210825 What I learned in my studies this morning

Contentment. Stillness.

Worlds of mystery delight

Senses tuned to them.

Daily Stoic:

Contrary to popular opinion, traditions are important.  They are time-tested, known ways of dealing with an issue.  Before we discard a tradition, it's important to know what problem it addresses, what effects will happen if it is removed, and what we plan to do to remedy those problems when they arise again now that the tradition has been scuttled.  

That said, if I find a way better way, and the benefits of the new way outweigh the difficulty of throwing away the old way, then make way . . . the new way is here to stay.  No way?!?!  Way!!!

Like yesterday, Seneca is instructing us to look everywhere for wisdom and to find what works.  Limiting myself to one tradition or source is a fool's errand.

Today's Meditation:

Today's Meditation II:

Today's Poem:

Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Great are the Myths, 4

Daily Shakespeare:

Othello, Act 1 Scene 3

From Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Letter LXXXIII:

"Live as though everything we do is public record."  An apt statement made ever more important with the advent of ubiquitous audio and video recording.

Seneca then quotes Zeno's thoughts on the topic of drinking too much: 

As Seneca points out, this is not a very good argument.  The rest of the letter, though on the surface it seems to be a statement about drinking and being drunk — which it is — but, more importantly, it is a lesson on a more effective way of persuading someone not to do something.

Zeno used a flawed syllogism.  Seneca demonstrates the error with another syllogism, then gives examples of times in history when drunk people were, in fact, entrusted with secrets and remained trustworthy.  He also recounts how many others did different sorts of unvirtuous things when drunk (e.g. killing their friend or giving up an empire).

In the end, he explains to Lucilius a better way to present such an argument: