I started reading Marcus Aurelius's Meditations last night, taking yet another step towards assimilation into the full-on tech Bay Area stereotype, while simultaneously pursuing my long-time love of reading classic literature.

I've seen Stoicism thrown around contemporary culture as a popular moral and philosophical axiom. In its heyday around 2016, I heard it broadcast among tech bros and targeted Instagram ads (the algorithm thinks I'm one of them), which kept me a little wary of the late emperor's work for some time.

I figured it was time to drain the bathwater and keep the baby. It became very obvious to me why Meditations is a classic. Pithy aphorisms abound—succinct reminders after dense concepts after colorful observations—to keep readers reflecting on their own lives, engaging in their own meditation via introspection.

Before Aurelius begins his meditations, he has a lengthy acknowledgments section—and it's honestly the best one I've ever read. Succinct yet thorough, and in a format that systematically goes through and expresses an obvious gratitude to all the important figures in his life. The section goes something like this...

• From my mother: ...
• From my great-grandfather: ...
• From my tutor: ...

He lists all the things he learned, all the virtues he acquired from these important people. I just love the format.

How will you acknoweldge those you love and have learned from, those who have made you who you are?