We all have things we’re attached to. Think of possessions, places, pursuits, and people in your life (or other things that don’t begin with P) that you couldn’t do without. Maybe you have worked hard to accumulate material items you’ve always wanted to have, built a good reputation in your…
In the relentless pursuit of happiness, a common impulse leads us to believe that a change in surroundings will lift the burdens of our minds. Seneca, the ancient philosopher, challenges this instinct in his 28th Letter to Lucilius, inviting us to question whether our travels truly offer escape or merely…
The following is a short commentary on Donald Robertson's new book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. From the book’s description: This novel biography brings Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE) to life for a new generation of readers… as Robertson skillfully weaves together Marcus’s inner journey as a philosopher with the outer…
One of the nice things about the morning time is that you have some distance from what lies ahead. You have a little space into which you can stretch. You can mentally reach into the day and prepare for what comes your way. It's difficult to feel anger, for example,…
One of the best TED Talks I’ve ever seen was by the actor Ethan Hawke. It’s called “Give yourself permission to be creative” and it’s all about the importance of expressing yourself and doing what you love. It doesn’t have the traditional TED feel due to the absence of a…
It’s likely that today you’ll be judged in some form. Other people will have their say on your actions. It’s natural human behavior: we all rely on our reasoning skills, experience, and principles to determine whether we approve or disapprove of what others are doing. That point is worth remembering…
We're so close to the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives that we often can't see beyond them. If you're like me, you've probably faced a problem that seemed to be the most important problem that anyone on the planet was facing at that time. You're so embedded…
There’s a common argument in favor of the emotion of anger that suggests it’s a useful propellant to prompt action. The claim, in other words, is that it can motivate us to do things we would otherwise have hesitated to do or not done at all. While that may be…
The Stoic sage refers to the person who is perfect in their practice of Stoicism. The sage, for example, meets the high Stoic standard of always acting according to virtue. As such, the sage achieves a state of happiness (eudaimonia) and isn’t susceptible to harm from unpredictable workings of Fate.…
If you’re anything like me, socializing can sometimes feel like the last thing you want to do. Maybe yesterday was littered with frustrating interactions or you know you’re going to bump into a difficult personality this afternoon. Whether today is one of those days or not, Seneca gave us good…