210619 What I learned in my studies this morning

Why write these poems? 

It's a mental exercise, 

Subtle words at play. 

Daily Stoic:

It still gets me when I think about the fact that these words were written by the EMPEROR OF FREAKING ROME. That this man, famed for his personal practice of philosophy, actively using Stoicism in his life, and the most powerful man on Earth, wrote down words of contemplation and encouragement to himself. 

If Marcus Aurelius, who grew up with private tutors and had power beyond anything most of us can come close to imagining, can need to remind himself to not be overwhelmed and to face bad eggs and bad asses alike with magnanimity and grace, then maybe the troubles I face are less overwhelming than I fear. 

Maybe I can handle this. 

Today's Meditation:

From A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy 

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

Part Four: Stoicism for Moden Lives 

Chapter 20: The Decline of Stoicism 

Some say Stoicism declined because Rome fell into immorality and decay. Others that it was a lack of a charismatic leader. Still others that it was the rise of Christianity. Still others say the real reason Stoicism declined was a lack of adequate vitamin A in the Roman diet°. 

Stoicism was occasionally revivified in part by thinkers such as Descartes, Schopenhauer, and Thoreau. 

In comparison to the alternatives, Stoicism survived mainly among those who were not afraid of taking personal responsibility for their lives. Their duty was virtue. Their habit was deliberate serenity. They didn't promise an easy life nor an eternally needs-fulfilling afterlife. You have to do it yourself. 

Daily Shakespeare:

Othello, Act 4, Scene 3

° Just seeing if you were paying attention.