Building upon many years of privately shared thoughts on the real benefits of Stoic Philosophy, Liam Milburn eventually published a selection of Stoic passages that had helped him to live well. They were accompanied by some of his own personal reflections. This blog hopes to continue his mission of encouraging the wisdom of Stoicism in the exercise of everyday life. All the reflections are taken from his notes, from late 1992 to early 2017.
The Death of Marcus Aurelius
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Stoic Music 4
I've heard all sorts of interpretations of this tune, anywhere from being a Christian song to being a reflection on the life of Socrates, to being the story of Icarus. I'll take them all, thank you. Keep the change.
It always spoke to me about that most basic of human struggles. Do I conform simply to what is expected of me, or do I fight for something bigger and better? And if I choose the latter, how do I confront my own vanity? How am I to be a man of nobility, but not of self-service?
Whatever Kansas and Kerry Livgren intended, it's become a tune where I must immediately stop what I am doing. hold back the tears, and show reverence. These values are about as Classical as you could possibly make them.
Kansas, "Carry on Wayward Son." from Leftoverture (1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ZJui3aPoQ
Carry on my wayward son,
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion
I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreamin', I can hear them say
Carry on my wayward son,
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say
Carry on my wayward son,
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you
Carry on my wayward son,
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Written on 3/21/1995
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