230324 What I learned in my studies this morning 3

I don't know what goes.

I don't know what it all means.

I do know I ought.

Thoughts:

Philosophy is the quintessential ivory tower exercise.  That's fine if that's your goal (I spend several years in uni following this approach), but to my mind that's mostly wasted effort.  Those were years of reading horribly dense texts, written for other philosophers, treating with obscure topics which are valuable only in extraordinarily narrow circumstances, to extremely niche audiences, if at all.  

Since then I've realized that, for me at least, philosophy should be practical: it ought to show me how to live a better life.  

The ancient Greeks knew this.  While there were certainly obscure topics among the writings of long ago, a huge part of what was taught was meant to help people live a good life.  Socrates, Epicurus, Diogenes, Epictetus . . . all promoted, by words and by deeds, ways to be happier, calmer, satisfied, etc.  Their answers were not always compatible, but they had the same goal: living well.

Today's Meditation:

Today's Meditation II:

The only harbour safe from the seething storms of this life is scorn of the future, a firm stand, a readiness to receive Fortune’s missiles full in the breast, neither skulking nor turning the back. ~ Seneca, Moral Letters, 104.22