Anything in any way beautiful derives its beauty from itself and asks nothing beyond itself.

Praise is no part of it,

for nothing is made worse or better by praise. -Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius was the wisest Roman Emperor and one of the This quote and his life give

wisest men in the world.

enlightenment about innate beauty and inner strength. Marcus Aurelius was born an upper crust patrician in the Roman Empire. He was born into a family closely related to the Though there was a

Caesars, and he was educated accordingly.

great emphasis on rhetoric in Marcuss education to prepare for his future duties as a politician and a Caesar, there were two teachers out of the great host of teachers that introduced Marcus to, and educated him in the way of thinking that would later be his trademark. This way of thinking was Stoic Philosophy and it

was considered by many of Marcuss teachers to be obsolete and even potentially damaging to his future political career. Despite the censure of his mentors, Marcus persevered in this doctrine that he used as a discerner for honor and a scale of justice. The reason Marcus Aureliuss name is remembered is not

just because of the insights recorded in his Meditations, it was that he truly lived out his beliefs, something relatively few men can claim. Marcus encountered many difficulties in his life,

from the almost constant war during his reign as Emperor to his

constantly poor health, Marcuss life is a testament to the innate beauty of a man living to be just and stand by what he perceives to be right, no matter the personal cost or inconvenience. Different cultures all seem to have a different definition of beauty as seen in the individual. Many of the peers and

teachers of Marcus Aurelius seemed to consider beauty to be a well-delivered and moving speech. American culture today seems

to consider beauty to be a perfect physical appearance, perfect by the cultures standards anyway. Now obviously this cultural

view of beauty in the individual is a generalization and doesnt necessarily apply to every member of the culture, just a majority of its members. Everyone seeks to be or make something

beautiful; it is an integral part of human nature. Unfortunately, some people seem to seek beauty for the praise and acclaim it will bring them rather than for the sake of beauty itself. This brings Marcus Aureliuss insight into the nature No thought would be expressed

and purpose of beauty into play.

without cause, so those whom Marcus Aurelius lived among, and perhaps he himself, for it is believed his book of wisdom was not originally written for publication, but for private use, must have struggled with a similarly flawed view of beauty and its purpose. Beauty is to be valued for itself; beauty is something

meaningful and astounding by its very existence; it is rare and precious. What Marcus says, and I believe from my experiences to

be true, is that beauty is not a means to an end and it is not affected by the opinions of others so people should not let praise or ridicule have weight with them in their own view of their inner beauty because it is affected by personal perspective and each persons is different. Just as a beautiful sunset is

not made better or worse, or changed in any way, by praise, so should our own innate beauty be. Marcus Aurelius, through his other comments in Meditations and through the history of his life, shows that he truly believed this statement about beauty as it applies to a persons inner beauty. He never let the opinions of others sway him from what

he truly believed to be right, good, and beautiful, though he still valued the opinions of his mentors and peers. What I take

from this is that the beauty of the image of God, the fragility and value of what we were originally intended to be, is in all people, however broken, and neither praise nor censure can take that from someone just as praise and censure cannot change the color and composition of a painting. Opinions will diverge, and

are not entirely invalid, because each person sees beauty differently, but they should not be given more credit than is

their due; people should not shape who they are based on he opinions of others.