Question

"Choose not to be harmed— and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed— and you haven’t been." Explain Marcus Aurelius meaning in these lines? Do you agree with this statement? why or why not?

Answer 1

Meaning:

What a second or third person or people think,say or do cannot harm you unless you let it. Its all with you to be offended, hurt, embarrassed, angered, or defensive. If you decide what was said or done means nothing to you, you feel nothing, and you don’t get harmed.

Agree with this quote because some people in your society or surroundings have no power over your mind and emotions. Those things are in your control, or at least they should be. If third person says something or does something with the intention of putting you down, they aren’t doing anything to you at all. They are only feeding into their own anger and lack of control in their own lives. And if you react you are getting harmed and you are no different to them. Reacting hurts!

People can harm and even abuse us mentally. Those things are out of your control and must be dealt with as they come. But for everything else, the petty remarks, the insults, the lies, the attacks on our character, you are protected if you don’t bother about it.