Happy Tuesday, friends! Sorry that this week's bitesize inspiration is a day late. We had a lovely visit from my sister and her children and I got a bit behind.
I wondered about posting this quote from French mathematician, physicist and theologian, Blaise Pascal, because I really try and promote positive thoughts and inspiration, but I decided to do it anyway just in case this is something we need to think on right now. With social media so prevalent in so many of our lives I have to wonder if we do start to believe in imaginary lives - our own or others'. The fact that Pascal lived four hundred years ago and still made this observation blew my mind. But I suppose it shouldn't have; one of the truths of It's a Classical Life is that by reading the classics we can see quite clearly how what we experience in our life - both good and bad - isn't really new. We can gain comfort from reading the experiences of those who have come before us and often not feel so alone by knowing that others have suffered, rejoiced, felt and experienced in much the same way that we do today. Our circumstances and our society may change but our human nature to feel rarely does. A second truth of It's a Classical Life is to live well, inspired by the classics. Instead of living an imaginary life that makes us miserable, why not look to the classics to learn how to really live well? There are so many ways that classic literature, art, music and philosophy can inspire us to make our real life the real life we actually want to live!
Have a wonderful week, friends and as always, please leave your thoughts in the comments below.
I've pondered this several times now and I think differently. I believe that imagining ourselves/ our lives as something different and then determining to put that into action can be rewarding. Not living a life of pretense mind you but making real changes that bring us closer to our own authenticity. It's given me a blog post inspiration to write out for my readers. Love your posts making me think so hard, even on a Saturday morning when I'm worn out!
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting how when we read these little quotes that they can mean different things to different people. I love that you saw this as a positive motivation to imagine a life we want to live and then do things to make it happen. That's exactly what I try to encourage here with my posts and yet I didn't see it that way! Thanks for commenting Terri - you always make me think too! Can't wait to read your future post! Hope you have a relaxing weekend x
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