Further Reflections

The previous post is about Meditations Book X, Section XI.

I'm not sure my commentary grasps the nub of Marcus Aurelius's idea. It might be that what he's getting at here isn't so much ability to accommodate oneself to inevitable change, but the bird's eye perspective over life that comes from recognizing that all things are in a constant state of transformation. 

"All things" would include (1) things you like that you don't want to go away; (2) things you don't like that you want to change; (3) things other people like that they don't wish would change; (4) things that other people don't like that they wish would change. These are beloved or disliked family relationships, friendships, professional relationships, beloved or disliked polities, one's youth, beloved or disliked features of culture, laws, the popularity of certain ideas, philosophies, or religions, the ascent or descent of one's career, souvenirs and mementos from the past that decay with time, and so on--in short, everything that exists. 

To be aware that all is in a constant state of change is amenable not to being overly attached to one's own favorite things; correspondingly not to be overly attached to disliking things that exist in opposition to one's own favorite things, and not to become overly caught up in any conflict that emerges between the two.

One can see reality and everything within it for what it is--struggling ephemera in a world whose most basic feature is impermanence. From that perspective, one is more able to approach anything with a broad mind and a sympathetic heart.