The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Day 13
October 25th - Two Tasks
"What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self-determination? For wealth doesn't, neither does high-office, state or kingdom - rather, something else must be found... in the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live"
- Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.62-64
From the Author:
"You have two essential tasks in life; to be a good person and to pursue the occupations that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a squandering of your potential. How does one do that? Ok, that's a tougher question. But the philosophy we see from the Stoics make it simple enough: say no to distractions, to destructive emotions, to outside pressure. Ask yourself: 'What is it that only I can do? What is the best use of my limited time on this planet?'."
How do you detatch yourself from, and stop giving your energy in todays world when everything is designed to be a distraction. Tik tok is a distraction from wars in Eastern Europe, Middle East. Politics is a distraction from why our money doesn't hold it's buying power. News is a distraction from your family and community. Movies and sitcoms are distractions from your day job and other smaller responsibilities.
How do you relieve yourself of destructive emotions once you've taken a side on the political fence, or social issues that you have no power over, when everything is divided into sides, psy-ops, good and bad, and all you can do is get angry at the 'enemy', people just like you who, in most cases, want to be free, left alone?
How do you ignore the outside pressures of living up to a certain standard in anothers eyes? Or how to not be sucked into buying every little thing that we're bombarded with day in, day out on billboards, tv and radio ads, in newspapers, magazines, on your phone when you scroll through Tik Tok or Twitter (thankfully not nostr)?
It's time to go inside yourself, shut out everything so you can think in peace, for one fucking second, and pull yourself out from the undertow of the waves of extraneous life that wants to keep pulling you under, keep your energy flowing to the pendulums, feeding the beast, as it were.
Breathe for a moment, and find what you can do for yourself, your family, friends and community, in the most positive, powerful and impactful way you can muster. If you must put yourself in a position outside of this, make sure it's damn well worth the fight, because in most cases, the odds may seem stacked against you, and it will be a drain on your energy.
Shevacai
npub19u…wgppv
2023-10-25 16:07:27
Author Public Key
npub19ut4lep53ax69ks406zdzxd4zewgg4v3trnyw20lqzck89r33wls3wgppvPublished at
2023-10-25 16:07:27Event JSON
{
"id": "b440a6dec3fd19dd09de78210dd96f063e10afe2fb240185b799556b32608d8b",
"pubkey": "2f175fe4348f4da2da157e84d119b5165c84559158e64729ff00b16394718bbf",
"created_at": 1698242847,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [],
"content": "The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living\n\nDay 13\n\nOctober 25th - Two Tasks\n\n\"What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self-determination? For wealth doesn't, neither does high-office, state or kingdom - rather, something else must be found... in the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live\"\n- Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.62-64\n\nFrom the Author:\n\n\"You have two essential tasks in life; to be a good person and to pursue the occupations that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a squandering of your potential. How does one do that? Ok, that's a tougher question. But the philosophy we see from the Stoics make it simple enough: say no to distractions, to destructive emotions, to outside pressure. Ask yourself: 'What is it that only I can do? What is the best use of my limited time on this planet?'.\"\n\nHow do you detatch yourself from, and stop giving your energy in todays world when everything is designed to be a distraction. Tik tok is a distraction from wars in Eastern Europe, Middle East. Politics is a distraction from why our money doesn't hold it's buying power. News is a distraction from your family and community. Movies and sitcoms are distractions from your day job and other smaller responsibilities. \n\nHow do you relieve yourself of destructive emotions once you've taken a side on the political fence, or social issues that you have no power over, when everything is divided into sides, psy-ops, good and bad, and all you can do is get angry at the 'enemy', people just like you who, in most cases, want to be free, left alone?\n\nHow do you ignore the outside pressures of living up to a certain standard in anothers eyes? Or how to not be sucked into buying every little thing that we're bombarded with day in, day out on billboards, tv and radio ads, in newspapers, magazines, on your phone when you scroll through Tik Tok or Twitter (thankfully not nostr)?\n\nIt's time to go inside yourself, shut out everything so you can think in peace, for one fucking second, and pull yourself out from the undertow of the waves of extraneous life that wants to keep pulling you under, keep your energy flowing to the pendulums, feeding the beast, as it were.\n\nBreathe for a moment, and find what you can do for yourself, your family, friends and community, in the most positive, powerful and impactful way you can muster. If you must put yourself in a position outside of this, make sure it's damn well worth the fight, because in most cases, the odds may seem stacked against you, and it will be a drain on your energy.",
"sig": "2c7e59def3bad87990c1bbac5ac8de33d9d5fba31067c8ba0045823af1191658f32f2d5e735e09f3dff6b723c071a120e5049672b9aaa70967d3666e2eaecce9"
}