(독서) Daily Stoic-12월11일 DIGNITY AND BRAVERY

"I say, let no one rob me of a single day who isn't going to make a full return on the loss."-SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 1.11b ("나는 누구든 나에게 하루를 앗아가려 한다면, 그 손실에 대해 온전히 보상하지 않는다면 허락하지 않을 것이다."-세네카, 마음의 평온에 대하여, 1.11b)   People spend a lot more money when they use credit cards than when they have to pull out actual cash. If you ever wondered why credit card companies and banks push cards so aggressively, this is why. The more credit cards you have, the more you'll spend.   Do we treat the days of our lives like we treat our money? Because we don't exactly know how many days we'll be alive, and because we try our hardest not to think about the fact that someday we'll die, we're pretty liberal with how freely we spend our time. We let people and obligations impose on that time, only rarely asking: What am I getting in return ...

"Were all the geniuses of history to focus on this single theme, they could never fully express their bafflement at the darkness of the human mind. No person would give up even an inch of their estate, and the slightest dispute with a neighbor can mean hell to pay; yet we easily let others encroach on our lives-worse, we often pave the way for those who will take it over. No person hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We're tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers."-SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 3.1-2 ("역사 속 모든 천재가 이 단 하나의 주제에 집중한다고 해도, 인간 마음의 어둠에 대한 당혹감을 완전히 표현할 수는 없을 것입니다. 아무도 자신의 재산중 한 치의 땅이라도 내어주는 것을 용납하지 않으며, 이웃과의 작은 다툼도 큰 대가를 치르게 만듭니다. 그런데도 우리는 너무나 쉽게 타인이 우리의 삶에 침범하도록 허용하며, 심지어는 스스로 그 길을 닦아주기도 합니다. 아무도 지나가는 사람에게 자신의 돈을 그냥 내어주지는 않지만, 우리는 얼마나 많은 사람들에게 자신의 삶을 내어주는지 모릅니다. 우리는 재산과 돈에는 인색하지만, 시간에 대해서는 너무 쉽게 낭비합니다. 사실 시간은 우리가 가장인색하게 여겨야 할 것입니다." - 세네카, 『인생의 짧음에 관하여』, 3.1-2)   Today there will be endless interruptions: phone calls, emails, visitors, unexpected events. Booker T. Washington observed that "the number of ...

"Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what's left as a bonus and live it according to Nature. Love the hand that fate deals you and play it as your own, for what could be more fitting?"-MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.56-57 ("지금까지 살아온 삶을 이미 끝난 것으로 생각하고, 죽은 사람처럼 남아 있는 삶을 덤으로 여기며 자연에 따라 살아가십시오. 운명이 당신에게 내민 손을 사랑하고 그것을 당신 자신의 것으로 여기십시오. 이보다 더 적합한 일이 무엇이겠습니까?"-마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 《명상록》 7.56-57)   We have an irrational fear of acknowledging our own mortality. We avoid thinking about it because we think it will be depressing. In fact, reflecting on mortality often has the opposite effect- invigorating us more than saddening us. Why? Because it gives us clarity. If you were suddenly told you had but a week to live, what changes would you make? If you died but were resuscitated, how different would ...

"It's better to conquer grief than to deceive it."-SENECA, ON CONSOLATION TO HELVIA, 17.1b ("슬픔을 정복하는 것이 그것을 기만하는 것보다 낫다."-세네카, Helvia에게 보낸 위로 편지, 17.1b)   We’ve all lost people we were close to-a friend, a colleague, a parent, a grandparent. While we were suffering from our grief, some well-meaning person did their best to take our mind off it or make us think about something else for a couple hours. However kind, these gestures are misguided.   The Stoics are stereotyped as suppressing their emotions, but their philosophy was actually intended to teach us to face, process, and deal with emotions immediately instead of running from them. Tempting as it is to deceive yourself or hide from a powerful emotion like grief- by telling yourself and other people that you're fine-awareness and understanding are better. Distraction might be pleasant in the short term-by going to gladiatorial games, as a Roman might have done, for example. Focusing is better in the long term.   That means facing it now. Process and ...

"Don't behave as if you are destined to live forever. What's fated hangs over you. As long as you live and while you can, become good now."-MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.17 (“영원히 살 것처럼 행동하지 마십시오. 운명은 당신 위에 드리워져 있습니다. 살아 있는 동안, 그리고 가능할 때, 지금 당장 선량해지십시오.” - 마르쿠스 아우렐리우스, 명상록 4.17) There is an ancient story of a courtier who had made light of the responsibilities of his king. To prove he was mistaken, the king arranged to switch places with the courtier so he could experience what it was like to be a king. The king made one other adjustment: he hung a sword by a hair over the throne to illustrate the peril and burden of kingship as well as the constant fear of assassination. We call that dangling reminder of death and difficulty the Sword of Damocles. The reality is that a similar sword hangs over all of us-life can be taken from us at any moment. And that threat can send us in one of two directions: we can fear ...