Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher, has a number of memorable expressions. In Meditations, Aurelius covers many subjects, and much of what he writes seems insightful even from the temporal distance of two millennia of philosophical and cultural vicissitudes.
Among his more complex thoughts lie some analogs that serve as minor points on the way to a major conclusion. One of those minor thoughts is that even to a small child “a ball is a treasure of great price.” We might not be able to remember how we treasured some ball, pillow, blanket, or toy when we were very young, but we certainly can witness the phenomenon in children.
As we age, the “treasure of great price” changes. That’s pretty much the way of the world. We can’t reclaim the sense of treasure for something lost to our memories, but we can ask, “What today is my ‘treasure of great price’?”
Among his more complex thoughts lie some analogs that serve as minor points on the way to a major conclusion. One of those minor thoughts is that even to a small child “a ball is a treasure of great price.” We might not be able to remember how we treasured some ball, pillow, blanket, or toy when we were very young, but we certainly can witness the phenomenon in children.
As we age, the “treasure of great price” changes. That’s pretty much the way of the world. We can’t reclaim the sense of treasure for something lost to our memories, but we can ask, “What today is my ‘treasure of great price’?”
RSS Feed