231024 What I learned in my studies this morning 3

Reification.

Responsibility. Right.
How's that again, bub?

Today's Meditation(s):

If he has only my troubles, he ought to be happy indeed.*

My troubles are bearable. I bear them. I am sometimes down, but not usually a lot or for long. I owe at least some of that to modern pharmacology.

I owe some of that to philosophy. These daily sessions help me think through many things, picking up thoughts along the way. Examining my reasons instead of always relying on other's opinions. Offering ways of thinking which help make those things bearable. 

I owe some of that to family. I have a spouse who is kind, intelligent, and caring, who loves and supports me. My children love me. My mother and father, sister and brother, all love me. I have a strong safety net.

I owe some of that to friends. People whom I trust implicitly and explicitly. People who know they can rely on me utterly.

I owe some of that to luck. Right time, right place. Right person, right time. Family I was born into. Society I was born into. People I met. Era I was born. (Though I might have preferred a few centuries in the future, if reincarnation is true.)

I owe some of that to work. I've squandered many opportunities. But I've also worked well within those opportunities I have found.

I am not a self-made man. But I am responsible for what I do.

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* Or maybe 'Happy is he who has only my troubles.' I know I heard this idea somewhere before, but I can neither remember nor find a source.