(독서) Daily Stoic-10월26일 THREE PARTS, ONE AIM

"What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self- determining? 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 (“그렇다면 무엇이 사람을 방해받지 않고 스스로 결정할 수 있게 하는 것일까? 부도, 높은 공직도, 국가도, 왕국도 아닌 다른 무언가를 찾아야 합니다... 생활의 경우에는 어떻게 사는지에 대한 지식입니다."-에픽테토스, 담론, 4.1.62-64) You have two essential tasks in life: to be a good person and to pursue the occupation 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 makes 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? Try to do the right thing when the situation calls for it. Treat other people the way you would hope to be treated. And understand that every small choice and tiny matter is an opportunity to practice these larger principles. That's it. That's what goes into the most important skill of all: how to live. ...

"Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging." -MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.59 (“계속 파고들면 언제나 선의 샘이 솟아날 준비가 되어 있으니 내면의 깊은 곳을 파보세요.” -마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 명상, 7.59)   Today, we could hope that goodness comes our way-good news, good weather, good luck. Or we could find it ourselves, in ourselves. Goodness isn't something that's going to be delivered by mail. You have to dig it up inside your own soul. You find it within your ...

"People aren't in awe of your sharp mind? So be it. But you have many other qualities you can't claim to have been deprived of at birth. Display then those qualities in your own power: honesty, dignity, endurance, chastity, contentment, frugality, kindness, freedom, persistence, avoiding gossip, and magnanimity." -MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.5 (“사람들이 당신의 예리한 지성을 보고 경탄하지 않는다고요? 그렇다면 어쩔 수 없습니다. 하지만 당신이 태어날 때부터 박탈당했다고 주장할 수 없는 다른 많은 자질이 있습니다. 당신의 힘으로 그 자질들을 발휘하십시오: 정직함, 존엄성, 인내, 정결함, 만족, 절약, 친절함, 자유, 끈기, 소문을 피하는 것, 그리고 관대함입니다.” - 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 『명상록』 5.5)   It's easy to blame our circumstances. One person curses that they weren't born taller, another that they're not smarter, with a different complexion, or born in a different country. It'd be hard to find a single person on this planet-from supermodels on down-who doesn't think they're deficient in at least some way. But whatever your perceived deficits are, remember that there are positive qualities that you can develop that don't depend on genetic accidents.   You have the choice to be truthful. You have the choice to be dignified. You can choose to endure. You can choose to be happy. You can choose to be chaste. You can choose to be thrifty. You can choose to be kind to others. You can choose to be free. You can persist under difficult odds. You can avoid trafficking in gossip. You can choose to be gracious.   And honestly, aren't the traits that are the result of effort and skill more impressive anyway? 우리는 쉽게 환경을 탓하곤 합니다. 어떤 사람은 ...

"So someone's good at taking down an opponent, but that doesn't make them more community-minded, or modest, or well-prepared for any circumstance, or more tolerant of the faults of others."-MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.52 ("누군가 상대를 제압하는 데 능숙하다고 해서 그 사람이 더 공동체 의식을 가지거나, 겸손하거나, 어떤 상황에도 준비가 잘 되어 있거나, 다른 사람들의 결점을 더 잘 참아내는 것은 아닙니다." - 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 명상록 7.52)   Self-improvement is a noble pursuit. Most people don't even bother. But among those who do, it's possible for vanity and superficiality to corrupt this process. Do you want six-pack abs because you are challenging yourself and committing to a difficult goal? Or is it because you want to impress people with your shirt off? Are you running that marathon because you want to test your limits or because you're running away from your problems at home?   Our will shouldn't be ...

"Such behavior! People don't want to praise their contemporaries whose lives they actually share, but hold great expectations for the praise of future generations-people they haven't met or ever will! This is akin to being upset that past generations didn't praise you."-MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.18 ("사람들은 자신과 함께 살아가는 동시대 사람들을 칭찬하는 것을 원치 않으면서, 아직 만나보지도 않은 미래 세대들의 칭찬을 기대합니다. 이는 마치 과거 세대가 당신을 칭찬하지 않았다고 화내는 것과 같은 것입니다." - 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 명상록 6.18)   Alexandria, the city in Egypt, still bears the name of its founder, Alexander the Great, some 2,300 years after he set foot there. How cool would it feel to have a city named after you for so many centuries? To know that people are still saying your name?   Here's a thought: it wouldn't be cool. Because, like Alexander, you'll be dead. You'll have no idea whether your name lasted down through the centuries. No one gets to enjoy their own legacy-by definition.   Worse, think of all the horrible things Alexander did to achieve what he did. He fought pointless wars. He had a terrible temper-even killing his best friend in a drunken fight. He was ruthless and a slave to his ambition. Is he really so admirable?  ...