Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 34 (Waterfield) Another reason temperance is in the four cardinal virtues: it's grease for social gears. If I indulge too much at someone's party, I may eat and drink more than the hosts planned on, leaving them short for other guests and potentially embarrassed. Is there embarrassment up to me? No. Were they proper Stoics, they would understand and not be embarrassed because their virtue remained intact. They did nothing wrong, they merely erred in not accounting for boorish behavior. Still, aside from ignoring moderation as an aim, there's no reason I should want to do that to my hosts and their other guests. Even if they've been rude or inconsiderate, I deserve to follow Nature and pursue wisdom. If that means I cannot withdraw, then I will remain on my best behavior. My behavior is not dependent on theirs.

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 35 (Waterfield) Stand up for principles and don't worry if that pisses people off. Still, all things being equal, and there's a way to remain true to virtue without making people (or, at least, without making all the people) mad, then go the second way. We don't have  to be pendants and party poopers if there's a valid option not to be.

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 34 (Waterfield) Moderation. If I do decide to pursue a pleasure, be deliberate about it. Do it with purpose and with rules. Don't expect too much or indulge too much. Moderation.

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 33.14 (Waterfield) Epictetus boasting about his party pooping prowess again . . . . Seriously, too seriously, Stoics get a bad reputation in some circles because of things like this.  Better to stay home than to be the guy who lectures about morality at the festival. It strikes me as odd that Epictetus mentions "it's a good way to lessen the respect you receive from those around you." (The other translations I checked were similar to this.) It seems to make a nod toward William Irvine's derived 'trichotomy of control':  things we control (inner, mental things) things we don't control (externals e.g. weather or government), and things we do not control but over which we have exert some influence (our health by exercising and eating well, other's respect by following Epictetus' advice above, etc.) [Many modern Stoics dislike Irvine because his 'dichotomy of control'.  They say it misinterprets the ide

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 33.12 (Waterfield) Woops.  Look like I forgot to finish this one yesterday. As I did the other day , I want to focus on the last part of the passage: identifying the difference between philosophers and non-philosophers.  In this case, the distinguishing factor is how we react to disappointment and frustration. Epictetus describes a particular use of premeditatio malorum : when going to an important meeting, picture myself being thwarted and stonewalled, blocked and misdirected so that I am unable to connect with the person. Imagine it and prepare myself for it, so that, if any of these things come to pass, I will retain  my equanimity and pass along unbothered by the proceedings. Turns out, had I paid attention to the passage when I first read it (so I could decide if I wanted to include it in this post), it would have been directly applicable to my day.  Sadly, I did not. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday.  As I was on my w

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 33.10 (Waterfield) Epictetus sounds fun at parties. Friend: Did you see the game yesterday? Epictetus: Yes. It taught me acceptance and patience. Uh-huh..... I'm a fan of hockey and college football. I watch. I wear the shirts and hats. I go to the games when I can. I cheer when our guys do well. All the normal fan stuff. What I don't do, and what I believe is Epictetus' real warning here, is get emotionally involved in the outcome of the game.* I smile and enjoy it when my team wins, but, when they lose or play poorly, I let it slide. There's no sadness or ire. Just acceptance and looking forward to the next game. Perhaps this is insufficiently Stoic for some — but but but Epictetus said not to go to the games! Don't be seen supporting a side! Real Stoics don't.... That's ok. They do their thing. I'll do mine. ===== * Also, Roman games were quite political.  Supporting a team over the other sent a st

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 33.9 (Waterfield) A favorite. I love this. It's a reply I've used many times.* Humility. Humor. Honesty. Not bad for a single comnent. I know my faults. It's tough for someone to say something true about me that I haven't thought about myself. And if they do say something true I haven't realized, I owe them honest thanks for helping me find a place I need to improve. If I mean it that I want to live a good life, I don't get to resent it when I get the chance to do better, no matter the messenger. Not that I'm always successful in performing this bit of zen. I try to accept criticism gracefully, but I'm not immune to my monkey reacting to a threat and letting it temporarily drive the bus. (To my consistent later regret.) ===== * In response to yo mama jokes, I like 'You know MOM?!?!')

Today's Meditation(s): That last sentence is the best of the bunch. The first two are SOP 'practice moderation' principles found in many moral guides. That last one, though, that last one steps  just a little bit out of line to emphasize humility, that I should deliberately remain silent about my own efforts. I'm not supposed to do this because anyone will care, for or agin. I'm supposed to do it because it's the right thing to do. Unless I'm training my child, and using my action as example, why would I want to tell people about how I've lived temperately? Especially when I too damn often fail to do so?

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 33.2 (Waterfield) One of my favorite quotes: Never miss a good chance to shut up. Besides, by remaining silent, I learn more, especially when I'm around people who are not like me. Often, this is beneficial: I can find different ways to view the world, discover things I never knew, meet people I wouldn't otherwise meet, etc. But, in context of the Enchiridion , I suspect that Epictetus was thinking more about people who "are of a different kind than you" as people who "are caught up in the world and indifferents and do not think about philosophy."  Even these, however, can still teach me by negative example if I pay attention. I do have an issue, however, with people's general disdain for small talk.  Speaking about safe topics such as the weather or the local sports team offers a safe harbor in unfamiliar territory.  Small talk exists to help us bridge the gap between stranger and acquaintance, perhaps even from

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 33.1 (Waterfield) Reminds me of . . . Seneca? Cicero? . . . saying that the aim of philosophy is to always want the same things and always not want the same things. (I'll have to look this up in the morning.) Be consistent in my approach. Use my principles. Strengthen my character so that I do right and follow Nature whether I am observed or not. EDIT: Found it.  "What is wisdom? Always desiring the same things, and always refusing the same things." (Seneca, Moral Letters , XX.5)

Today's Meditation(s): Mistakes in judgment cause disquiet and turmoil in my mind and in my life. In every situation, I will, ideally, take time to examine stimuli as they appear to me, being careful to see them as clearly as possible, without unnecessary additions such as emotions and snap judgments. When I have a clear and neutrally described understanding of the stimulus, then and only then  will I (do my best to) judge it on its merits, rather than according to the primordial passions which arise in me, unbidden, but 'according to ancient custom'.* Unfortunately, that's not how we live. In fact, it's one of the things I truly dislike about our culture: the need for responses to be instant. Fast fast fast fast fast . If you hesitate or take time to  think about your answer, it is perceived as lack of intelligence or knowledge. This societal expectation has too often driven considered opinions and actions out of our schooling. Students are rewarded fo

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 30 (Waterfield) What other people do is not up to me.  What I do is . Focus on what I can do when someone has done wrong to me: choose my thoughts and judgments and opinions. I've heard people object to Stoicism on the grounds that it prescribes a life of misery because you 'have to just put up with stuff' without complaint or reaction. While the complaint part of that statement is true ('Don't be overheard complaining . . . even to yourself.' Med . 8.9), Stoics are well within their philosophical rights to adjust their relationship with others as necessary, moving closer or withdrawing as is appropriate to their actions and our aims. If someone is a jerk, I don't have to associate with them.  I can choose to excise them from my life. If I must deal with them, I can keep those interactions brief and focused so as to limit the malcontent's opportunity to cause trouble. I also remember the Socratic / Stoic admonit

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 29:6-7 (Waterfield) It's not a path to riches and fame, philosophy, nor is it easy, but assuming philosophy works as advertised, in return I get "equanimity, freedom, and peace of mind." Isn't that what riches and fame, political power and high positions, are supposed to gain for us? *   We go through all the trouble and pain — the long hours, the grinding days, the weeks without vacation, the time away from family and friends  — just to follow Tony Montana: "First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the woman." But we're never satisfied, right? We moil and toil, boil and bubble, but we are never soup . We always find another thing to chase or another acclaim to pursue so we can finally be a Big Shot, a Somebody. 'Goddamit. Now you fuckers will have to  respect me .' Seneca's dictum comes to mind: " It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poo

Today's Meditation(s): Enchiridion , 28 (Waterfield) Guard my time as if it were my gold. ===== Three in one, triune topoi of philosophical inquiry: physics, ethics, dialectics. Desire, action, and judgment. Hadot spends his fifth chapter examining this. I'm on my second read so I don't quite get it yet, but I'm working on it.