210106 What I learned in my studies this morning

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 in a teacher’s chair, or reserve a prearranged time for lecturing and walking with his pupils.” On the contrary. “He practiced philosophy while joking around,” Plutarch said, “and drinking and serving on military campaigns and hanging around the marketplace with some of his students, and finally, even while under arrest and drinking the hemlock. He was the first to demonstrate that our lives are open to philosophy at all times and in every aspect, while experiencing every emotion, and in each and every activity.”

Life is meant to be lived. Philosophy is meant to be lived. Practice. Try. Fail. Repeat. Live.