(독서) Daily Stoic-8월27일 LAUGH, OR CRY?

"I was shipwrecked before I even boarded... the journey showed me this-how much of what we have is unnecessary, and how easily we can decide to rid ourselves of these things whenever it's necessary, never suffering the loss."-SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 87.1 ("나는 배에 타기도 전에 이미 난파당한 셈이었다... 그 여행은 나에게 너무 많은 불필요한 것을 가지고 있었음을 깨닫게 해주었고, 우리는 필요할 때마다그러한 것들을 얼마나 쉽게 버릴 수 있는지, 그리고 그로 인해 손실을 결코 겪지 않게 될 수 있다는 것을 가르쳐주었다." - 세네카, 도덕 서한, 87.1)   Zeno, widely considered to be the founder of the school of Stoicism, was a merchant before he was a philosopher. On a voyage between Phoenicia and Peiraeus, his ship sank along with its cargo. Zeno ended up in Athens, and while visiting a bookstore he was introduced to the philosophy of Socrates and, later, an Athenian philosopher named Crates. These influences drastically changed the course of his life, leading him to develop the thinking and principles that we now know as Stoicism. According to the ancient biographer Diogenes Laertius, Zeno joked, "Now that I've suffered shipwreck, I'm on a good journey," or according to another account, "You've done well, Fortune, driving me thus to philosophy," he reportedly said.   ...

"Won't you be walking in your predecessors' footsteps? I surely will use the older path, but if I find a shorter and smoother way, I'll blaze a trail there. The ones who pioneered these paths aren't our masters, but our guides. Truth stands open to everyone, it hasn't been monopolized."-SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 33.11("선조들의 발자취를 따라가는 것이 아닌가요? 저는 분명히 오래된 길을 사용하겠지만, 만약 더 짧고 매끄러운 길을 발견하면, 그곳에 새로운 길을 개척할 것입니다. 이 길을 처음 개척한 사람들은 우리의 주인이 아니라, 우리의 안내자입니다. 진리는 누구에게나 열려 있으며, 독점된 것이 아닙니다." - 세네카, 도덕적 편지, 33.11) Traditions are often time-tested best practices for doing something. But remember that today's conservative ideas were once controversial, cutting-edge, and innovative. This is why we can't be afraid to experiment with new ideas. In Seneca's case, he might be embracing some new philosophical insight that improves on the writing of Zeno or Cleanthes. In our case, perhaps a breakthrough in psychology improves on the writing of Seneca or ...

"I'll never be ashamed to quote a bad writer with a good saying." -SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 11.8 ("나는 결코 나쁜 작가에게서 좋은 말을 인용하는 것을 부끄러워하지 않을 것이다." - 세네카, 마음의 평온에 대하여, 11.8)   One of the striking things about Seneca's letters and essays is how often he quotes the philosopher Epicurus. Why is that strange? Because Stoicism and Epicureanism are supposed to be diametrically opposed philosophies! (In reality the differences while significant tend to be overblown.)   But this is true to form for Seneca. He was looking for wisdom, period. It didn't matter where it came from. This is something that a lot of fundamentalists-in religion, philosophy, anything-seem to miss. Who cares whether some bit of wisdom is from a Stoic, who cares whether it perfectly jibes with Stoicism? What matters is whether it makes your life better, whether it makes you better.   What wisdom or help would you be able to find today if you stopped caring about affiliations and reputations? How much more could you see if you just focused on merit? ...

"Therefore, explain why a wise person shouldn't get drunk-not with words, but by the facts of its ugliness and offensiveness. It's most easy to prove that so-called pleasures, when they go beyond proper measure, are but punishments."-SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 83.27 ("그러므로, 현명한 사람은 왜 취하면 안 되는지를 말로가 아니라 그것의 추악함과 불쾌함이라는 사실로 설명해야 합니다. 이른바 쾌락이 적절한 한계를 넘으면 벌이 될 뿐임을 증명하는 것은 매우 쉽습니다." - 세네카, 도덕적 편지, 83.27) Is there a less effective technique to persuading people to do something than haranguing them? Is there anything that turns people off more than abstract notions? That's why the Stoics don't say, "Stop doing this, it's a sin." Instead they say, "Don't do this because it will make you miserable." They don't say, "Pleasure isn't pleasurable." They say, "Endless pleasure becomes its own form of punishment." Their methods of persuasion hew the line in The 48 Laws of Power: "Appeal to People's Self-Interest Never to Their Mercy or Gratitude."   If you find yourself trying to persuade someone to change or do something differently, remember what an effective lever self-interest is. It's not that this or that is bad, it's that...

"It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth, for then you won't tire and give up, if you aren't busying yourself with lesser things beyond what should be allowed."-MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.32b ("어떤 행동에 주는 주의가 그 가치에 비례해야 함을 기억하는 것이 중요합니다. 그래야 불필요한 일들로 인해 지치지 않고, 허용된 범위를 넘어서지 않도록 할 수 있습니다." - 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 『명상록』 4.32b)   In 1997, a psychotherapist named Richard Carlson published a book called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and It's All Small Stuff. It quickly became one of the fastest-selling books of all time and spent years on the bestseller lists, ultimately selling millions of copies in many languages.   Whether you read the book or not, Carlson's pithy articulation of this timeless idea is worth remembering. Even Cornelius Fronto, Marcus Aurelius's rhetoric teacher, would have thought it a superior way of expressing the wisdom his student attempted in...