210523 What I learned in my studies this morning

Do the next right thing. 

Surround me with virtuous 

People wander by. 

From The Daily Stoic: 

Let me live so that I can die at any time and know that I did everything I could with the time I had. Holy crap am I behind. Better get on it. 

And there's a good thing Stoicism has taught me: though I feel sorrow that I have wasted so much of my life doing unimportant, unproductive things, I take comfort in knowing now my mistake and look forward to doing better.

Today's Meditation:

From A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine 

Chapter 10: Social Relations — Dealing With Other People

We know we're going to deal with "interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness" every day. The Stoic advice to mediate these vexation is simple: surround yourself as often as possible with people of virtue. Improve your surroundings and it will improve your life. 

— Avoid seeksorrows and curmudgeons. 

— Don't go to events where base impulses will be prevelant.

— Steer conversation to beneficial topics rather than which celebrity is doing Bad Things today or didyouhearaboutsoandso....

Not that it will then be easy or automatic, but by first removing contagious vices, the path to a virtuous, and therefore more satisfied, life will be less difficult.