Daily Stoic Week 44

The Daily Stoic

The Practicing Stoic

Meditations

How to Be a Stoic

If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness)

Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.

November 5

“This is the very thing which makes up the virtue of the happy person and a well-flowing life—when the affairs of life are in every way tuned to the harmony between the individual divine spirit and the will of the director of the universe.”
—CHRYSIPPUS, QUOTED IN DIOGENES LAERTIUS, LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS, 7.1.88

When I am controlling anger and keeping my worries confined to what I control, I am happier and my life seems to flow better. When I am successful at that, I keep my spirit in harmony with the universe.

 

November 6

“If the breaking day sees someone proud,
The ending day sees them brought low.
No one should put too much trust in triumph,
No one should give up hope of trials improving.
Clotho mixes one with the other and stops
Fortune from resting, spinning every fate around.
No one has had so much divine favor
That they could guarantee themselves tomorrow.
God keeps our lives hurtling on,
Spinning in a whirlwind.”
—SENECA, THYESTES, 613

While “Pride comes before a fall”, isn’t always true, it is true that there is no guarantee of continued success. I try to keep in mind that fact and not get too hung up on my current level of moderate prosperity and happiness. Anything could and will eventually bring it to an end, so it is important to appreciate it while it lasts, while not becoming dependent on it.

 

November 7

“Don’t trust in your reputation, money, or position, but in the strength that is yours—namely, your judgments about the things that you control and don’t control. For this alone is what makes us
free and unfettered, that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with the rich and powerful.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.26.34–35

This follows yesterday’s quote very well. What can I count on in my life?My money?, My house? My wife’s health? My own health?  Which of these is permanent and written in stone to never be lost? None of them. I am trying to understand this and be able to accept when something does go wrong, so I will not add to any future troubles by adding to the stress with a bad reaction.

 

November 8

“Remember that you are an actor in a play, playing a character according to the will of the playwright—if a short play, then it’s short; if long, long. If he wishes you to play the beggar, play even that role well, just as you would if it were a cripple, a honcho, or an everyday person. For this is your duty, to perform well the
character assigned you. That selection belongs to another.”
—EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 17

I play my role the best I can most times, but I still find things to get upset about and waste time hoping for things that wont happen or hoping things that will happen eventually don’t happen soon. If my station in life changes, I will try to handle it with the same acceptance I have for all the positive things that are in my life right now.

 

November 9

“The universe is change. Life is opinion.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.3.4b

All things change. I saw this the last time I saw my mom. She needs a walker to move around the house and cannot stand for long periods of time. She is not doing well with her new reality, yet she doesn’t go to the pool to walk in an attempt to get her strength up. She figures “It is what it is.” Sometimes you have to be strong enough to fight change and go down swinging, but it is also important to know what you can change and what you cannot.

 

November 10

“Think by way of example on the times of Vespasian, and you’ll see all these things: marrying, raising children, falling ill, dying, wars, holiday feasts, commerce, farming, flattering, pretending, suspecting, scheming, praying that others die, grumbling over one’s lot, falling in love, amassing fortunes, lusting after office and power. Now that life of theirs is dead and gone . . . the times of Trajan, again the same . . .”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.32

People are basically the same now as they have been for ages. The ability to access knowledge anytime has not changed that. At a certain basic level, nothing I do will be different from what most people in the past have done, nor will it be much different in the future. It is easy to think we are smarter than ancient people, but looking at what they managed to do without machines or computers should quell that notion.

November 11

“When you are distressed by an external thing, it’s not the thing itself that troubles you, but only your judgment of it. And you can wipe this out at a moment’s notice.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.47

I am currently having to deal with a mistake I made on a report that got sent up to the high level bosses at my work. This bothers me very much because I am usually very conscientious about my reports and this time I was in a hurry and did not double check that my changes were saved. I am not stressing (much) about this. Old me would have trouble sleeping tonight, but I have learned to be able to block it out since there is nothing I can do now except fix it, own up to it and be more careful in the future.

 

And now for something completely different:

I used to listen to this on Dr. Demento and when I found the video last year, I could not stop laughing.

This is one of the funniest songs I’ve ever heard, but it is wrong on so many levels.

Another hilarious one.