Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.16.1-2 (Waterfield) Do I practice? Actively practice my Stoicism? I try. I do, indeed, stop and remind myself to limit my judgment to what is up to me. I think about whether or not I need to, or should , have an opinion about something. I watch my favorite team lose a game and focus on how this happens in life and it does not involve my will nor any moral import. I am spurned by someone and think of how their opinions, reactions, and emotions are not up to me and thus must be accepted as one accepts a storm.  It happens. Deal with it. Get over it. Learn to not let it become anything to 'get over' in the first place. So yes, I do keep my Stoic lessons in mind often. Just not always often enough.

Today's Meditation(s): As we’ve said, our kids are the most important thing in our lives, but they are not an excuse. They are not a reason to rationalize immoral behavior. If anything, they are a reminder of why, why we have to do the right thing, even when it’s hard. Why we don’t take shortcuts or hurt people. Because they’re watching. Because we want to give them a better life, not just materially but also spiritually, ethically, morally. ~ The Daily Dad 240530 A few days ago I asked what I would do if a choice were to be made between virtue and my family. The Daily dad present a slightly different question here: what do I do when I know my kids are watching? I'm supposed to do the exact same thing.  I'm supposed to set an example. I'm supposed to be virtuous, regardless of observation. It just adds impact to my decision. Even though my children's actions are not up to me, I still must teach them as well as I can.  I may be gone tomorrow so today counts. I h

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.14.7 (Waterfield) Immediately prior, Epictetus is talking about how watching someone learn their craft is not fun, but that the product of that training is pleasing. He extends this philosophers here. Next, we have to find out what sorts of things a philosopher must learn so as to hold his desires and aversions in check, never letting them stray from what is happening in the world.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.11.24-25 (Waterfield) Continuing about the beginning of philosophy, philosophy is learning to judge things properly.  Do this well and I live a good life. Do this poorly and I become a drag not only on myself but on others as well. Why? Because if I am going to spend my time and effort on helping society and my people, misjudging how to do so will make me either inefficient, incapable, or downright detrimental.

Today's Meditation(s): Meditations , 2.1 (Waterfield) I'm feeling satisfied with myself this morning. I have a trip coming up and one of my flights got fuct up. I had to book a new one today, just days from when we're going to fly. As you can imagine, the price of the flight tripled compared to the original booking made 6 months ago. I reminded myself that I live in a world where things like this happen. I asked myself it it was possible to live in a world where unethical companies don't exist and where travel plans don't get changed at the last minute. Since this is asking for the impossible, I resigned myself to acceptance, calmed down, swallowed the cost and the frustration, and moved on. While it is still bugging me in the background, it is less than it was and I know it will fade as the day goes on.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.12.11-13 (Waterfield) Serious P hilosophy here: how do we decide among opinions? Much of what I studied would claim this as its goal. Epistemology. Plato and Aristotle. Chisholm.  Et al. etc. ad infinitum.  This common theme among humanity's experience, deciding between conflicting positions, is the kind of thing I started doing philosophy for. It was mainly a dodge: I was good at it. It was easy. Why not? What it wasn't about, though, was living a good life. It was concerned with parsing and slicing and angels dancing on pinheads. And I was the pinhead. I got better.

Today's Meditation(s): Meditations , VIII, 48 (Waterfield) I have the same resource, the same impregnable, indomitable bulwark against subversion and coercion. And yet I fail to use it. I allow myself to feed passions which should be starved. Not such a good look.

Today's Meditation(s): The Inner Citadel , Pierre Hadot, p. 151 (Kindle)  Soul as hegemonikon, not pneuma. That is, as control center, reason, Inner Citadel. Things offer impressions to the mind, but it is fully up to me what I do with those impressions. So long as I rein in my passions, and use my judgment, things cannot touch my soul.

Today's Meditation(s): In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, “The Four Fists,” he describes this situation perfectly. “People talk of the courage of convictions, but in actual life a man’s duty to his family may make a rigid course seem a selfish indulgence of his own righteousness.” ~ The Daily Dad, 240523 What will I do when virtue demands something which would harm my family? Will I sacrifice my hegemonikon to my duty? Where IS my duty? Which duty trumps? Myself or my family?  There are no easy answers. At least, not if I value my family over myself.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.9.13 (Waterfield) If it's not practiced, it not helpful. Word games, again. Ive been doing better the last few days. Not as stressed. Not as grouchy. More loving and accepting. Practice helps.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.7.8 (Waterfield) If virtue tells me it is right to do something, then other's actions don't matter. If it is right, it is right. If someone else will be upset by, or counteract my actions, then so be it.

Today's Meditation(s): That’s why we work so hard on self-improvement and self-growth. Not for individual glory or vanity. But so that we are more capable and willing to help those who need it and serve our fellow humans.  ~ The Daily Stoic, 240520 People misunderstand Stoicism as selfish, as concerned only with ME. A. It absolutely IS 'only concerned with me' if you mean that our inner lives are the only places we have any agency. B. It absolutely is NOT 'only concerned with me' if you mean that the goal of Stoicism is to make us islands unto ourselves. The Stoic goal is to be virtuous. A BIG part of Stoic virtue is helping others and helping society as a whole. We work on self-growth so we can be more effective in not only helping others but in wanting to help others.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.6.1-2 (Waterfield) Indifferent doesn't mean indifference. It's a category shift. These things are not judged good or bad. They merely are. They can be manipulated, but there's no independent moral connection to them. Good and bad, moral and immoral are states of my internal reason. They apply only to me by me. I cannot make someone else good or bad (though I may show them their errors and hope for the best). I must train my desire and aversion to reflect reality. I must love my fate, if I am to be truly free.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.5.11-15 (Waterfield) I teach my kids: act , don't re act. Even in extremis , I can choose to let my panicky passions overwhelm me or I can put them aside and deal with the urgency in a calm and rational manner. If I continue to practice this, perhaps I will eventually succeed when my time comes. ===== Show quote: 'Aren't you angry?' 'You are angry. Do you feel better?'

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.5.4-5 (Waterfield) My father’s funeral mass was nice. Lots of friends and family were there. Many fine words were said. All the ancient rituals were well observed. The food properly eaten en masse  after. The stories were told and retold. The memories relived and cherished. All together, a fitting exit for a good man. I wish I had a record of all that was said. My nephew focused on dad in loco parentis  (his father died when he was young). My father stepped up and played the leading father figure in his life: going to games, practicing sports, helping with homework, giving advice, tying ties, and cheering at graduation. My brother examined my dad's faith. About its paramount importance to him and all the things he did to make his faith a lived faith. About how much it has helped shape my brother's life. I spoke to his relationship with my mother. The outstanding example of true love which they lived before us, day in and d

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.3.1 (Waterfield) Be a good man and I'll need no recommendation. People will know what kind of man I am by what I do.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.2.10-12 (Waterfield) The sarcasm here is deadly . So long as I place my desire only on things that are up to me, then will I be safe from disappointments and passions. As a state of grace not many nonBuddhas achieve, best I can do is to fight the fight and try to keep my desires and aversions in check.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 2.1.31 (Waterfield) My education in philosophy helped me get to where I am today, but mostly by laying a foundation. Looking back on them, there isn't much value from the majority of it — word games, hair splitting — but precious little about how to live a good life. Now I study and learn how to align my will to the world as it is. I practice controlling my desires and aversions, (ideally) placing them only on those things within my reason, not on indifferents. This is learning how to live a life worth living.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 1.29.56 (Waterfield) Be a good person. That's all there is to it. Do the right thing.

Today's Meditation(s): Discourses , 1.29.20-21 (Waterfield) For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul? ~  Mark 8:36