This is just a collection of all of these informal posts strung together, so be aware that all of it together is fairly long. I just thought it would be nice to have them all in one place.
Written in 3/2017
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 16, 2015
"If any one is angry with you, meet his anger by returning benefits for it: a quarrel which is only taken up on one side falls to the ground: it takes two men to fight."
--Seneca the Younger (De Ira)
At the root of all Stoic truth is the recognition that we find our happiness in what we do, never merely in what happens to us. So when I blame conflict and discord on others, I need to remember that the anger another has for me has absolutely nothing to do with me.
It's about his judgments, not mine. What is in my control is whether I respond with anger.
The hatred another may have for me only has power if I meet it in kind. If I meet hatred with hatred, I compound it. If I meet hatred with love, I defeat it.
"If any one is angry with you, meet his anger by returning benefits for it: a quarrel which is only taken up on one side falls to the ground: it takes two men to fight."
--Seneca the Younger (De Ira)
At the root of all Stoic truth is the recognition that we find our happiness in what we do, never merely in what happens to us. So when I blame conflict and discord on others, I need to remember that the anger another has for me has absolutely nothing to do with me.
It's about his judgments, not mine. What is in my control is whether I respond with anger.
The hatred another may have for me only has power if I meet it in kind. If I meet hatred with hatred, I compound it. If I meet hatred with love, I defeat it.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 17, 2015
'These reasonings are unconnected: "I am richer than you, therefore I am better"; "I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better." The connection is rather this: "I am richer than you, therefore my property is greater than yours;" "I am more eloquent than you, therefore my style is better than yours." But you, after all, are neither property nor style.'
--Epictetus (Enchiridion)
Of all the things that define modernity, I wonder if this is the most critical: we define ourselves by our accidents, and never our substance. Who am I? 'I am the sum of my pleasures, my wealth, my reputation, my status, my job.'
Yet none of these things define us at all. They are things outside of us. Perhaps the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life is watching a person I loved so dearly, a person gifted with brilliant character, slowly but surely define herself by her social image.
If we identify ourselves with pleasure, honor, or wealth, we aren't human beings at all. We are puppets on strings, slaves ruled by things lower than our human dignity.
'These reasonings are unconnected: "I am richer than you, therefore I am better"; "I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better." The connection is rather this: "I am richer than you, therefore my property is greater than yours;" "I am more eloquent than you, therefore my style is better than yours." But you, after all, are neither property nor style.'
--Epictetus (Enchiridion)
Of all the things that define modernity, I wonder if this is the most critical: we define ourselves by our accidents, and never our substance. Who am I? 'I am the sum of my pleasures, my wealth, my reputation, my status, my job.'
Yet none of these things define us at all. They are things outside of us. Perhaps the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life is watching a person I loved so dearly, a person gifted with brilliant character, slowly but surely define herself by her social image.
If we identify ourselves with pleasure, honor, or wealth, we aren't human beings at all. We are puppets on strings, slaves ruled by things lower than our human dignity.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 18, 2015
"Yes, you can--if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable."
--Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)
This quote is simply loaded, charged with truth. I grow tired of doing things by half measures. I am troubled when I'm told I need to be efficient, not virtuous. I am discouraged when I'm told to simply be mediocre. No! Each and every one of us is called to brilliance. And the way to do this is to treat each moment as if it were the last.
Whenever I think, speak, or act, I say to myself: "If this were my last thought, word, or deed, would I be content?" If the answer is "no," I start again. When I fail in this, it is only because I have allowed my feelings to rule my reason. I am a free man, not a slave to my passions. Insincerity, vanity, or anger are the result of acting without thought for aim, meaning, and purpose.
"Yes, you can--if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable."
--Marcus Aurelius (Meditations)
This quote is simply loaded, charged with truth. I grow tired of doing things by half measures. I am troubled when I'm told I need to be efficient, not virtuous. I am discouraged when I'm told to simply be mediocre. No! Each and every one of us is called to brilliance. And the way to do this is to treat each moment as if it were the last.
Whenever I think, speak, or act, I say to myself: "If this were my last thought, word, or deed, would I be content?" If the answer is "no," I start again. When I fail in this, it is only because I have allowed my feelings to rule my reason. I am a free man, not a slave to my passions. Insincerity, vanity, or anger are the result of acting without thought for aim, meaning, and purpose.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 19, 2015
"Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions
"The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, then you will be hindered. You will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault both with gods and men.
But if you suppose that only to be your own which is your own, and what belongs to others such as it really is, then no one will ever compel you or restrain you. Further, you will find fault with no one or accuse no one. You will do nothing against your will. No one will hurt you, you will have no enemies, and you will not be harmed."
--Epictetus, "Enchiridion"
This passage is a close to a manifesto of Stoicism as I think we can get. First, distinguish that some things are under my power, others beyond it. Second, recognize that my happiness can only stem from those things under my power, from my own nature. That nature of anything else is just that, something else. It may be good and fine itself, but how it may affect my own judgment is up to me, and me alone.
I practice the following thought exercise quite regularly. Can I find a single thing in my life that has 'made' me happy that is external? If I am truly honest with myself I have yet to be able to answer the question in the affirmative.
"But surely," you might say, "other people have made you happy or unhappy?" No, other people have been who and what they are, according to their nature. It is my judgment and estimation of them that has made me happy or unhappy.
So someone or something may indeed cause me pain or pleasure. But only I decide how I allow it to affect me.
"Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions
"The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, then you will be hindered. You will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault both with gods and men.
But if you suppose that only to be your own which is your own, and what belongs to others such as it really is, then no one will ever compel you or restrain you. Further, you will find fault with no one or accuse no one. You will do nothing against your will. No one will hurt you, you will have no enemies, and you will not be harmed."
--Epictetus, "Enchiridion"
This passage is a close to a manifesto of Stoicism as I think we can get. First, distinguish that some things are under my power, others beyond it. Second, recognize that my happiness can only stem from those things under my power, from my own nature. That nature of anything else is just that, something else. It may be good and fine itself, but how it may affect my own judgment is up to me, and me alone.
I practice the following thought exercise quite regularly. Can I find a single thing in my life that has 'made' me happy that is external? If I am truly honest with myself I have yet to be able to answer the question in the affirmative.
"But surely," you might say, "other people have made you happy or unhappy?" No, other people have been who and what they are, according to their nature. It is my judgment and estimation of them that has made me happy or unhappy.
So someone or something may indeed cause me pain or pleasure. But only I decide how I allow it to affect me.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 20, 2015
"Toward good men God has the mind of a father, he cherishes them with love, and he says, 'Let them be harassed by toil, by suffering, by losses, in order that they may gather true strength.'
Bodies grown fat through sloth are weak, and not only labor, but even movement and their very weight cause them to break down.
Unimpaired prosperity cannot withstand a single blow; but he who has struggled constantly with his ills becomes hardened through suffering; and yields to no misfortune; no, even if he falls, he still fights upon his knees."
--Seneca the Younger, "On Providence"
If my happiness doesn't come from the things that happen to me, but what I DO with the things that happen to me, then all fortune, good or ill, is an opportunity to be better. That isn't an easy path to walk, but it is a necessary one. I can learn to use misfortune to my advantage in each and every case.
Stoicism isn't macho bulls%&t. It's toughness isn't one of of coldness, but of a deep concern for the nature of all things.
As a child, I had my face smashed into gravel by bullies, as a young man I had my heart broken by a traitor, and as an older man I have been tossed and turned by hypocrites, demagogues, and charlatans. I have only failed when I have not used these to my improvement.
To paraphrase the great film, Lawrence of Arabia: "Certainly it hurts. . . the trick is not minding that it hurts."
"Toward good men God has the mind of a father, he cherishes them with love, and he says, 'Let them be harassed by toil, by suffering, by losses, in order that they may gather true strength.'
Bodies grown fat through sloth are weak, and not only labor, but even movement and their very weight cause them to break down.
Unimpaired prosperity cannot withstand a single blow; but he who has struggled constantly with his ills becomes hardened through suffering; and yields to no misfortune; no, even if he falls, he still fights upon his knees."
--Seneca the Younger, "On Providence"
If my happiness doesn't come from the things that happen to me, but what I DO with the things that happen to me, then all fortune, good or ill, is an opportunity to be better. That isn't an easy path to walk, but it is a necessary one. I can learn to use misfortune to my advantage in each and every case.
Stoicism isn't macho bulls%&t. It's toughness isn't one of of coldness, but of a deep concern for the nature of all things.
As a child, I had my face smashed into gravel by bullies, as a young man I had my heart broken by a traitor, and as an older man I have been tossed and turned by hypocrites, demagogues, and charlatans. I have only failed when I have not used these to my improvement.
To paraphrase the great film, Lawrence of Arabia: "Certainly it hurts. . . the trick is not minding that it hurts."
The Stoics embraced the classical Four Cardinal Virtues: Prudence,
Justice, Temperance, Fortitude. It is a beautiful irony that I can only
become wiser when faced with my ignorance, only kinder and fairer when I
appreciate suffering, only more moderate when I experience extremes,
only braver when I suffer fear and pain. Life is good, but not because
of what it gives us, but because of what we give into it. I will fight
upon my knees.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 21, 2015
"All that is from the gods is full of Providence. That which is from fortune is not separated from nature or without an interweaving and involution with the things which are ordered by Providence. From there all things flow; and there is besides necessity, and that which is for the advantage of the whole universe, of which you are a part. But that is good for every part of nature which the nature of the whole brings, and what serves to maintain this nature."
--Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Grounded upon sound thinking, the Stoic knows that every effect has its cause, that there is nothing random or chaotic in the nature of things, and that the order of nature bears the stamp of Divine design. While Stoicism was never a religion, but rather a philosophy of living, it recognizes that our own lives, and the changes in all things, are part of a greater, harmonious balance of the whole, for each and every part in its own way.
This is why I can rest assured that everything that happens to me is part of that order, even if I may not see the the harmony of the whole at the time. What may at one moment seem the greatest injustice will, in fact, be the greatest blessing. A heavy burden becomes a joyful opportunity. Whether fortune seems good or bad, it is given to me so I might become better.
"All that is from the gods is full of Providence. That which is from fortune is not separated from nature or without an interweaving and involution with the things which are ordered by Providence. From there all things flow; and there is besides necessity, and that which is for the advantage of the whole universe, of which you are a part. But that is good for every part of nature which the nature of the whole brings, and what serves to maintain this nature."
--Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Grounded upon sound thinking, the Stoic knows that every effect has its cause, that there is nothing random or chaotic in the nature of things, and that the order of nature bears the stamp of Divine design. While Stoicism was never a religion, but rather a philosophy of living, it recognizes that our own lives, and the changes in all things, are part of a greater, harmonious balance of the whole, for each and every part in its own way.
This is why I can rest assured that everything that happens to me is part of that order, even if I may not see the the harmony of the whole at the time. What may at one moment seem the greatest injustice will, in fact, be the greatest blessing. A heavy burden becomes a joyful opportunity. Whether fortune seems good or bad, it is given to me so I might become better.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 22, 2015
"Throwing away then all things, hold to these only which are few; and besides bear in mind that every man lives only this present time, which is an indivisible point, and that all the rest of his life is either past or it is uncertain."
--Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
My own fatal character flaw has always been what I call a nostalgic melancholy. I think of the fond past, and miss it dearly. Then I think of my future, and I realize I'll never get it back. My past seems like pain, my future seems like hopelessness.
But past and future don't 'exist' at all; they are what once was, or what we hope will be. Live for the now.
"Throwing away then all things, hold to these only which are few; and besides bear in mind that every man lives only this present time, which is an indivisible point, and that all the rest of his life is either past or it is uncertain."
--Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
My own fatal character flaw has always been what I call a nostalgic melancholy. I think of the fond past, and miss it dearly. Then I think of my future, and I realize I'll never get it back. My past seems like pain, my future seems like hopelessness.
But past and future don't 'exist' at all; they are what once was, or what we hope will be. Live for the now.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 23, 2015
"Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for instance, is not terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death that it is terrible. When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles."
--Epictetus, "Enchiridion"
The Stoic doesn't fear death, because it isn't a bad thing at all. It's part of the nature of created things to come into being and then cease to be. It's a very part of our nature
The reason we fear death, and think it a bad thing, is because we think our lives are measured by quantity. How much money? How many friends? How many years? But the value of life isn't measured by how long, but rather how well. It's a question of quality, not quantity. And either a long or short life can be lived well or poorly
Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, distinguished between some things that were always morally good (wisdom, virtue. . .), some things that were always bad (ignorance, vice. . .) and very many things that were simply morally indifferent. These were external qualities that could be helpful or harmful, depending upon our use of them. Life or death, pleasure or pain, wealth or poverty, sickness or health, long or short life are among these things. I should be indifferent to these, care not one way or other whether I have them or not, because what matters is that I can make use of their absence or presence equally well.
Notice the Stoicism implicit in St. Ignatius of Loyola's "Principle and Foundation." I turn to this at those moments I want to curl up in a ball and scream at the world.
"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God Our Lord, and by doing so, to save his soul.
All other things on the face of the earth are created for man in order to help him pursue the end for which he is created.
It follows from this that one must use other created things, in so far as they help towards one's end, and free oneself from them, in so far as they are obstacles to one's end.
To do this, we need to make ourselves indifferent to all created things, provided the matter is subject to our free choice and there is no other prohibition.
Thus, as far as we are concerned, we should not want health more than illness, wealth more than poverty, fame more than disgrace, a long life more than a short one, and similarly for all the rest, but we should desire and choose only what helps us more towards the end for which we are created."
Amen!
"Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for instance, is not terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death that it is terrible. When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles."
--Epictetus, "Enchiridion"
The Stoic doesn't fear death, because it isn't a bad thing at all. It's part of the nature of created things to come into being and then cease to be. It's a very part of our nature
The reason we fear death, and think it a bad thing, is because we think our lives are measured by quantity. How much money? How many friends? How many years? But the value of life isn't measured by how long, but rather how well. It's a question of quality, not quantity. And either a long or short life can be lived well or poorly
Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, distinguished between some things that were always morally good (wisdom, virtue. . .), some things that were always bad (ignorance, vice. . .) and very many things that were simply morally indifferent. These were external qualities that could be helpful or harmful, depending upon our use of them. Life or death, pleasure or pain, wealth or poverty, sickness or health, long or short life are among these things. I should be indifferent to these, care not one way or other whether I have them or not, because what matters is that I can make use of their absence or presence equally well.
Notice the Stoicism implicit in St. Ignatius of Loyola's "Principle and Foundation." I turn to this at those moments I want to curl up in a ball and scream at the world.
"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God Our Lord, and by doing so, to save his soul.
All other things on the face of the earth are created for man in order to help him pursue the end for which he is created.
It follows from this that one must use other created things, in so far as they help towards one's end, and free oneself from them, in so far as they are obstacles to one's end.
To do this, we need to make ourselves indifferent to all created things, provided the matter is subject to our free choice and there is no other prohibition.
Thus, as far as we are concerned, we should not want health more than illness, wealth more than poverty, fame more than disgrace, a long life more than a short one, and similarly for all the rest, but we should desire and choose only what helps us more towards the end for which we are created."
Amen!
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 24, 2015
“Kindness is unconquerable, so long as it is without flattery or hypocrisy. For what can the most insolent man do to you, if you contrive to be kind to him, and if you have the chance gently advise and calmly show him what is right."
--Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
"But surely the insolent man can hurt me," you might say. "He can insult me, damage my reputation, cause me pain, imprison me, even take my life." Yes, he can. But in the end, he has lost, and you have won. His malice has only harmed his character, and your kindness has only benefited yours. He has become worse, and you have become better. And you can help him become better through your example.
“Kindness is unconquerable, so long as it is without flattery or hypocrisy. For what can the most insolent man do to you, if you contrive to be kind to him, and if you have the chance gently advise and calmly show him what is right."
--Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
"But surely the insolent man can hurt me," you might say. "He can insult me, damage my reputation, cause me pain, imprison me, even take my life." Yes, he can. But in the end, he has lost, and you have won. His malice has only harmed his character, and your kindness has only benefited yours. He has become worse, and you have become better. And you can help him become better through your example.
STOIC WISDOM FOR THE DAY: December 25. 2015
"How happy is mankind, if the love that orders the stars above rules, too, in your hearts.
--Boethius, "The Consolation of Philosophy"
I know, quoting Boethius is cheating. No 'proper scholar' thinks of Boethius as a Stoic. Yet his entire "Consolation of Philosophy" is, in my not-so-humble opinion, the culmination of Stoic thinking. His distinctions on the goods of nature and the goods of fortune, for instance, might as well come straight from Zeno, Cleanthes, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus, Seneca, or Marcus Aurelius. He was a Roman Patrician, after all, a gentleman of the highest order. This book has saved my life on many occasions!
A Merry Christmas to All!
"How happy is mankind, if the love that orders the stars above rules, too, in your hearts.
--Boethius, "The Consolation of Philosophy"
I know, quoting Boethius is cheating. No 'proper scholar' thinks of Boethius as a Stoic. Yet his entire "Consolation of Philosophy" is, in my not-so-humble opinion, the culmination of Stoic thinking. His distinctions on the goods of nature and the goods of fortune, for instance, might as well come straight from Zeno, Cleanthes, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus, Seneca, or Marcus Aurelius. He was a Roman Patrician, after all, a gentleman of the highest order. This book has saved my life on many occasions!
A Merry Christmas to All!
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