henrypaget.com

Often after a long hard day at work I’m physically and mentally drained, so what I do is I listen to some house music, and then when I’m sick of that, I’ll listen to some Latin Catholic songs or even Byzantine orthodox Christian music.

And doing this always saves me. Life would be much tougher without music.

Today when I was listening to music after work I was in such a state of euphoria that it got me thinking of a quote by the Roman stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and it goes as follows:

“To acquire indifference to pretty singing, to dancing, to the martial arts: Analyze the melody into the notes that form it, and as you hear each one, ask yourself whether you’re powerless against that. That should be enough to deter you.”

I love stoicism and take away a great deal from one of its most notable adherents in Marcus Aurelius and still regularly read his Meditations, but just because I value Marcus as one of the wisest people throughout millennia, it doesn’t mean I agree with him on everything.

I think it’s impossible for me to agree 100% with everything someone says. And that’s what makes life interesting, we all have different views and opinions.

But don’t let one thing that someone says stop you from finding wisdom in something else they might have to say.

I suppose Marcus was right in a way, because we need to be careful about what music we listen to, and how it affects us.

But overall, music enhances my life and especially my spiritual life, because since I’ve become Catholic I’ve really loved listening to and participating in the hymns. I especially enjoy the Latin mass hymns but I don’t go to Latin Mass enough.