Perennial Meditations: Recent Episodes
J.W. Bertolotti
Welcome to The Perennial Meditations podcast with J.W. Bertolotti from the Perennial Leader Project. Perennial Meditations brings you short reflections on ancient wisdom for everyday life. Each reflection is based on ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions designed to help you live your highest good. To learn more, visit perennialleader.com
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Perennial Meditations is a newsletter (and podcast) designed to help listeners never stop learning how to live.
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Welcome to another edition of the Dying Every Day series, which delivers guided Stoic meditations on the art of living. This episode is available to all subscribers (although not every episode in the series is), if you enjoy it, please consider becoming a Perennial Meditations member on Substack. There, you’ll find the transcripts to these episodes along with many other benefits!
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Welcome to another edition of the Dying Every Day series, which delivers guided Stoic meditations on the art of living. This episode is available to all subscribers (although not every episode in the series is); if you enjoy it, please consider becoming a Perennial Meditations member on Substack. There, you’ll find the transcripts of these episodes, along with many other benefits!
In this week’s meditation, we’re exploring the art of conquering oneself — through a selected passage from Epictetus.
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Welcome back to the Sundays with Seneca series on Perennial Meditations, which explores Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s writings and Stoic philosophy. Each meditation includes selected passages from one of Seneca’s letters in search of ancient lessons on the art of living. In this week’s Sundays with Seneca series, we’re exploring selected passages from a letter known today as On Discursiveness in Reading.
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Welcome to another edition of the Dying Every Day series, which delivers guided Stoic meditations on the art of living. This episode is available to all subscribers (although not every episode in the series is); if you enjoy it, please consider becoming a Perennial Meditations member on Substack. There, you’ll find the transcripts of these episodes, along with many other benefits!
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Welcome back to the Sundays with Seneca series on Perennial Meditations, which explores Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s writings and Stoic philosophy. Each meditation includes selected passages from one of Seneca’s letters in search of ancient lessons on the art of living. In this week’s Sundays with Seneca series, we’re exploring selected passages from a letter known today as On Saving Time.
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Sundays with Seneca explores Lucius Annaeus Seneca's writings and Stoic philosophy. Each week, I share a selected reading from one of Seneca's letters in search of ancient lessons on the art of living.
In a letter known today as Some Arguments in Favor of the Simple Life, Seneca wrote,
“Iwas shipwrecked before I got aboard.” I shall not add how that happened, lest you may reckon this also as another of the Stoic paradoxes; and yet I shall, whenever you are willing to listen, nay, even though you be unwilling, prove to you that these words are by no means untrue, nor so surprising as one at first sight would think. Meantime, the journey showed me this: how much we possess that is unnecessary; and how easily we can make up our minds to do away with things whose loss, whenever it is necessary to part with them, we do not feel. […]
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The Dying Every Day series delivers guided meditations on the art of living. Each meditation provides a quote, a selected passage (from an original Stoic text), and a reflection prompt to consider. These meditations are designed to help you (and me) reflect on what it means to live a good life.
Change is the Only Constant
“The river where you set your foot just now is gone—those waters giving way to this, now this.” (often translated as “No one steps in the same river twice….”)
— Heraclitus, Fragments
Selected Passage
In this week’s meditation, we explore the art of living (and dying) through a selected reading from Seneca.
Infinitely swift is the flight of time, as those see more clearly who are looking backwards. When we are intent on the present, we do not notice it; so gentle is the passage of time’s headlong flight.
Do you ask the reason for this?
All past time is in the same place; it presents the same aspect to us; it lies together. Everything slips into the same abyss. Besides, an event that is a brief compass cannot contain long intervals. The time we spend in living is but a point, nay, even less than a point. But this point of time, tiny as it is, nature has mocked by making it seem outwardly of longer duration; she has taken one portion thereof and made it infancy, another childhood, another youth, another the gradual slope, so to speak, from youth to old age, and old age itself is still another. How many steps for how short a climb!
- Adapted from On the Shortness of Life
Reflection Exercise
Consider reflecting on how you make sense of change. In his Meditations (or notes to himself), Marcus Aurelius observed that constant change is not something to fear. Why should we look anxiously at the prospect of change and dissolution? Change is in accordance with nature: “and nothing harmful is in accordance with nature.” How would your life transform if you started to embrace (and even cherish) change?
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Welcome to Perennial Meditations, a podcast (and newsletter) by the Perennial Leader Project - an organization dedicated to providing tools for the art of living. To learn more and subscribe to our newsletter, visit perennial.substack.com.
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Welcome to Perennial Meditations, a podcast (and newsletter) by the Perennial Leader Project - an organization dedicated to providing tools for the art of living. To learn more and read the transcript from this episode, visit perennial.substack.com.
For full episodes of In Search of Wisdom, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Welcome to Perennial Meditations, a podcast and newsletter by the Perennial Leader Project - an organization dedicated to providing tools for the art of living. To learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter, visit perennial.substack.com.
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Here is the latest Monday Muse with an audio meditation from the Dying Every Day series, a perennial reminder, insight, reflection, and a recommendation to consider. Be wise and be well this week!
For full episodes of In Search of Wisdom, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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💀 Welcome to another episode of the Dying Every Day series, part of the Monday Muse email on Perennial Meditations. This series delivers Stoic meditations on the art of living. Each meditation provides a quote, a selected passage, and a daily exercise to consider contemplating.
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Regarding the art of transformation, the topic of our new series is Becoming Every Day; it is essential that we are able to work with the mind skillfully. This series offers brief guided meditations (with many ideas and concepts) connected with our upcoming course — Wisdom is the Way.
Previously, I asked — “What does it actually mean to self-improve?”
We discussed how transformation is not as straightforward as we think. In this episode of the podcast, we are turning our attention to the role the mind plays in the art of transformation. [...]
To learn more (and support the show), visit https://www.perennialleader.com/. ---
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Pardon the interruption from our regular Sundays with Seneca series. Today, I’m sharing a selected reading from what is often referred to as The Stoic Manual for Living or Enchiridion by Epictetus. It’s part of a new project I’ve been working on called Perennial Audiobooks, intended to deliver audio productions of ancient philosophical and spiritual writings. Perennial Audiobooks is a private feed exclusively for members of the Perennial Meditations newsletter.
The Enchiridion by Epictetus
This short book is a distillation of Epictetus's teachings produced by his pupil Arrian, who collected and published the master's lecture notes. It’s an instruction manual for life full of practical advice for modern living. The opening passage reads as follows, "There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own. Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in one word, whatever are not properly our own affairs." [...]
Thank you for listening; I hope you found something useful.
P.S. Perennial Meditations members will receive instructions on how to gain access to Perennial Audiobooks in the coming days!
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In this episode, my guest is Dr. Brian Russell, the author of Centering Prayer. The episode is a recent recording from our last virtual meetup on The Art (and Wisdom) of Contemplative Practices, which was part of our Perennial Habits course. Brian is a professor of biblical studies and a transformational coach for pastors and spiritually-minded professionals. You can learn more and connect with Brian at brianrussellphd.com/
In the conversation, Brian and I discuss,
-
The benefits of stillness practices
-
Knowing ourselves
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The challenges of sitting quietly
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Centering prayer (and the four R’s)
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The Art of Acceptance
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Knowing what matters in life and much more
Some of you may already be familiar with Brian; he is a previous guest on In Search of Wisdom,where we’ve explored centering prayer, forgiveness, discernment, and other topics. Although the episode focuses mainly on the Christian contemplative practice of centering prayer, many of the ideas and strategies discussed are helpful across stillness practices and traditions.
To learn more (and support the show), visit https://www.perennialleader.com/. ---
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In a letter known today as On the Fear of Death, Seneca wrote, "Ihave already ceased to be anxious about you. “Whom then of the gods,” you ask, “have you found as your voucher?” A god, let me tell you, who deceives no one—a soul in love with that which is upright and good. The better part of yourself is on safe ground. Fortune can inflict injury upon you; what is more pertinent is that I have no fears lest you do injury to yourself. Proceed as you have begun, and settle yourself in this way of living, not luxuriously but calmly." […]
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The late spiritual teacher Ram Dass told a story of when he asked his guru about the path to wisdom. His guru responded, “Feed people.” Ram Dass, not entirely satisfied with his answer, rephrased the question to “How does one become enlightened?” To this question, his guru said, “Serve people.”
What if the path to peace is thinking less about ourselves and our outcomes? [...]
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What should we do about anxiety? Does anxiety stand in the way of finding peace and tranquility? In part 1 of our series, Peace is the Project; we discussed learning to relax. And how, in truth, learning to relax is often far more challenging than it sounds.
In his classic book The Meaning of Anxiety, existential psychologist Rollo May explained that we still cling to the illogical belief that “mental health is living without anxiety.” We seem unaware that the delusion of living without anxiety reveals a radical misperception of reality. May stressed that we have “anxiety because it is possible to create—creating one’s self, being willing to be one’s self, as well as creating in all the innumerable daily activities. One would have no anxiety if there were no possibility.” [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons on the art of living from the writings and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Ill-Health and Endurance of Suffering, Seneca wrote, "If I may begin with a commonplace remark, spring is gradually disclosing itself; but though it is rounding into summer, when you would expect hot weather, it has kept rather cool, and one cannot yet be sure of it. For it often slides back into winter weather. Do you wish to know how uncertain it still is? I do not yet trust myself to a bath that is absolutely cold; even at this time, I break its chill. You may say that this is no way to show the endurance either of heat or of cold; very true, dear Lucilius, but at my time of life, one is at length contented with the natural chill of the body. I can scarcely thaw out in the middle of summer. Accordingly, I spend most of the time bundled up; and I thank old age for keeping me fastened to my bed. Why should I not thank old age on this account? That which I ought not to wish to do, I lack the ability to do. Most of my converse is with books. Whenever your letters arrive, I imagine that I am with you, and I have the feeling that I am about to speak my answer instead of writing it. Therefore let us together investigate the nature of this problem of yours, just as if we were conversing with one another." [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons on the art of living from the writings and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Meeting Death Cheerfully, Seneca wrote, "Let us cease to desire that which we have been desiring. I, at least, am doing this: in my old age, I have ceased to desire what I desired when a boy. To this single end, my days and my nights are passed; this is my task, this the object of my thoughts—to put an end to my chronic ills. I am endeavoring to live every day as if it were a complete life. I do not indeed snatch it up as if it were my last; I do regard it, however, as if it might even be my last." [...]
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Today’s episode is a follow-up to a previous meditation titled; The Sun is Always Shining and Three Ways to Say “Yes” to Life. One reader raised a thoughtful and essential question: How should we think about happiness, suffering, or gratitude amid physical pain and illness?
***Friday episodes are typically for paid members, but I’m making this one available to all subscribers. If you find something useful, please consider becoming one.
Is it even appropriate to think (or say) words like happiness and suffering in the same sentence? To start, let’s distinguish physical pain from suffering. We’ll turn to a well-known Buddhist parable (The Dart of Painful Feeling).
The Buddha taught his followers, “Monks, when the uninstructed worldling experiences a painful feeling, he sorrows, grieves, and laments; he weeps, beating his breast and becomes distraught. He feels two feelings—a bodily one and a mental one.” [...]
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The devotional Remember Your Death, by Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, opens with the words, “You are going to die.” Sr. Noble writes, "The moment you are born you begin dying. You may die in fifty years, ten years, perhaps tomorrow — or even today. But whenever it happens, death awaits every person, whether rich or poor, young or old, believer or nonbeliever."
As many of you know, I am interested in principles and practices that reveal themselves across wisdom traditions. One of those practices is remembering your death (or Memento Mori). Many people rightfully connect the practice of Memento Mori with Stoicism, but it is also part of Buddhism and Christianity. [...]
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Do you have someone in your life (past or present) that you look to as an example of virtue in action? The Stoics did. They turned to the life of figures like Socrates and Cato. Similarly, many spiritual traditions have great Saints and theologians as models or guides to follow.
In a passage from the Enchiridion, Epictetus says, “From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer, and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event. That is how Socrates fulfilled himself by attending to nothing except reason in everything he encountered. And you, although you are not yet a Socrates, should live as someone who at least wants to be a Socrates.”
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern living in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On the Shortness of Life, Seneca wrote, "Infinitely swift is the flight of time, as those see more clearly who are looking backwards. For when we are intent on the present, we do not notice it, so gentle is the passage of time’s headlong flight.
Do you ask the reason for this? All past time is in the same place; it all presents the same aspect to us, it lies together. Everything slips into the same abyss. Besides, an event which in its entirety is of brief compass cannot contain long intervals. The time which we spend in living is but a point, nay, even less than a point. But this point of time, infinitesimal as it is, nature has mocked by making it seem outwardly of longer duration; she has taken one portion thereof and made it infancy, another childhood, another youth, another the gradual slope, so to speak, from youth to old age, and old age itself is still another. How many steps for how short a climb!" [...]
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The Stoic philosopher Epictetus once asked, “How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” But what does it actually mean to demand the best for yourself? What is the path to peace, tranquility, or happiness? How does one become a better parent, leader, friend, or anything else? The answer to these types of questions generally points to wisdom.
In a Letter to Menoeceus, Epicurus wrote, "Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search thereof when he is grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul." [..]
As many of you know, I have an interest in the topic of wisdom. I started a podcast called In Search of Wisdom a couple of years ago. I believe, like Epicurus (and many others), that there is no time like the present to begin the search for wisdom.
For this reason, I’m offering a free *5-Week Wisdom 101 Course (for Perennial Meditations members). It’s going to be an informal exploration of timeless perspectives, principles, and practices (based on a previous article called The Timeless Art of Leading a Life) to help us live our highest good. The course will consist of an email meditation every Monday (beginning on 16 Jan) and a live meetup every Wednesday at Noon EST (ending on 15 Feb).
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern living in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On the God Within Us, Seneca wrote, "You are doing an excellent thing, one which will be wholesome for you, if, as you write me, you are persisting in your effort to attain sound understanding; it is foolish to pray for this when you can acquire it from yourself. We do not need to uplift our hands towards heaven, or to beg the keeper of a temple to let us approach his idol’s ear, as if in this way our prayers were more likely to be heard. God is near you, he is with you, he is within you." [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern living in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Noble Aspirations, Seneca wrote,
"Ishall indeed arrange for you, in careful order and narrow compass, the notes which you request. But consider whether you may not get more help from the customary method than from that which is now commonly called a “breviary,” though in the good old days, when real Latin was spoken, it was called a “summary.” The former is more necessary to one who is learning a subject, the latter to one who knows it. For the one teaches, the other stirs the memory. But I shall give you abundant opportunity for both. A man like you should not ask me for this authority or that; he who furnishes a voucher for his statements argues himself unknown." [...]
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Do you ever have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? If so, you’re in good company; the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius did as well. In his personal journal, known as Meditations, he wrote, “At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being.” [...]
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How is your relationship with time? It might sound like a strange question, but it's essential. The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, “Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them, and their value will never be known. Improve them, and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern living in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Allegiance to Virtue, Seneca wrote, "You have promised to be a good man; you have enlisted under oath; that is the strongest chain that will hold you to a sound understanding. Any man will be but mocking you if he declares that this is an easy kind of soldiering. I will not have you deceived. The word of this most honorable are the same as the words of that most disgraceful one, to wit: “Through burning, imprisonment, or death by the sword.” [...]
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One of the many universal truths across wisdom traditions is the emphasis on removing desire. Epictetus and the Buddha suggested that freedom is not secured by fulfilling one’s desires but by its removal. A curious question, then, is what is the opposite of desire? [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On the Futuility of Learning Maxims, Seneca wrote, "You wish me to close these letters also, as I closed my former letters, with certain utterances taken from the chiefs of our school. But they did not interest themselves in choice extracts; the whole texture of their work is full of strength. There is unevenness, you know, when some objects rise conspicuous above others. A single tree is not remarkable if the whole forest rises to the same height." [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Conquering the Conquerer, Seneca wrote, "Just as in a ship that springs a leak, you can always stop the first or the second crack, but when many holes begin to open and let in water, the gaping hull cannot be saved; similarly, in an old man’s body, there is a certain limit up to which you can sustain and prop its weakness. But when it comes to resemble a decrepit building, when every joint begins to spread and while one is being repaired, another falls apart—then it is time for a man to look about him and consider how he may get out." [...]
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We don’t often consider creativity a prerequisite to living a good life. But one can reasonably view life as the ultimate creative pursuit. Existential thinking encourages living life as a work of art. Nietzsche wrote that creativity may be required to become who we are or who we may want to be. [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Old Age and Death, Seneca wrote, "I was just lately telling you that I was within sight of old age. I am now afraid that I have left old age behind me. For some other word would now apply to my years, or at any rate to my body, since old age means a time of life that is weary rather than crushed. You may rate me in the worn-out class of those who are nearing the end." [...]
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How practical is your philosophy of life? The Zen Master D.T. Suzuki wrote that there is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. When it comes to Zen — the whole point is to be practical. [...]
P.S. If you’re interested in learning more, sign up for Reading and the Good Life. It’s a free weekly meetup (Fridays at 12:00 pm EST) designed to offer space for connection, contemplation, and conversations on the art of living.
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On the True Joy Which Comes from Philosophy, Seneca wrote to Lucilius, "Do you suppose that I shall write you how kindly the winter season has dealt with us—a short season and a mild one—or what a nasty spring we are having—cold weather out of season—and all the other trivialities which people write when they are at a loss for topics of conversation? No, I shall communicate something which may help both you and myself. And what shall this “something” be, if not an exhortation to the soundness of mind? Do you ask what is the foundation of a sound mind? It is not to find joy in useless things. I said that it was the foundation; it is really the pinnacle." [...]
Thank you for listening; I hope you found something useful.
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In the Enchiridion (or Handbook), the philosopher Epictetus asks: “How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” If you’re listening to Perennial Meditations — one can reasonably assume you’re interested in improving yourself. However, the question, at least according to Epictetus, is how serious are you about making progress? [...]
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On today’s episode, I’m grateful to share a conversation with my good friend Simon Drew from the Walled Garden Philosophical Society and the Soul Searching with Seneca podcast. Simon is a poet, musician, philosopher, and someone with a deep appreciation for Seneca’s wisdom and writing.
In the conversation, we reflect on Seneca’s Letter titled On Groundless Fears, which was the last episode on Sundays with Seneca.
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In a letter known today as On Groundless Fears, Seneca wrote, "I know that you have plenty of spirit; for even before you began to equip yourself with maxims which were wholesome and potent to overcome obstacles, you were taking pride in your contest with Fortune; and this is all the more true now that you have grappled with Fortune and tested your powers. For our powers can never inspire in us implicit faith in ourselves except when many difficulties have confronted us on this side and on that and have occasionally even come to close quarters with us. It is only in this way that the true spirit can be tested—the spirit that will never consent to come under the jurisdiction of things external to ourselves." [...]
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Does anyone actually understand you? It seems that, universally, we all have parts of us that are unknown to others (and often even to ourselves).
The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradicts everything you said today. — ‘Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.’ — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, …, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh.” [...]
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In this episode, I share a short clip from my conversation with Jonathan Robinson, the author of The Enlightenment Project. The full conversation will release next week on In Search of Wisdom.
Jonathan is a psychotherapist and best-selling author of ten books. He has studied the most practical and powerful personal and professional development methods for the last thirty years. He’s interviewed several spiritual and philosophical thinkers, from Mother Teresa to the Dalai Lama and many others.
In this portion of the conversation, I asked Jonathan Robinson about some of the myths around enlightenment. He outlines ten myths about what leads to enlightenment in The Enlightenment Project.
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writing and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Practicing What You Preach, Seneca wrote, "I am glad if you are in good health and if you think yourself worthy of becoming your master at last. The credit will be mine if I can drag you from the floods you are being buffeted without hope of emerging. This, however, my dear Lucilius, I ask and beg of you, on your part, that you let wisdom sink into your soul and test your progress, not by mere speech or writings, but by stoutness of heart and decrease of desire. Prove your words by your deeds." [...]
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The opening passage of the Enchiridion, by Epictetus, reads as follows: “There are things that are within our power, and there are things that are beyond our power. Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever affairs are our own." [...]
In today's episode, I connect with my friend Brandon Tumblin, the host of The Strong Stoic podcast. Brandon is extremely knowledgeable about Stoicism and, more importantly, how to integrate Stoic wisdom into daily life.
If you’re not already a subscriber to The Strong Stoic, I highly encourage you to do so. I’ve learned a lot from many of Brandon’s episodes, including these 20-minute deep-dive episodes he does on practical wisdom. One recent example is the episode on Generosity; I encourage you to give it a listen!
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In this episode, I share a short clip from my conversation with Stephen Angle, the author of Growing Moral: A Confucian Guide to Life. The full conversation will release next week on In Search of Wisdom.
In Growing Moral, Angle quotes the Confucian philosopher Mengzi, “Suppose someone suddenly saw a child about to fall into a well. Anyone in such a situation would have a feeling of alarm and commiseration — not because they sought to get in good with the child’s parents, not because they wanted a good reputation among their neighbors and friends, and not because they dislike the sounds of a child’s cries.” […]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writings and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Philosophy, the Guide of Life, Seneca wrote, "It is clear to you, I am sure, Lucilius, that no man can live a happy life, or even a supportable life, without the study of wisdom; you know also that a happy life is reached when our wisdom is brought to completion, but that life is at least endurable even when our wisdom is only begun." […]
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Why do spiritual and philosophical traditions all stress the notion of the shortness of life? It seems it would be in the category of self-evident. Although the notion of impermanence (or nothing lasts) is straightforward, deepening our understanding can change how one lives in the world. [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writings and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
In a letter known today as On Brawn and Brains, Seneca wrote, "The old Romans had a custom which survived even into my lifetime. They would add to the opening words of a letter: “If you are well, it is well; I also am well.” Persons like ourselves would do well, to say. “If you are studying philosophy, it is well.” For this is just what “being well” means. Without philosophy, the mind is sickly, and the body, too [...]
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What does it mean to learn how to live? Where does one even begin? The existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “Everything in the world has been figured out, except how to live.” [...]
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In this episode, I share a short clip from a recent conversation with Massimo Pigliucci, the author of the new book The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Can Teach Us about Our Search for Good Leaders. The full conversation will release next week on In Search of Wisdom.
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in the writings and Stoic philosophy of Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
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In a letter known today as On Sharing Knowledge, Seneca wrote, “I feel, my dear Lucilius, that I am being not only reformed, but transformed. I do not yet, however, assure myself, or indulge the hope, that there are no elements left in me which need to be changed. Of course there are many that should be made more compact, or made thinner, or be brought into greater prominence. And indeed this very fact is proof that my spirit is altered into something better—that it can see its own faults, of which it was previously ignorant." [...]
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Why does criticism impact us? Even feedback from someone we don’t know can affect us. This episode explores what wisdom traditions (like Stoicism and Buddhism) can teach us about responding to criticism.
Strangely, many great thinkers and traditions offer detailed advice on dealing with difficult people and how to respond wisely to criticism.
For example, in 1910, President Theodore Roosevelt discussed the topic in one of the most famous speeches of all time, titled Citizenship in a Republic. Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better….”
In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote,
“When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you. But you should still be kind to them. They are by nature your friends…” [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in Stoic philosophy. Today’s selected reading comes from a letter titled On the Philosopher’s Seclusion.
In addition to the selected reading from Seneca, I’m grateful to share a recent conversation with my good friend Simon Drew from the Walled Garden Philosophical Society and the Soul Searching with Seneca podcast. Simon is a poet, musician, philosopher, and someone with a deep appreciation for Seneca’s wisdom and writing.
In On the Philosopher’s Seclusion, Seneca stressed to Lucilius, "I point other men to the right path, which I have found late in life, when wearied with wandering. I cry out to them: “Avoid whatever pleases the throng: avoid the gifts of Chance!" [...]
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How do you see your place in the world? The late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh suggested, “When you ask the question, ‘Who am I?’ — if you have enough time and concentration — you may find some surprising answers.” [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in Stoic philosophy. Today’s selected reading comes from a letter titled On Crowds.
Seneca stressed to Luciulius:
“Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say, crowds, for as yet you cannot trust yourself to them with safety. I shall admit my own weakness, at any rate, for I never bring back home the same character that I took abroad with me. Something of that which I have forced to be calm within me is disturbed; some of the foes that I have routed return again. Just as the sick man, who has been weak for a long time, is in such a condition that he cannot be taken out of the house without suffering a relapse, so we ourselves are affected when our souls are recovering from a lingering disease.
To consort with the crowd is harmful; there is no person who does not make some vice attractive to us, or stamp it upon us, or taint us unconsciously therewith. Certainly, the greater the mob with which we mingle, the greater the danger.” […]
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Is the happiest person you know—the wisest person you know? According to the American philosopher William James, there is a direct connection between philosophy and joy. Similarly, Montaigne called cheerfulness the surest sign of wisdom. [...]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in Stoic philosophy.
Today’s selected reading comes from a letter titled On the Philosopher’s Mean. Seneca stressed to Luciulius: “I commend you and rejoice in the fact that you are persistent in your studies and that, putting all else aside, you make it each day your endeavor to become a better man. I do not merely exhort you to keep at it; I actually beg you to do so. […]
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According to psychologist Carl Jung, “The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego; the second half is going inward and letting go of it.” Jung believed our vision only becomes clear when we dare to look into our own hearts.
In the classic Modern Man in Search of a Soul, Jung wrote, "To find out what is truly individual in ourselves, profound reflection is needed; and suddenly, we realize how uncommonly difficult the discovery of individuality is." [...]
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Strangely, many of us know the feeling of loneliness all too well. We all have parts of ourselves that no one will truly understand. In my interview with Dr. Kelly Flanagan (author of True Companions), he explained: “Loneliness is one of the most misunderstood words in the English language, and it is one of the most misunderstood experiences in the human condition.”
The theologian and psychologist Henri Nouwen put it this way, To live a spiritual life, we must first find the courage to enter the desert of our loneliness and change it by gentle and persistent efforts into a garden of solitude. […]
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Welcome to Sundays with the Stoics on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in Stoic philosophy.
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In a letter titled, On True and False Friendship, Seneca wrote,
“You have sent a letter to me through the hand of a “friend” of yours, as you call him. And in your very next sentence, you warn me not to discuss with him all the matters that concern you, saying that even you yourself are not accustomed to doing this; in other words, you have in the same letter affirmed and denied that he is your friend.
If you consider any man a friend whom you do not trust as you trust yourself, you are mightily mistaken, and you do not sufficiently understand what true friendship means. Indeed, I would have you discuss everything with a friend; but first of all, discuss the man himself. When friendship is settled, you must trust; before friendship is formed, you must pass judgment.
Ponder for a long time whether you shall admit a given person to your friendship, but when you have decided to admit him, welcome him with all your heart and soul. Speak as boldly with him as with yourself. [...]
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All of us want to find happiness and many books, teachers, and resources attempt to help us become happier. Yet we all continue to suffer in some form or fashion. What if happiness is available right now, but this happiness cannot be without suffering?
In his classic book No Mud, No Lotus, the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh explained,
The art of happiness is also the art of suffering well. When we learn to acknowledge, embrace and understand our suffering, we suffer much less. Not only that, but we can also go further and transform our suffering into understanding, compassion, and joy for ourselves and others.
One of the most challenging things to accept is the idea that there is no place where there’s only happiness and no suffering. […]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we search for ancient lessons for modern life in Seneca’s timeless classic Letters from a Stoic.
In a letter titled On Discursiveness in Reading, Seneca wrote, “Be careful, however, lest this reading of many authors and books of every sort may tend to make you discursive and unsteady. You must linger among a limited number of master thinkers and digest their works if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind.”
Seneca advised,
So you should always read standard authors, and when you crave a change, fall back upon those whom you read before. Each day acquire something that will fortify you against poverty, against death, indeed against other misfortunes as well, and after you have run over many thoughts, select one to be thoroughly digested that day.
“This is my own custom,” explained Seneca, “from the many things which I have read, I claim one part for myself.” […]
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Immanuel Kant once said, “It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience.” Similarly, the Buddha stressed that there is no need for dogmas or blind faith — one should experience the teachings firsthand.
Buddhist scripture tells the story of the Buddha and a large sangha of monks going on a wandering tour. During this tour, the Buddha is met with perplexity and doubt, to which he responded,
“It is fitting for you to be perplexed, it is fitting for you to be in doubt. Doubt has arisen in you about a perplexing matter. Do not go by oral tradition, by lineage of teaching, by hearsay, by a collection of texts, by logic, by inferential reasoning, by reasoned cogitation, by the acceptance of a view after pondering it, by the seeming competence of a speaker, or because you think, ‘The ascetic (or practice) is our teacher.’” […]
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Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join us as we explore Seneca’s timeless classic Letters from a Stoic in search of wisdom for modern life.
In the letter titled On Saving Time, Seneca wrote, “Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius—set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time, which until lately has been forced from you, or filched away, or has merely slipped from your hands.”
Seneca urges us to remember that time is our most valuable resource. He asked Lucilius: “What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily?”
For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years be behind us are in death’s hands. Therefore, Lucilius, do as you write me that you are doing: hold every hour in your grasp. Lay hold of today’s task, and you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow’s. While we are postponing, life speeds by. — Seneca
Nothing, Lucilius, is ours, except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing, so fleeting and slippery […]
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What if there is more going on within us than we realize? The philosopher Kierkegaard once asked, “What if everything in the world were a misunderstanding, what if laughter were really tears?”
In The Stranger, philosopher Albert Camus wrote,
In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that… In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger — something better, pushing right back.
Do you feel “something stronger” pushing back against the world?
In his classic War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy explained that pure and complete sorrow is as impossible as pure and complete joy. It seems our emotions are often more intertwined and complex than we understand. But, what if the distance from hate to love or chaos to calm is shorter than we think?
Can one simply decide to choose love, joy, or calm…?
In the final chapter of The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus compares the absurdity of man’s life with the situation of Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology condemned to repeat the same meaningless task of forever pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again. […]
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How comfortable are you with questions that have no answer? The psychologist Carl Jung suggested, “The greatest and most important problems of life are all in a certain sense insoluble.” There are questions in life that can never be solved — only outgrown. This ‘outgrowing,’ observed Jung, consists of a new level of consciousness. [...]
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An essential practice of any philosophy of life is examing your actions. A century before Socrates famously proclaimed that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” the philosopher Pythagoras stressed the practice of self-reflection. [...]
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Is practice or theory more important in acquiring virtue? The Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus was asked this very question 2,000 years ago. Theory teaches what we ought to do, and practice demonstrates it. Musonius taught that although understanding the theory behind the action enables one to speak, it is practice that enables one to act. [...]
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Navigating our way through life is a perennial challenge. But does it have to be? One can discover what the most remarkable thinkers had to say on virtually any topic within minutes. Although read any book on living a good life, and you’ll find what seem to be contradictions.
Take this passage from Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius, “Our actions may be impeded . . . but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” [...]
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Is it possible to know too much? According to Leo Tolstoy (regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time), “It is better to know a few good and necessary things than many useless and mediocre things.” Basic knowledge is necessary to be a human being; until a person has acquired this knowledge, all other knowledge is harmful, stressed Tolstoy.
In A Calendar of Wisdom, Tolstoy wrote, "It is better to know several basic rules of life than to study many unnecessary sciences." [...]
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When we search for practical wisdom today — we are wise to look to Buddhist teachings. What distinguishes the Buddha’s teaching from other religious approaches to the human condition is its directness, thoroughness, and practical nature.
The Buddha explained, "The teaching begins by calling upon us to develop a faculty of careful attention." [...]
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Is the fear of death inevitable? In the classic Denial of Death, Ernest Becker stressed, “The idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity — designed largely to avoid the fatality of death.”
Although 2,000 years before Becker, the philosopher Epicurus asked, “Why should I fear death? If I am, then death is not. If Death is, then I am not.” [...]
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Today's reflection comes from a portion of The PATH weekly email meditation we send every Monday, and it's on potential.
One of the heartbreaking things about humans is our tendency to settle, to place false limits on our true potential. The theologian Thomas Merton said, “The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”
In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote this himself, “If you find something very difficult to achieve yourself, don’t imagine it impossible — for anything possible and proper for another person can be achieved as easily by you.” [...]
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Are you on the path to becoming who you truly are? The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson believed, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
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How do we know virtue is the only good? Although the Stoics and Epicureans agreed on finding tranquility in life, they differed drastically on the topic of virtue.
In Letter 76, titled Only the honorable is good, Seneca wrote,
This is called virtue; this is the honorable and the sole good of the human being. Since only reason perfects a human, only reason makes him perfectly happy. But that by which alone he is made happy is his sole good. We say, too, that those things which proceed from virtue and are connected with it — that is, all the activities of virtue — are themselves goods.
Seneca warned Lucilius, “If you accept the view that something besides the honorable is good, then every virtue will have a hard time.” Virtue cannot be maintained by looking beyond itself. If so, it is contrary to reason — which virtue depends. [...]
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Is there any greater wisdom than the ability to adapt? The poet Goethe said, “Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” The greatest thinkers throughout history have all stressed the wisdom of change.
In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, "Is someone afraid of change? Well, what can ever come to be without change?" [...]
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What if regrets are inevitable? According to the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, regret is entirely unavoidable. In Either/Or: A Fragment of Life, Kierkegaard explained, "I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations — one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it — you will regret both." [...]
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"All I know is that I know nothing, and I’m not even sure about that, said the philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592). Montaigne was said to have adopted these words as a mantra for life. In his more than one hundred Essays, Montaigne covered topics connected mainly to the question of — How to Live. [...]
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In his classic On Becoming a Person, the psychologist Carl Rogers wrote, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Why are we so prone to see self-improvement as the path instead of self-acceptance? [...]
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To the question, what's the most important decision we make?
Kierkegaard explained, "The thing is to understand myself: the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die. That is what I now recognize as the most important thing."
Similarly, in Letters from a Stoic, Seneca urged Lucilius, “Adopt once and for all a single rule to live by, and make your whole life conform to it.” The wise person does not always take the same steps, but they walk a single road. [...]
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Are you truly thinking for yourself? According to the philosopher Montaigne, “Each man is a good education to himself, provided he can spy on himself from close up.” [...]
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What if finding happiness is more accessible than we realize? What if the path to a happy life isn’t a path at all? According to Leo Tolstoy, “The most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” [...]
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What comes to mind when you hear the word virtue? For some, it can feel outdated or old-fashioned. Virtue (or arete) translates to excellence or moral virtue. The notion of excellence connects with living up to one’s full potential or the highest good (summum bonum).
Plato identified the four cardinal virtues with the character of a good city as described in The Republic. According to Plato, “Clearly, then, it will be wise, brave, temperate, and just.” [...]
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How does the realization of the speed of change (or impermanence) influence our daily lives? In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Reflect often on the speed with which all things in being, or coming into being, are carried past and swept away.” The fundamental truth of impermanence exists in nearly every wisdom tradition.
In Fragments, the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus wrote, "The meaning of the river flowing is not that all things are changing so that we cannot encounter them twice but that some things stay the same only by changing." [...]
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Where is your path of self-improvement leading you? Are you confident you're heading towards the highest good? In a letter to Lucilius, known today as Our mind’s godlike potential, Seneca wrote, “There is but one good, and that is both the cause and the mainstay of happiness: trust in oneself.”
According to Seneca, "Complete virtue consists of the evenness and steadiness of a life in harmony with itself through all events, which cannot come about unless one has the knowledge and skill of discerning things human and divine. This is the highest good." [...]
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Where do you go to find inner peace? The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius suggested people often seek retreat in the country, by sea, and in the hills, and even he is prone to this yearning. What if we don’t need to go anywhere to find peace?
In Book IV of Meditations, Marcus wrote, "But all this is quite unphilosophic, when it is open to you, at any time you want, to retreat into yourself. No retreat offers someone more quiet and relaxation than that into his own mind. So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself." [...]
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In this episode, I share a short reflection on How to Be Free - According to Epictetus
What does it mean to be free? According to the slave-turned Stoic philosopher Epictetus, if you make peace with all things that are beyond your power, refusing to fight them, you will be invincible. [...]
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In this episode, I share a short reflection on The Wisdom of Solitude.
How might your life change if you adopted the practice of solitude? According to the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, learning to be alone is a path to peace and connection (one of life's many paradoxes). Merton wrote, "The person who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely." [...]
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In this episode, I share a short reflection on The Wisdom of Experience.
How does one become wise? How does wisdom differ from knowledge? Leonardo Da Vinci says, “wisdom is the daughter of experience.” The philosopher Lao Tzu suggested, “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” But, does wisdom only come by way of experience and age?
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In today’s episode, I’m sharing a short reading from Meditations 2.1 by Marcus Aurelius. We’ve been putting together some selected readings for our new YouTube channel, and I thought I would share one here. These readings are in the spirit of Lectio Divina (or divine reading) which is a way to read, reflect, respond, and rest with a particular passage. As always, I thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy this reading…
Meditations 2.1. "Say this to yourself in the morning: Today, I shall have to do with meddlers, with the ungrateful, with the rude, with the crafty, with the envious, and the selfish. All these vices have affected them because they know not what is good and evil. But I have considered the nature of the good and found it beautiful." [...]
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A consistent theme across philosophical and spiritual traditions is the ancient practice known as memento mori (Latin for remember you will die). The philosopher Montaigne called it a way to practice freedom. “We die every day, for every day some part of life is taken from us,” wrote Seneca in a letter to Lucilius.
In a letter known today as An Epicurean on his deathbed, Seneca stressed: “Philosophy enables a person to be cheerful within sight of death, brave and cheerful no matter what condition his body is in, not giving up just because the body is giving out. A great captain sails on, even with his canvas in tatters; even if he has scrapped the ship’s equipment, he keeps the remnants of his vessel on course.” [...]
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The philosopher Aristotle called “contemplation the highest form of activity and the most continuous” since we are more capable of continuous contemplation than other practical activities. Similarly, the theologian Thomas Aquinas said it was necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be people who devote their lives to contemplation. But, what is contemplation? [...]
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We turn to Seneca for wisdom in this reflection. Specifically, the letter to Lucilius titled Daily Study and Practice. “No one can live a truly happy life, or even a bearable life, without philosophy,” wrote Seneca.
Seneca explained, "While it is complete wisdom that renders a life happy, even to begin that study makes life bearable. But this realization must be confirmed and fixed more deeply through daily rehearsal. It is more work to follow through on honorable aims than it is to conceive of them. One must persevere and add strength by a constant study until excellent intentions become excellence of mind." [...]
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In today's episode, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend Kai Whiting (a familiar voice to some; he came on In Search of Wisdom Ep. #33). Kai is the co-author of the great book Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In. In the conversation, we primarily discuss the question: How do we know virtue is the only good?
You can learn more about Kai and his work at StoicKai.com.
If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium.
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In the letter known today as, On the Tranquility of Mind, Serenus explained, "I am neither sick nor well. My condition is not life-threatening and brings no real disruption. “I am not distressed by the storm but by the seasickness; so take me from whatever evil this is and come to my aid."
Seneca responded, "For what you are longing for is a great thing and the highest achievement, near to God: never to be shaken. The Greeks call this stable balance of mind euthymia — I call it tranquility." [...]
If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium.
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Welcome back to The PERENNIAL podcast, today I’m sharing a conversation with my friend Simon Drew (In Search of Wisdom Ep. #42). Simon is a poet, musician, photographer, and philosophical mentor. He’s the host of The Walled Garden podcast and the author of the new book The Poet & The Sage. In the conversation, we primarily discuss the wisdom of Seneca. You can learn more about Simon at thewalledgarden.com.
If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium.
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In this reflection, we explore Seneca's letter to Lucilius, known today as A Beneficial Reading Program. Seneca explained, “In my view, the first sign of a settled mind is that it can stay in one place and spend time with itself.”
Although Seneca applauds Lucilius, “I am becoming quite hopeful about you.” He warns against focusing on reading widely and makes a case for reading well. [...]
If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium.
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In this reflection, we turn to a letter to Lucilius titled — Taking Charge of Your Time. The letter begins with Seneca urging: “assert your own freedom.”
According to Seneca, if we do not gather and guard our time, it will be taken away. He asks Lucilius to look closely and notice that life slips away from us when we are not attentive.
If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium.
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In this episode, I speak to my friend Cedric Ashley on The Meaningful Life. Cedric is someone I have always found to have a wise perspective on life and the world. You can learn more about Cedric and The Meaning Life Newsletter here.
In the conversation, Cedric and I discuss:
- What is Meaning?
- Meaning and Happiness
- The role of learning and meaning
- Meaning beyond the career, and much more
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We turn to the philosopher Aristotle for wisdom in this reflection. Specifically, the lesson is known as the golden mean. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great on this timeless lesson. Aristotle explained, “Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency.” [...]
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In this reflection, we explore The Parable known as The Two Villages.
"A man who was traveling came upon a farmer working in his field and asked him what the people in the next village were like. The farmer asked, “What were the people like in the last village you visited?” The man responded, “They were kind, friendly, generous, great people.” “You’ll find the people in the next village are the same,” said the farmer. [...]
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In this reflection, we explore the topic of progress. If we assume that we are all heading down a particular path, moving forward feels like the only suitable option. Although sometimes making progress includes choosing another way altogether.
As the writer and theologian C.S. Lewis tells us, "Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer." [...]
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In this episode, I connect with Matt Malcolm the creator of The Pocket Philosopher Newsletteron Substack.In the conversation, we discuss the wisdom of writing out your ideas, exploring different disciplines and traditions, the connection between compassion and wisdom, and much more.
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This reflection begins with a passage from poet and novelist Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749–1832), known today simply by Goethe. This passage provides insight into finding our path in life.
Goethe wrote, "Everyone holds his fortune in their own hands, like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure. But it’s the same with that type of artistic activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it. The skill to mold the material into what we want must be learned and attentively cultivated." [...]
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In this reflection, we explore navigating the inner voice. To begin, we turn to the Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh for wisdom. Van Gogh offers this practical advice, "If you hear a voice inside you say that you cannot paint. Then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced." [...]
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We turn to the ancient practice known as the view from above in this reflection. The philosopher Pierre Hadot said, “Philosophy deepens and transforms habitual perception, forcing us to become aware that we are perceiving the world, and that the world is that which we perceive.” How do you perceive the world? Are you seeing clearly? [...]
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In this reflection, we explore the topic of gratitude. The Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero called “gratitude not only the greatest of all virtues but the parent of all others.”
But, how do we avoid taking things for granted amidst life’s challenges?
The French philosopher and writer Voltaire, known for his wit, once quipped: "Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats." [...]
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We turn to the philosopher Socrates for wisdom in this reflection. A curious paradox of wisdom is the need to let go of the traditional idea of knowing. Socrates now famously stated, “All that I know is that I know nothing.” [...]
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We turn to the philosopher Seneca (4 BCE — 65 CE) for wisdom in this reflection. Seneca’s writings serve as one of the most important bodies of work for Stoic philosophy. In his essay On Anger, Seneca stressed that anger is the most destructive of the passions. [...]
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The Wisdom of Questions - We begin this reflection with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Rilke wrote in Letters to a Young Poet, "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers [...]
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We turn to the philosopher Seneca (4 BCE— 65 CE) for wisdom in this reflection. The poet Mary Oliver wrote: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with this one wild and precious life?” Around two thousand years before Oliver, Seneca wrote in his treatise On the Shortness of Life similar questions on living a meaningful life.
Seneca put it this way, "It’s not that we have a short time to live, but we waste much of it."
In today's episode, I connect with my friend Marge Dolan. Marge is someone that has an interesting and wise perspective on the world. In the conversation, Marge and I discuss many of the perennial questions on living a meaningful life.
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We turn to the philosopher Heraclitus (535–475 BCE) for wisdom in this reflection. Heraclitus wrote, "No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and they are not the same person." [...]
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We turn to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121–180) for wisdom in this reflection. His journal, known today as Meditations, serves as one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. [...]
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In today's episode, we turn to the philosopher Seneca for wisdom. Specifically, the treatise On the Shortness of Life [...]
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In this episode, I speak with Brandon Tumblin from The Strong Stoic podcast to discuss Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In the conversation, Brandon and I discuss the perils of spite and resentment, the virtuous path, integrating the shadow, and much more.
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In today's episode, we reflect on the words of the Buddha for wisdom. Specifically, the Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha, and one of the most widely-read Buddhist scriptures. [...]
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In this episode, we turn to Marcus Aurelius for wisdom. His journal, known today as Meditations, serves as one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. [...]
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In this episode, we reflect on the path of virtue.
Sages throughout history have generally agreed that virtue is the path to the good life. And choosing the way of “virtue lies in our power, and similarly so does vice,” wrote Aristotle. [...]
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In this reflection, we explore the idea of true greatness.
According to Nietzsche, "The formula for greatness in a human being is Amor Fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it… but love it." [...]
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In this reflection, we explore the idea of changing the world.
According to Tolstoy, regarded today as one of the greatest writers of all time when it comes to change, we often look externally. Tolstoy wrote,
Everyone thinks of changing the world. But no one thinks of changing themselves. [...]
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In this reflection, we turn to the philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) for wisdom. What initially comes to mind when you think of sitting quietly in a room alone? Pascal writes that the inability to sit quietly alone in a room is the source of all humanity’s problems...
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Today's episode comes from a conversation on the In Search of Wisdom podcast with Massimo Pigliucci. The conversation discusses how Stoicism can help us avoid anger and find peace in life.
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In this reflection, we turn to Marcus Aurelius (121–180) for wisdom on virtue and vice. The Stoics followed Socrates in the idea that virtue was knowledge and vice, ignorance. When people do right, it stems from virtue, and they go wrong from ignorance and false beliefs.
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In today's reflection, we turn to the philosopher Seneca (4 BC — 65 AD) for wisdom. Although the Stoics were most likely more virtuous than most, we should not assume they were incapable of vice. The Stoics believed sages are as rare as the phoenix, a mythical bird said to have risen from the ashes (according to lore, once every 500 years). [...]
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How do we know what is truly within our control? In today’s reflection, we turn to Epictetus in the Enchiridion to beour guide: "There are things that are within our power, and there are things that are beyond our power." [...]
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