After the meeting was over. Aurelius invites Vini to his chamber.
" So Vini, tell me what do you want to learn?"
Vini -" I don't know. I mean I don't really expect to meet 'Marcus Aurelius '
on any given day"
"That is also true.
So let's talk about you, shall we?"
Vini-" I don't understand, what's their to talk about?"
"Hmm, to begin with, you are an extraordinary child, with marvelous gifts, yet you choose to waste them''
Vini -" I mean what's the point. In the end nothing really matters. It all just goes away."
Marcus," yeah so,? You can't let the future disturb you like that. You will meet it, if you have to , with the same weapons of reasons which today arm you against the present
You ask me what's the point huh?
Pretty silly question, don't you think?
If you were to ask me, I would say it's to live " Aurelius smiles, " live and fulfill your goal.
Don't you see the plants , the birds and the bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best as they can?
And you're not willing to do your job as a human being ?
Why aren't you running to do what your nature demands?
Trees grow because that's what they are made to do they grow huge and as beautiful as they can, not because they want praise. Instead they grow because that's what they are made for .
Similarly, duty of humans is to fulfill their potential. Nature decided to make you a human so you should try your best to be the kindest, virtuous human being that you can be—"
Vini cuts him off," that's just bullshit.
Humans aren't kind. We are monster who just know how to conquer or destroy. What your saying sounds good on paper and fairytales. But in reality, humans are awful creatures who are greedy, envious, destructive and truthfully just full of flaws."
Marcus looked like his usual self. With a calm voice he responds," Now, now.
I didn't say humans are perfect did I ?
Ofcourse we have our flaws. But guess what! No one else will come to correct them for us. We all have potential for improvement. Afterall unfulfilled potential is the only thing truly worth fearing. "
Vini gets fed-up, " oh yeah?!
Is that why my parents were killed.!
Because some maniac was trying to fulfill his potential !"
Marcus says," well what happened to them was truly sad. But you should remember,
'All men die but not all men die complaining'
Though your parents had an untimely demise. The time they spent on this mortal realm was truly fulfilling as they spent it helping others.
I not saying your parents deserved to die like that. But death is inevitable. You are bound to face it.
'Soon you will have forgotten all things and all things would have forgotten you'
And the person who killed your parents was no man.
He was just a shell. Someone who didn't believe in his own ideals.
Believing in someone else's voice.
We can't do anything about it.
Control what you can. Don't waste your time trying to control something which is out of your bounds.
You have to learn to let go and move on."
"So I should just forget about what happened to my parents and live a marry life like everything is completely fine!" Vini asks in anger.
" No , your parents shall never be forgotten. Afterall they will always be alive as they live through you. Now it's upto you to live your best life. If not for yourself then atleast for their sake."
There's a silence in the room