One of my favorite things to read, especially on cloudy Sundays like today, is Meditations, by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. One of my favorite things to listen to on Podcast Addict (my favorite and free podcasting app) and YouTube is The Daily Stoic with Ryan Holiday. What Ryan does, is he takes passages from stoic writers and shows us, in short audio or video, how they are applicable today! thousands of years after they were written!
The great emperor Marcus Aurelius didn't live in a cave in the mountains watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Like us, he also lived in a world where politics were difficult, he was surrounded by corruption, betrayal, death and unfairness, yet he was able to remain good, grounded, and decent. He was also able to write some of the most powerful meditations that allow us to enjoy the world and improve the lives of others as well as our own.
The answer is stoicism.
In a world where we scroll our smart phones with our thumb with an endless stream of photos and short videos, not to mention "news" on the upcoming election that might make our blood boil or heart pound. In a world in which we try to focus on work, yet we get that PING! sound from our phone that distracts us constantly. In this kind of world we CAN be less distracted, less impulsive and more focused.
In the words of Marcus Aurelius...
It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.
And THAT is what stoicism does for us. It's a tool designed for the real world and its real problems; it's a philosophy that helps you work towards self-mastery and discipline.
Today I'd like to share something from Epictetus' Discourses book IV chapter I and I'd like to start with a quote:
What, then, is it which makes a man free from hindrance and his own master? For wealth does not do it, nor a consulship, nor a province, nor a kingdom, but something else has to be found. In the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live.
- Epictetus, Discourses. Book IV Chapter I
Source: wikisource.org
And so, for today's #thoughfuldailypost I'd like to talk about the two most essential tasks in life that might, in the words of Epictetus, teach us how to live:
Being a good person and to pursue the occupation you love.
How exactly does one achieve those tasks? I don't have the answer to that, but you might be able to find clues by deciding to stay away from distractions and negative emotions and perhaps asking yourself
What is the best use of the finite time I have on planet Earth?
I know everybody's circumstances are different and some may not have the opportunity to dedicate 100% of their time to doing what they love, but you can always find time to dedicate some time to those activities which make your heart happy
Follow the golden rule as much as possible by treating others the way you'd like to be treated and understand that every tiny choice is an opportunity to practice the larger principles put forth by amazing thinkers from the past, like Epictetus.
What are your thoughts on these practices? Do you think they are part of the key to learning how to live our best lives?
Do you find it easy or difficult to "be a good person"?
I'd love to read your thoughts below.
Cover image created using Mid Journey, text added using Canva