I really enjoyed the beginning of Chapter 4 where Augustine talks about his friend, the end was less interesting to me. I thought he showed a great understanding of love, friendship and grief in his writings. I especially enjoyed this part:

"...to discourse and jest with him; to indulge in courteous exchanges; to read pleasant books together; to trifle together; to be earnest together; to differ at times without ill-humor, as a man might do with himself, and even through these infrequent dissensions to find zest in our more frequent agreements; sometimes teaching, sometimes being taught; longing for someone absent with impatience and welcoming the homecomer with joy. These and similar tokens of friendship, which spring spontaneously from the hearts of those who love and are loved in return -- in countenance, tongue, eyes, and a thousand ingratiating gestures -- were all so much fuel to melt our souls together, and out of the many made us one. "

I didn't necessarily agree with him about how to solve the problem of death and grief (God, etc) but it is something that everyone has to find a way to reconcile within themselves at some point. I was a bit suprised when he stated how pouring his time into other friends who were living wasn't a "fix" (because they just die too). I was taken aback I guess because that's what I realised I do, and I think most people do it too (find a way to distract themselves through friends, work, etc when they're grieving). But I think I distract myself with the "living friends" for a different reason: Because I find that being there for other people genuinely makes me feel happy and, when you're not focusing on yourself, things go into perspective and everything gets easier.

Surprisingly Interesting

Let me first say this about the Augustine reading: I was dreading it. My roommate had read him last semester and made him seem highly dull and boring. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this work as well. There were lengthy moments, but over all, I felt content and inspired reading through Book Four.

I think the part I truly enjoyed was the few paragraphs he spent mourning the loss of his friend. I really thought it was interesting to hear this reflection, that he should've believed and went to God with his problems, but he talks about his flesh as acting on its own. I enjoy this view of the body and soul acting different from each other, how the soul knows one thing and wants to react in the correct way, but the body wants something completely different. And in this Augustine knew that he shouldn't be completely attached to his friend, but he still is. He even knows he should go somewhere to seek help, but his body wants to mourn and be bitter.

I just...really enjoyed this reading overall and was pleasantly surprised by how delightful it was.

Unexpected

As the majority of the class did, I too greatly enjoyed reading the Marcus Aurelius Meditations, despite the stoicism. I knew they were applicable to the everyday life, but I never thought they would impact me as much as they have. I mean, after all, my first impression of them were well thought out fortune cookies.
As I go through out my day, I find myself saying, "now meditation (insert number here) clearly states there is a better way of handling this situation." Or even better, "Marcus Aurelius would be so proud of you right now."
This is what philosophy should be. Something that impacts my everyday life, instead of just something difficult to read that takes a group to interpret. I find myself more level headed and accepting since the last class. I find myself being in places because I want to be, and not just because I'm told to.
It's refreshing after being told what to do up until moving here last August.

Meditations not void of Joy

In class it was suggested that the meditations were void of joy. I think that they may not have a ton of room for elation however I do feel that different people feel joy in different ways. I think there is something joyful about being able to get along with your friends, enemies and your self. I find there to be a lot of joy in peace.

For a Deeper Explanation of my Interpretation of #12

Straight, not straightened.

Discovery, not invention.

Richard Rorty's collection of essays, "Philosophy and Social Hope", discusses the difference between the school of "Discovery" and the school of "Invention".

Here a Wikipedia link to the book:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_and_Social_Hope

I'm almost positive you could find the book in our school library if you're interested and I'm in the process of downloading a PDF version of the book so I'll be back here with an excerpt directly from the essay...

Proto-philosophy of life exercise

For today's blogging suggestion, try writing three "meditations" (exhortations/memoranda) in the same style as Marcus Aurelius -- one sentence or multiple paragraphs. Think about the things in your life you have trouble dealing with, and write reminders to yourself of ways you can deal with them better. Keep in mind Marcus' disciplines of perception, action, and will. I'm excited to learn from your words of wisdom!

Meditations

I, like many others before me, would say this was one of my favorite readings. For the most part, I understood what he was saying. In a way I guess, it was easy to relate situations or ideas to the points he was talking about. I've got more than one favorite though, I like 7, 10, 15, 22 and 73.