Save Yourself Some Pain

"You've endured countless troubles--all from not letting your ruling reason do the work it was made for--enough already!" (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9.26)

There's this funny little feature on my computer called, "stickies." A little program that allows me to put "sticky notes" on my screen to remind myself to do something. I also have a pile of sticky notes, but use them to leave side notes on documents, reminders for someone else, so to speak.

Over a thousand years ago, Emperor Marcus Aurelius left himself something like a sticky note in the above quote. He was able to recognize when he might very well have been the cause of problems he was experiencing, so he left a note to remind himself that enough is enough.

There's this thing called a brain and that brain uses a thing called "reason." Specifically, "ruling reason." In other words, a line has been drawn--that's the rule. We might call it "conscience" which in itself is a fascinating word ("con"= "with" and "science" = "knowledge").

Save yourself some pain. Don't drive yourself nuts with groundless fears, things that have not happened. Living with anxiety leads to a stampede of mind--an unbridled, out of control herd of disjointed ideas. The outcome is frustration, sickness, even greed. And if you've gotten yourself into a painful situation, into trouble, there is no need to keep going. Stop. Resolve the situation, deal with the consequences, learn and don't be so foolish to do it again.

Foolishness is the bully that grabs the other kids hands and says, "stop hitting yourself!" Fight back!

Reason can keep one out of trouble. If one knows to do good and does not do it, then to him it is evil, "sin." 

Our brain functions according to design and conscience ("with knowledge") helps keep perspective on what is good. So save yourself some pain.