Burns 15 1 Alicia Burns 15 WRT 1010.

08 Paper#8 Ancient Philosophy 10 December, 2011 Strengthening your Body, Mind and Spirit: In College and Thereafter Imagine being accepted into the prestigious institution of Harvard University, a university you always hoped to attend and one that will allow you to make the most out of a college experience. Although, being a freshman is not easy and the adjustment from high school to college may take a while, one is exhilarated seeing that he is the first person in his family to go to college. However, one may also feel as if he is not mentally, emotionally, and academically ready to pursue the pressures of being a college student and capable of achieving success. In many important ways, Cicero and Marcus Aurelius offer philosophical advice on how to strengthen ones body, mind and spirit in seeking to achieve the best life possible. By studying Ciceros book, On the Good Life and Marcus Aurelius Meditations, it is possible to find a schematic for life, relationships, hard work, and goodness, all of which can be applied to the contemporary life of a freshman student. In high school, a students mindset is not so much concerned with the purpose of his or her life, or the realization that life is short and that one must make the most of every situation. Many, if not most people, live as if they have no goal in life to achieve. However, in college one must know the reason why they are pursuing a degree but more so, one must have an awareness of his or her overall purpose in the world. According to Marcus Aurelius, no act should be done without a purpose, nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art (18). Aurelius is conveying that one should not do anything without first knowing why he is doing it and also realizing his purpose is essential in achieving success. As a freshman, knowing

Burns 15 2 ones purpose in life helps him to see the reason why he exists as a human being. Moreover, Marcus Aurelius adopts a theme of the transience of human life in establishing that death is something that must be accepted as part of the cycle of life and must be embraced. Aurelius asserts, Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good (22). He establishes that life is short and it is not in ones power to control it, thus he must live a reasonable life. As a Freshman, one should seek to realize his goal in life and go after it, because life is too short to waste time foolishly. In college, one will have the pleasure of meeting people from various different backgrounds and he will have to discern what attributes makes someone a good friend. Cicero goes to extreme lengths on the value of friendship and how to become a good friend to others. He charges one to place friendship above every other human concern that can be imagined (Cicero 185). He is denoting that the value of friends is more important than anything in the world and should be cherished. Cicero also claims that life is not worth living at all, unless it reposes on the mutual goodwill of friends (188). He acknowledges the belief that having a relationship with someone you can call a true friend, is when life is truly worth living. As a Freshman, one will have to cope with a wide range of difficulties and burdens and so having a friend brings a brighter glow to prosperity and relieves adversity by making ones burden light (Cicero 188). Cicero affirms that healthy relationships are those engaged mostly with true friendship and thus this can contribute to ones developmental and transitional process from high school to college. Hard work is another quality or practice that will allow a Freshman to strengthen his body, mind, and soul on the road to flourishing in the classrooms and in school life. The old

Burns 15 3 adage says that hard work pays off and this is true in every respect. Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations states, Wipe out imagination: check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the ruling faculty in its own power (69). He simply means that the mind is very powerful and everything is ruled by it. As a result, one can harness the direction in which he wants his life to go. As a Freshman, if one tells himself that he can achieve something, then he will because he is exerting positive energy. In addition, Aurelius also stresses that if one does not try, he will never succeed. Moreover, as a Freshman, one has to look inside himself to determine what he believes is good and work hard in order to achieve that. Sometimes the pressures of college can become overwhelming for any student to cope with but one should not become disgruntle since Marcus Aurelius reminds his readers that If it is difficult to accomplish something by yourself, do not think that it is impossible for man: but if anything is possible for man and comfortable to his nature, think that this can be attained by you, too (40). He believes that nothing is impossible in life; it is only the individual that believes that it. If as a Freshman something is difficult or gives one problems, rest it aside and return to work on it later for better understanding and clarity. One of the main reasons one chooses to obtain a degree is so that he may aspire to achieve a level of intelligence and wisdom which is paramount if he wants to live a reasonable life. However, a person should not view intelligence as the most important aspiration but rather that of goodness as Cicero reminds his audience. The philosopher emphasizes that it is better to be good or just than intelligent if one wants to prove honest in all circumstances. Justice is the same thing as goodness and so while interacting with other students at the college; one must be just in his or her character in trying to win others affection. Furthermore, goodness as Cicero states is a quality that must be cultivated and maintained by every possible means (141). He is conveying the message that one must be respectful to everyone and allow goodness to be the

Burns 15 4 reasoning behind many if not all of a persons decisions throughout college. Marcus Aurelius also goes ahead to say that one can live a happy life if he follows the right principles and think more optimistically about life (Aurelius 36). Thus, living the good life is not merely about gaining intelligence but also establishing a sense of goodness. In order for one to love the life he lives and live the life he loves throughout college and thereafter, he will have to follow some of the philosophical advice that both Cicero and Marcus Aurelius presents. Life is transient, hence no student should begin college without having a purpose in mind and knowing exactly where he would like to be in the future. In addition, having a noble friend who shares similar values and interests makes the pressures that may arise in college less of a burden. Hard work is the key to success and as a Freshman one has to lay a strong foundation for himself in order to benefit greatly and live a reasonable life. The work load may become unbearable but remember that someone has done it before and hence it is attainable as Marcus Aurelius states (40). Although students aspire to achieve a level of intelligence throughout the four years of college, as a freshman one must remember that justice or goodness as Cicero states is more important than intelligence (137). Overall, remember specifically that a person only has one life to live and hence, they should make it the best life possible.

Burns 15 5 Works Cited Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. Trans. George Long. Mineola, NY: Dover, 1997. Print. Cicero, Marcus Tullius. On the Good Life. Trans. Michael Grant. New York: Penguin, 1971. Print.