Head-dibs

 

Ryan Holiday posted the following today in The Daily Stoic and I thought it was worth sharing. “We hear in Meditations Marcus Aurelius speak of “epithets for the self,” watchwords for his life. From Zeno to Marcus, the works of nearly every Stoic feature the repetition of four words, four virtues that go to the course of the philosophy: Courage. Justice. Moderation. Wisdom. These are mantras. These are reminders. A kind of living oral and written tradition for how to live and what kind of person to be. As beautiful—and in some cases, perfect—as these expressions are, we should remember that it’s a living tradition, one that can be added to and improved. Marcus himself writes about how if anyone ever finds a better list than those four virtues, it must be an extraordinary thing indeed. In 2016, the songwriter Lori McKenna took a stab at it . In a song that was written for her five young children and that has since become a hit for Tim McGraw ( as well as a book ), she puts together a ...

 

 

 

 

The emotional roller coaster of this year has been dark, swift, full of steep drops and sweeping turns like a hellish version of Space Mountain at Disney World. Since March of this year (the Disney trip aside), it's as if the floor opened up and I've dropped down Alice's Rabbit Hole, only this one has no bottom. Every time I think I can see the bottom and the drop is over, the Hole shows me its surprises--there is more to come. I'd like off this ride, thank you very much. Regardless, life as we knew it no longer exists. Oh well. "Every Storm Runs Out of Rain," as the song goes. Just a matter of time until that happens I suppose. I am grateful for every family member and friend who has not given up. Some have been quick to sever ties through the changes, others have been gradual. It sucks either way. I am grateful for every encouragement and affirmation from those who stick around. I've been off Social Media for some time due to my account being cloned, whi...

"When friendship is settled, you must trust." (Seneca, "On True and False Friendship."  Moral Letters . 3)

 

The past few weeks have been incredibly busy. I am not accustomed to being away from a desk, from not being able to read or write as much. If I am not working, life events take up a good portion of time, too. Like a wise man once said, "Life Ain't Always Beautiful" but it's the best I ever had. It's good to review that. Only got one life, so live it well. Another wise man also said, "If you live in harmony with nature, you will never be poor; if you live according to what others think, you will never be rich." (Seneca) Who said that in order to live well, we had to work ourselves to death? This can be a surprise to most, but it is possible for humans to be happy with very little. Much more to say, but it's easier to put it in song. Enjoy!

 

“We should hunt out the helpful pieces of teaching and the spirited and noble-minded sayings which are capable of immediate practical application—not far-fetched or archaic expressions or extravagant metaphors and figures of speech—and learn them so well that words become works.” — (Seneca)

“Books are made to be broken in. They are quarries of gems to be mined, wells to be drawn from, sturdy posts to lean on, shoulders to cry on. Just as we never step in the same river twice, to paraphrase Marcus and Heraclitus, we never read a book the same way. That’s why we read and re-read, note and discuss, write and flag." —from Daily Stoic's Tuesday email, " This Is How Reading Is Supposed to Go "