(독서) Daily Stoic-10월28일 WE WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER

"Crimes often return to their teacher."-SENECA, THYESTES, 311 ("범죄는 종종 그들의 교사에게 돌아간다."  - 세네카, 티에스테스, 311 )   It's ironic that Seneca would have one of his characters utter this line. As we know, for many years Seneca served as the tutor and mentor to the emperor Nero. There is a lot of evidence that Seneca was, in fact, a positive moral influence on the deranged young man, but even at the time, Seneca's contemporaries found it strange that a philosopher would serve as the right hand to such an evil person. They even used the Greek word tyrannodidaskalos-tyrant teacher-to describe him. And just as Shakespeare observed in Macbeth, "Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return / To plague th'inventor," Seneca's collaboration with Nero ultimately ended with the student murdering the teacher.   It's something to think about when you consider whom to work with and whom to do business with in life. If you show a client how to do something unethical or illegal, might they return the favor to an unsuspecting you later on? If you provide a bad example to your employees, to your associates, to your children, might ...

"The best and the greatest number of authors have asserted that philosophy consists of three parts: the moral, the natural, and the rational. The first puts the soul in order. The second thoroughly examines the natural order of things. The third inquires into the proper meaning of words, and their arrangements and proofs which keep falsehoods from creeping in to displace truth."-SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 89.9 (“철학은 도덕적, 자연적, 이성적 세 부분으로 구성되어 있다고 주장하는 저자들이 가장 많고 많습니다. 첫 번째는 영혼을 정리하는 것입니다. 두 번째는 사물의 자연적 질서를 철저하게 조사합니다. 세 번째는 단어의 올바른 의미와 거짓이 진리를 대체하지 못하도록 하는 단어의 배열과 증거를 탐구합니다."-세네카, 도덕적 편지, 89.9)   These three parts-the moral, the natural, and the ...

"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 ...