Stoic Meditations

Marcus Aurelius reflects on what happens to us when we die: either we are absorbed in the seminal principle of the universe, or we become atoms scattered in the void. Either way, we still need to behave decently toward other human beings. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Epictetus asks us a simple question: if we didn’t learn these things in order to demonstrate them in practice, what did we learn them for? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca tells Lucilius that moving to the other end of the world will not be helpful if his troubles are generated by his own attitudes, because he will carry the same person around the globe, if he doesn't address the real issue. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Marcus Aurelius reminds himself of something that modern politicians need to pay attention to: if someone shows you that you are in error, the right thing to do is to admit it and learn from the other. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Epictetus tells the story of a thief stealing his lamp at night, and reflects on what each of them lost in the process. He concludes that he came ahead of the thief. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca, with rather uncharacteristic sense of humor, says that one can't buy a sound mind, and even if that were possible, there would be no market for them. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Marcus Aurelius suggests we think of others as partners at the gym: don't hate or hold grudges against them, think of them as opportunities to improve your virtue. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Epictetus says that the way we improve our character is by paying attention and making good judgments, while if we keep making bad ones we make our character worse. So today reflect carefully on your decisions, and ask yourself what would Epictetus do. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca lists the worst things that could happen to him, and that we all fear, and reminds himself that the only truly terrible thing is being a bad person who holds to bad values and makes bad decisions. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Musonius Rufus reminds us that we often act out of simple habit, without paying attention to what we are doing and why. Not the best way to proceed in life. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Marcus Aurelius observes that some people are obsessed with what posterity will think of them, even though they have no idea what sort of individuals will make that judgment. Meanwhile, how about taking care of those we know here and now? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Epictetus says that externals (health, wealth, education, good looks) are the means by which we do good or evil in the world. So it is entirely up to us, really. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca reminds Lucilius that we ought to hope for justice, but brace ourselves for injustice. This is just the way the world works, which doesn't absolve us from our responsibility to do something about it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Marcus Aurelius reflects on what is worth doing, and decides that it's not seeking fame, but rather being helpful to fellow human beings. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Epictetus says that people cannot assent to what they think is false. We always want to be right, but we are often not, which is why we rationalize things. That's why we need to improve our ability to arrive at correct judgments about things. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca introduces a classic Stoic exercise, the premeditatio malorum, thinking about bad things happening, playing them in your head, so you get comfortable with accepting whatever may come. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Marcus Aurelius reminds us that all sorts of things will disturb our rational soul, and that we therefore need to practice re-centering it in order to respond to situations with reason and equanimity. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Epictetus has a little bit of fun with the Skeptics, who denied the possibility of human knowledge. If that's the case, he says, how is it that you reliably go to the thermal baths when you want to relax, and to the mill when you want bread? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Seneca observes that some people begin to really live their life only near the end. And some never begin at all. So what's sort of life you want to live, and have you started already? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Our body is a preferred indifferent, but Musonius Rufus tells us to take whatever care we can of it, as it is also an instrument of virtue. In other words, go to the gym... --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support