the best of his ability will have one OF
the best helps that thinking can give
him to go through this world happily
L hasten to add that there are, OF
course, other helps than the mind.
Sometimes a large application of
dollars soothes beyond all words.
X X
do not have such an opinion OF
things as he has who does thee wrong
or such as he wishes thee to have
but look at them as they are in
truth"
In modern words, do not let some
mean guy, out of his nasty DISPOSE
ton, hurt your feelings by reason OF
his nastiness, and implant in you the
same nasty feelings and motives that
| he had.
This is only common sense. in the
last analysis, but most uncommon
| sense, too, in practical application
| Marcus Aurelius knew it; that was
why he wrote about II. Sometimes
even he was driven to the doctrine OF
indifference: MANY grains of franklin
| cense on the same altar; one falls be
fore. another falls after; but it makes
no difference"
He gets back, in self-defense. to his
favorite doctrine, which he could not
tell himself too often, nor we our
selves:
while thou livest, while it is in thy
power be good"