230622 What I learned in my studies this morning 3

Hoping against hope

That my acts be productive

And quiet my soul.

Thoughts:

Hope is not a strategy.  It's a response, a reaction, or even part of preparing to act . . . but it's not a strategy.

That's why the Stoics bent their efforts toward practical exercises: they wanted to discover the best ways to improve peoples' lives, avoiding unproductive navel-gazing.

• What is up to us and what is not up to us
• Premeditatio malorum
• The inner citadel
• "It's not things that upset us but our judgments about them"
• "You are not what you claim to be, but merely an impression"
• The Stoic reserve clause (Fate permitting)

All of these and more are impactful, life-changing practices if I but use them.

Hope may keep me going in dark times, but it's acceptance of, and participation in, life which clears the way and makes straight the path.

Today's Meditation:

Today's Meditation II:

Today's Meditation III:

Today's Meditation IV: