Meditation XI.33 – Living in the Moment - Translated by George Long and rewritten by Russell McNeil
To look for the fig in winter is madness: such is he who looks for his child when it is no longer allowed.1 (Epictetus, iii. 24, 87)
Explanation
(1) Nature acts in cycles familiar to anyone who observes her operations. By analogy those cycles work on your body and soul as you pass through the stages of your life. These progressions proceed continuously. There is no stasis. The meditation is designed to remind us that the only reality we have is the present moment. The only time for action is now. Serenity is available to anyone who lets go of the past and worries not about the future.
Russell McNeil, PhD, is the author of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained by Skylight Paths Publishing. The unpublished selections presented in this Blog are provided as supplemental material to the published selections which are annotated and explained in the book. The published selections are referenced in this Blog by page number and section.
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