Minding Our Own Affairs: Insights from Marcus Aurelius

In his book Meditations, Marcus stated:

“How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only to what he does himself, that it may be just and pure; or as Agathon says, look not at the depraved morals of others, but run straight along the line without deviating from it.”

Marcus’ words, although written several centuries ago, still proves their relevance as they addresses most of the complications every person suffers and struggles to break away from. The philosophy is simple, and that’s why it’s effective. To put it simply, it means minding your own affairs.

I won’t expound on Marcus’ words because they’re quite self-explanatory. However, to add to this, most of our problems would disappear if we stopped stressing over how our lives appear to others and comparing our successes—because it’s stupid. Why? Perhaps the best way to answer that is to counter it with another question: Why would you compare carrots to apples?

Each of us has a unique life to live, equipped with a distinct purpose. Even if you think you don’t have a purpose, perhaps your purpose is to find it. If we simply follow this approach, we’re already halfway down the right path.

By traveling lightly—that is, minding our own affairs—we can go farther than we ever expected.