Today's Tao: Cultivate Virtue in yourself,  And Virtue will be real.  Cultivate it in the family,  And Virtue will abound.  Cultivate it in the village,  And Virtue will grow.  Cultivate it in the nation,  And Virtue will be abundant.  Cultivate it in the universe, And Virtue will be everywhere.  From The Daily Stoic:  Don't treat philosophy as a side gig. Make it a real part of my life. It is a central point of refreshing my soul. Come to it often to keep steady my course and keep true my aim.  “Don’t return to philosophy as a task-master, but as patients seek out relief in a treatment of sore eyes, or a dressing for a burn, or from an ointment. Regarding it this way, you’ll obey reason without putting it on display and rest easy in its care.”—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.9 From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Persuasion and Coercion  The missionary zeal seems rather an expression of some deep misgiving, some pressi...

Today's Tao: If I have even just a little sense,  I will walk on the main road and my only fear will be of straying from it.  Keeping to the main road is simple,  But people are easily distracted. From The Daily Stoic:  “If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters—don’t wish to seem knowledgeable. And if some regard you as important, distrust yourself.”—Epictetus, Enchridion, 13a Learn to say, "I don't know" or, better yet, "I don't care."  Aside: the look on people's faces when you tell them, genuinely, that you don't care about whatever issue enraging them today . . . priceless.  I do this with almost all politics (save for occasionally mocking it) and with almost all "news" as well. This habit has served me well for several years now. It keeps me calm and better able to focus on the task at hand.  Re-read today's Tao. See how it applies. Now make that your life.  From Eric Hoffer, Part I...

Today's Tao: Keep your mouth shut,  Guard the senses,  And life is always full.  Open your mouth,  Always be busy,  And life is beyond hope. From The Daily Stoic:  Keep it simole. Do the next right thing. Don't get lost in the weeds.  “ At every moment keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection , freedom, and justice— giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can do this if you approach each task as if it is your last, giving up every distraction, emotional subversion of reason, and all drama, vanity, and complaint over your fair share. You can see how mastery over a few things makes it possible to live an abundant and devout life—for, if you keep watch over these things, the gods won’t ask for more.”—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.5 From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Persuasion and Coercion  Islam, Christianity, Communism . . . all are historic...

Today's Tao: All things arise from Tao.  They are nourished by Virtue. They are formed from matter.  They are shaped by environment.  Thus the ten thousand things respect Tao and honor Virtue. Respect of Tao and honor of Virtue are not demanded,  But they are in the nature of things. Therefore all things arise from Tao.  By Virtue they are nourished, Developed, cared for,  Sheltered, comforted,  Grown, and protected.  Creating without claiming,  Doing without taking credit,  Guiding without interfering. This is Primal Virtue. From The Daily Stoic:    Find. Your. Cato .  Cato , the iron man of rome. Moral exemplar of antiquity. He refused — refused — to bend his morals no matter the situation. He knew virtue and followed it though it meant opposing Caesar (the literal, actual Caesar) and cost him his life.  There is someone in this world you can look up to. Someone whose example you can follow. Someone of whom you can...

Today's Tao: Those who know how to live walk abroad  Without fear of rhinoceroses or tigers.  They will not be wounded in battle.  For in them the rhinoceros finds no place to thrust its horn,  Nor the tiger to use its claws,  And weapons no place to pierce.  Why is this?  Because they have no place for death to enter. From The Daily Stoic:  “There are three areas in which the person who would be wise and good must be trained. The first has to do with desires and aversions— that a person may never miss the mark in desires nor fall into what repels them. The second has to do with impulses to act and not to act— and more broadly, with duty— that a person may act deliberately for good reasons and not carelessly. The third has to do with freedom from deception and composure and the whole area of judgment, the assent our mind gives to its perceptions . Of these areas, the chief and most urgent is the first which has to do with the passions, for strong ...

A really good set today. Much to think about. Especially given my belief in the necessity of persuading others and never using force against a non-aggressive person.  Today's Tao: The wise do not hold opinions.  They are aware of the needs of others.  I am good to people who are good.  I am also good to people who are not good,  Because Virtue is goodness.  I have faith in people who are faithful.  I also have faith in people who are not faithful,  Because Virtue is faithfulness.  The sage is shy and humble — to the world he seems confusing.  Others look to him and listen. He behaves like small children.  From The Daily Stoic:    No one can make me think or feel something I don't want to think or feel. I have the power to act as I will.  A wise person once said, "The first thought that goes through your mind is what you have been conditioned to think. What you think next defines who you are." “Erase the false impressi...

Today's Tao: In the pursuit of learning,  something is acquired every day.  In the pursuit of the Tao,  every day something is relinquished.  Less and less is done  Until non-action is achieved.  When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.  The world is governed by letting things take their course.  It cannot be governed through interference. From The Daily Stoic:  Learn what is truly to be desired and you will be satisfied without the need for expensive things and flashy belongings.  “What’s left to be prized? This, I think— to limit our action or inaction to only what’s in keeping with the needs of our own preparation . . . it’s what the exertions of education and teaching are all about— here is the thing to be prized! If you hold this firmly, you’ll stop trying to get yourself all the other things. . . . If you don’t, you won’t be free, self -sufficient, or liberated from passion, but necessarily full of envy, jealousy, and suspicio...

Today's Tao: Without going outside, you may know the whole world.  Without looking through the window, you may see the ways of heaven.  The farther you go, the less you know.  Thus the wise know without traveling;  See without looking;  Work without doing. From The Daily Stoic:    “From Rusticus . . . I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole , and not to agree too quickly with those who have a lot to say about something.”—M ARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 1.7.3 Paul Johnson once joked that Edmund Wilson read books “as though the author was on trial for his life.” Learn. Truly learn. Dive deep and bring the lesson into my soul so that it becomes a part of me.  That is one reason these daily readings are so short — one section, one page, one paragraph some days. So I can reach for real understanding.  Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp / Or what's a heaven for?  Andrea del Sarto, Robe...

I love the confluence of today's lessons: the Tao, the Stoics, and Hoffer all come together in a wonderful coincidence: learn to be content with life as it is.  Today's Tao: There is no greater sin than craving,  No greater curse than discontent,  No greater misfortune than wanting something for ourselves.  Therefore those who know that enough is enough will always have enough. From The Daily Stoic:    “Let us pass over to the really rich— how often the occasions they look just like the poor ! When they travel abroad they must restrict their baggage, and when haste is necessary, they dismiss their entourage. And those who are in the army, how few of their possessions they get to keep . . .”—Seneca, On Consolation to Helvia, 12. 1. b–2 The rich have more money. Ok. Got it. But are they truly different from me?  Do they magically need less? Or more? Do they not suffer from the same insecurities and demands on their life?  This must be done. That mus...

Today's Tao: Movement overcomes cold.  Stillness overcomes heat.  Stillness and tranquillity restore order in the universe. From The Daily Stoic:    Keep a journal. Look back on my day and examine what I did right and where I failed. Look at everything in light of "How did I become a better person / better Stoic / more virtuous / less base this day?  “I will keep constant watch over myself and— most usefully— will put each day up for review. For this is what makes us evil— that none of us looks back upon our own lives . We reflect upon only that which we are about to do. And yet our plans for the future descend from the past.”—Seneca, Moral Letters, 83.2 From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Imitation  If I want to help someone escape a Movement — or see that I do not join one or, worse, am in one and am too deluded or unimaginative enough to realize it — I must help them find a sense of self. I must help them become more than, in Hoffer's delightful...

Today's Tao: Those who are attached to things will suffer greatly.  Those who save will suffer heavy losses.  Those who are contented are never disappointed.  Those who know when to stop do not find themselves in trouble.  They remain forever safe. From The Daily Stoic:  Stoics stress the importance of daily self-reflection. Marcus Aurelius did it in his famous journals. Epictetus used the list below as his daily focus. I'm using these studies.  Ask yourself the following first thing in the morning:  What am I lacking in attaining freedom from passion?  What for tranquility?  What am I? A mere body, estate-holder, or reputation? None of these things.  What, then? A rational being.  What then is demanded of me? Meditate on your actions.  How did I steer away from serenity?  What did I do that was unfriendly, unsocial, or uncaring?  What did I fail to do in all these things? —Epictetus, Discourses, 4.6.34– 35 From Eric ...

Today's Tao: The softest thing in the universe  Overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.  That without substance can enter where there is no room.  Hence I know the value of non-action.  T eaching without words and working without doing  Are understood by very few. From The Daily Stoic:    “Your principles can’t be extinguished unless you snuff out the thoughts that feed them, for it’s continually in your power to reignite new ones. . . . It’s possible to start living again! See things anew as you once did—that is how to restart life!”—Marcus  Aurelius, Meditations, 7.2 The most powerful man in the empire can have a bad day / week / month and find it necessary to write these words to himself in his private journal, one not meant for sharing.  If evenbhe needs a reminder that he can, at any time, make the decision — something that is up to him — and bring himself back to his core principles and to begin a new life from now , then so can I....

Today's Tao: What others teach, I also teach; that is: “A violent person will die a violent death!” This is the essence of my teaching. From The Daily Stoic:    Whoever we are, wherever we are— what matters is our choices . What are they? How will we evaluate them? How will we make the most of them? Those are the questions life asks us, regardless of our station. How will you answer? From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  In this section, Hoffer says all things, all internal things, can be boiled down to hatred.  All our enthusiasms, devotions, passions and hopes, when they decompose, release hatred. On the other hand it is possible to synthesize an enthusiasm, a devotion and a hope by activating hatred. He relates sayings by Pascal and Luther that "all men hate each other" and "when I have trouble praying, I remind myself of the Pope and it fills me with hatred so my prayers become hot with passion again." (paraphrased)  This seems overreaching to...

Today's Tao: The Tao is hidden and without name.  The Tao alone nourishes  And brings everything to fulfillment. From The Daily Stoic:    Look for beauty even in unbeautiful things.  From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  Seems that a secure sense of self is a cure for most of what Hoffer talks about in these sections....  Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both. (The True Believer, XIV-75)

Today's Tao: Returning is the motion of the Tao.  Yielding is the way of the Tao.  The ten thousand things arise from being.  Being arises from not being.   Moment of Zen: Your true nature is something never lost to you even in moments of delusion, nor is it gained at the moment of Enlightenment. It is the Nature of the Bhūtatathatā. In it is neither delusion nor right understanding. It fills the Void everywhere and is intrinsically of the substance of the One Mind. How, then, can your mind-created objects exist outside the Void? The Void is fundamentally without spacial dimensions, passions, activities, delusions or right understanding. You must clearly understand that in it there are no things, no men and no Buddhas; for this Void contains not the smallest hairsbreadth of anything that can be viewed spatially; it depends on nothing and is attached to nothing. It is all-pervading, spotless beauty; it is the self-existent and uncreated Absolute. Then how can it even ...

Today's Tao: Therefore the humble is the root of the noble.  The low is the foundation of the high.  The wise consider themselves “orphaned,” “widowed,” and “worthless.”  Their humility is the source of their strength.  Too much success is not an advantage.  Do not tinkle like jade  Or clatter like stone chimes . From The Daily Stoic:    Find your true purpose and let it be your polestar. Adjust your actions daily, as needs be, but follow your inner guide so that your goal remains fixed.  “Tranquility can’t be grasped except by those who have reached an unwavering and firm power of judgment— the rest constantly fall and rise in their decisions , wavering in a state of alternately rejecting and accepting things. What is the cause of this back and forth? It’s because nothing is clear and they rely on the most uncertain guide— common opinion.”—S ENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 95.57b–58a From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  It is star...

Today's Tao: Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness.  When goodness is lost, there is kindness.  When kindness is lost, there is justice.  When justice is lost, there is ritual. From The Daily Stoic:    Apps are trying to get me addicted. News is trying to outrage me. Ads are trying to change my possible desires into needs .  All these forces are distracting from my true purpose: living a life of virtue.  “Man is pushed by drives but pulled by values.” ~  Viktor Frankl, The Will to Meaning From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  A sublime religion inevitably generates a strong feeling of guilt. There is an unavoidable contrast between loftiness of profession and imperfection of practice. And, as one would expect, the feeling of guilt promotes hate and brazenness. Thus it seems that the more sublime the faith the more virulent the hatred it breeds. (The True Believer, XIV-72)

Today's Tao: Tao abides in non-action,  Yet nothing is left undone.  If those in power observed this,  The ten thousand things would develop naturally.  If they still desired to act,  They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.  Without form there is no desire. Without desire there is tranquillity.  And in this way all things would be at peace. From The Daily Stoic:    You control your mind. That's it. That's all. Nothing else. Understanding this reduces the list of things you can do, but also the list of things you must concern yourself about.  It simplifies things dramatically. Use this to focus on what you can change so you can accept and deal with those things you can't change.  From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  If we sin, commit acts of cruelty or aggression, we have two choices: either convince ourselves and others that those we sinned against are subhuman, not worthy of dignity and, in...

From The Daily Stoic:    Practice daily focus. Use this formula to help you guide your thoughts each day.  In the morning, remind yourself to divide the world into that which is up to you and that which is not up to you and to place importance on the former.  In the afternoon, remind yourself that, of all things in the universe, only your power of choice is truly yours and can never be taken from you.  In the evening, remember that anything may be taken from you at any time . . . save for that power of choice.  As you go to sleep, remember that you will do this again tomorrow.  Today's Tao: This is called perception of the nature of things.  Soft and weak overcome hard and strong . From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  When you act upon hate, harming others, you reinforce that hate. Being kind to them, blunts the hate.  What do you hear day-to-day on social media? Forgive and understand? Or take vengeance and persecute?...

Today's Tao: Everyone is drawn to those who keep to the one,  For there lie rest and happiness and peace. From The Daily Stoic:    Place and environment are not the keys to serentiy. You do not have to seclude yourself to the mountaintop or the monastery to achieve peace.  Master your focus to pinpoint those things within your control and those without and your judgment can be clear and untroubled.  “For if a person shifts their caution to their own reasoned choices and the acts of those choices, they will at the same time gain the will to avoid, but if they shift their caution away from their own reasoned choices to things not under their control, seeking to avoid what is controlled by others, they will then be agitated, fearful, and unstable.”—E PICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.1.12 From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  Inner feelings, the destructive doubts about ourselves and our potential, are more potent drivers of the hate harnessed by a Moveme...

Today's Tao: It [Tao]  does not show greatness, And is therefore truly great. From The Daily Stoic:  Reason helps us decode the world. Used properly, we come to right decisions. Use your reason.    ...if our judgments are crooked because we don’t use reason , then everything that follows will be crooked, and we will lose our ability to steady ourselves in the chaos and rush of life. If you want to be steady, if you want clarity, proper judgment is the best way. From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  Hate binds more strongly than love. We don't look for support and help when love, but when we hate.....  Self-contempt is a potent seed for hatred. Playing on the insecure's self-doubt and inadequacy, they can change that into hate, then use the hate to collect allies for hating with them, then find the right target for everyone to hate.  The puzzling thing is that when our hatred does not spring from a visible grievance and does not seem just...

Today's Tao: Knowing others is wisdom;  Knowing the self is enlightenment. Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength.  Those who know they have enough are rich.  Perseverance is a sign of willpower.  Those who stay where they are endure.  To die but not to perish is to be eternally present. From The Daily Stoic:    Many things can be addictions. Drugs?  Yes, of course. That's what first comes to mind for most people.  But there are other things which can compel us in unhealthy ways when taken to obsession. Coffee. Work. Exercise. Complaining. Gossiping. Social media. Soft drinks. Phone games. Video games. All of these and more can steal away our time. Find your balance. Reclaim your freedom from addiction. From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  When choosing someone, to hate, find a group, a definition, which can encompass everyone not part of the Movement.  For Nazis, Jews were either directly...

From The Daily Stoic:  “The proper work of the mind is the exercise of choice, refusal, yearning, repulsion, preparation, purpose, and assent. What then can pollute and clog the mind’s proper functioning? Nothing but its own corrupt decisions.”—E PICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.11.6– 7 Today's Tao: One must know when to stop.  Knowing when to stop averts trouble.  Tao in the world is like a river flowing home to the sea. From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred Common hatred unites the most heterogeneous elements. To share a common hatred, with an enemy even, is to infect him with a feeling of kinship, and thus sap his powers of resistance. Hitler used anti-Semitism not only to unify his Germans but also to sap the resoluteness of Jew-hating Poland, Rumania, Hungary, and finally even France. He made a similar use of anti-communism. (The True Believer, XIV-66)

From The Daily Stoic:    Who are you?  Can I answer this simple question? Have I put enough thought into examining my life? Where I am? What I'm doing? Why am I doing these things?  Am I doing anything important or am I paying too much attention to things that make no difference to the world?  Today's Tao: Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not tools of the wise.  They use them only when there is no choice.  Peace and quiet are dear to their hearts,  And victory no cause for rejoicing.  If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;  If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.  From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents: Hatred  Hatred binds together more than love. Hating the same thing, even among enemies, brings a feeling of kinship which the Movement can exploit.  (The True Believer, XIV-65) From the conclusion of The Lives of the Stoics: “Socrates did not set up desks for his students, sit...

Today's Tao: Whenever you advise rulers in the way of Tao, Counsel them not to use force to conquer the universe.  For this would only cause resistance.  Thorn bushes spring up wherever the army has passed.  Lean years follow in the wake of a great war.  Just do what needs to be done.  Never take advantage of power.  Achieve results, But never glory in them. Achieve results, But never boast.  Achieve results, But never be proud. Achieve results, Because this is the natural way.  Achieve results, But not through violence. Force is followed by loss of strength.  This is not the way of the Tao.  That which goes against the Tao Comes to an early end. From The Daily Stoic:  Know your goal. Knowing where you are going is not a guarantee you will get there, but not knowing is a guarantee you will not. Having a firm end in mind helps you decide on your course of action: what deserves your attention and what does not.  From Eric Hoffer,...

Today's Tao: Therefore the wise avoid extremes, excesses, and complacency. From The Daily Stoic:  Control your perceptions.  Direct your actions properly.  Willingly accept what’s outside your control. From Marcus Aurelius: A man with unlimited power, emperor of the most important empire in the world, lived a hard life full of illness, wie, political troubles, and human foibles. Through all this, he reminded himself constantly to focus on virtue and to accept what was rather than wish for something different.  ...plagues and war could only threaten our life. What we need to protect is our character His dictum in life and in leadership was simple and straightforward: “Do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter.” “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” Even when death finally came to him, he retained his philosophical approach: Yes. This will be a drama in three acts, the length fixed by the power that directed your creation, and now directs your dissoluti...

Today's Tao: Ever true and resourceful, Return to the state of the uncarved block.  When the block is carved, it becomes useful.  When the wise use it, they become rulers.  Thus, “A great tailor makes few cuts.” From The Daily Stoic:  We waste our lives, the time we are given, in fruitless pursuits. Whether it's the activity we don't want to do, the people we don't want to be around, the emotions we don't want to feel, or any of the other Ten Thousand Things, we give away our one irreplaceable resource — time — to things that aren't worth it.  Learn to say no.  From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Factors Promoting Self-Sacrifice, Make-Believe: Fanaticism   Fanatics are extremely unlikely to be able to shift from being part of the Movement to being an individual. They were already failing in self-sufficiency and inner drive when they joined the Cause. What makes you think they could Pivot back to the same failures they were experiencing before?  They are m...

Today's Tao: Confusion will arise, however clever one is  This is the crux of mystery.  From The Daily Stoic:  Learn. That's what we must do. That's why we read. That's why we study.  The goal is virtue. The goal is wisdom.  Learn. From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Factors Promoting Self-Sacrifice, Make-Believe: Fanaticism  The realm of strength of opinion, from indifference to fanaticism, is a horseshoe: fanatics on both endd are closer to one another, and more easily shifted from one extreme to the other, than the moderates at the bend of the horseshoe.  Though they seem to be at opposite poles, fanatics of all kinds are actually crowded together at one end. It is the fanatic and the moderate who are poles apart and never meet. The fanatics of various hues eye each other with suspicion and are ready to fly at each other’s throat. But they are neighbors and almost of one family. They hate each other with the hatred of brothers. They are as far apart and clo...

Today's Tao:   The heavy is the root of the light;  The still is the root of unrest.  From The Daily Stoic:    The new year begins with Epictetus' first and most important lesson: learn what is up to us and what is not up to us .  Spend your time, your money, your attention, your efforts on that which is up to you. The rest will take care of itself.  From Junius Rusticus: Grandson of the man who Musonius convinced not to defend him, and tutor to Marcus Aurelius, Junius Rusticus succeeded where Seneca failed with Nero: he taught an emperor to be a good man.  From Rusticus, I learned to become aware of the fact that I needed amendment and training for my character; and not to be led aside into an argumentative sophistry; nor compose treatises on speculative subjects, or deliver little homilies, or pose ostentatiously as the moral athlete or unselfish man; and to eschew rhetoric, poetry, and fine language; and not to go about the house in...