Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor or Rome (A.D 161-180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus’s insights and advise - on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others - have made the meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded in a straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remain as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago. If you desire to master pain Unroll this book and read with care, Ad in it find abundantly A knowledge of the things that are, Those that have been, and those to come And know as well that joy and grief Are nothing more than empty smoke “On the Book of Marcus” ~ From Byzantine encyclopedia “Suda” Marcus Aurelius is said to have been fond of quoting Plato’s dictum, and those who have written about him have rarely been able to resist applying it to Marcus himself. And indeed, if we seek Plato’s philosopher-king in the flesh we could hardly do better than Marcus, the ruler of the Roman Empire for almost two decades and author of the immortal Meditation ~ Introduction, page vii Today philosophy is an academic discipline, one that few people other than professional philosophers would consider central to their everyday existence. While we may think of ourselves as having a “philosophy of life” it bears little relation to what goes on in the philosophy departments of our universities. The careers of twentieth century analytic philosophy often seem remote from what the American philosopher Thomas Nagel terms “moral questions”: the problems involved in making ethical choices, constructing a just society, responding to suffering and loss, and coming to terms with the prospect of death. Indeed, most of us would be inclined to see these issues as the province of religion rather than philosophy. For Marcus and his contemporaries, the situation was very different. Ancient philosophy certainly had its academic side. Athens and other large cities had publicly financed chairs of philosophy and professional philosophers taught, argued and wrote, as they do today. But philosophy also had a more practical dimension. It was not merely a subject to write or argue about, but one that expected to provide “design for living” - a set of rules to live one’s life by. ~ Introduction, page xviii Of the doctrines central to the Stoic worldview, perhaps the most important is the unwavering conviction that the world is organized in a rational and coherent way. Most specifically, it is controlled and directed by an all-prevailing force that the Stoics designated by the term “Logos.” The term (from which English “logic” and the suffice”-logy” derive) has a semantic range so broad as to be almost untranslatable. As a basic level it designates rational, connected thought - whether envisioned as a characteristic (rationality, the ability to reason) or as the product of that characteristic (an intelligible utterance or a connected discourse). Logos operates both in individuals and in the universe as a whole. In individuals it is the faculty of reason. On a cosmic level it is the rational principle that governs the organization of the universe. In this sense it is synonymous with “nature,” “Providence,” or “God” All events are determined by the logos, and follow in an unbreakable chain of cause and effect. Stoicism is thus from the outset a deterministic system that appears to leave no room for human free will or moral responsibility. In reality the Stoics were reluctant to accept such an arrangement, and attempted to get around the difficult by defining free will as a voluntary accommodation to what is in any case inevitable. According to this theory, man is like a dog tied to a moving wagon. If the dog refuses to run along with the wagon he will be dragged by it, yet the choice remains his: to run or be dragged. In the same way, humans are responsible for their choices and actions, even though these have been anticipated by the logos and form part of its plan. Even actions which appear to be - and indeed are - immoral or unjust advance the overall design, which then as a whole is harmonious and good. They, too, are governed by the logos. ~ Introduction, page xx The questions that the Meditation tries to answer are primarily metaphysical and ethical ones. Why are we here? How should be live our lives? How can we ensure that we do what is right? How can we protect ourselves against the stresses and pressures of daily life? How should we deal with pain and misfortune? How c

THE LOVE KILLS THEORY, A BIOGRAPHY "As {Huxley} saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think." - Neil Postman Cevin Soling – Vocals, Guitar Bill Brandau - Keyboards Jim Minics - Guitar Darren Pilato - Bass Jaron Stewart – Drums the love kills theory’s album, HAPPY SUICIDE JIM is an artistic attempt to bring contemporary philosophy into the mainstream where it can be accessible and relevant. The group is fronted by Cevin Soling, who is also known as the Messi`ah of Tanna and currently studying philosophy for his Masters degree at Harvard University. the love kills theory is based on an amalgam of the works of Guy Debord, founder of Situationist International, Aldous Huxley, and others, fused with the current bio-genetic studies on the evolution of despair. As a multi-expressive musician, writer, filmmaker (his documentary, THE WAR ON THE WAR ON DRUGS will be released on DVD this spring), artist and student, Cevin spends much time reading an array of material. As a teenager, he was intrigued by the violent culture in Uganda, so he visited the country and experienced many dangerous encounters there. This visit included the Ik Tribe, who live in a mountainous region of the country, and were known to use their energy to literally throw their feces at fellow tribesman, allow the elder and weaker members of their tribe to die, and other heartless behaviors. Cevin also learned of a more humble group of people living just off of Fiji in the Pacific Rim, who prophesized that an American would come, climb the active volcano on the island, and deliver many goods to them on a specific date. Through donations, Cevin assembled large supplies of gardening tools, fishing rigs, cooking pots and utensils, hunting knives, and more for the 20,000 tribesmen. The delivery of the goods through the use of boats and chartered planes, Cevin’s harrowing climb to ridge of the magma chamber of the volcano, and the high priest’s interpretation of unusual natural events, all led to the tribal Chief Isaac Wan affirming that the prophecy on the island of Tanna had been fulfilled. The rest of the band is made up of great musicians. Keyboardist, Bill Brandau had been a member of The Vinnie Barbarino Experience. When they broke up, he and Cevin formed Cevin’s first band, The Neanderthal Spongecake where Bill also served as engineer on all their recordings. Darren Pilato’s a music nerd, who—when he wasn’t attending law school—notated bass lines to songs for fun; he’s attended Victor Wooten’s bass camp in Nashville twice. Jaron Stewart can’t stay still; raised by a father who was a successful figure skater, Jaron had a career as a ski-jumper and then focused on his music career, actually gigging one night with “American Pie” songwriter Don McLean. Jim Minics is also a philosopher, and for several years has been thinking and writing his “random thoughts of a practicing beach bum.” He says, “My teacher, in high school, called me an idealistic asshole.” Jim’s 2003 band Minix was a semi-finalist in the Independent Music World Series, and he’s played for several bands in the studio and on tours as a lead guitarist and vocalist. The Situationist's philosophy is a desperate, and most likely futile, struggle against the demise of art in popular culture, so the love kills theory tries to pick up where the Situationists left off. As their name implies, the love kills theory is as much of a manifesto as a band. Society has reached a point in its development where the pursuit of the things we love – indulgence in all of its forms – is killing us by making us all soulless consumers. If art can’t be resurrected, at least the reasons for its death will be documented in the love kills theory’s songs.