It's a Classical Life

H ow often are you indifferent about things? When I read this quote by one of my favourite Stoics, Marcus Aurelius, I asked myself that question. And the honest answer was, not very often.  Our opinions, values and beliefs are something that we can control in a world that often feels out of our control. They are things that we hold onto quite tightly, and sometimes wrongly. Sometimes we are so intent on holding on to what we believe that we can cause friction, discord, and unhappiness with our stubborn attachment to our opinions. For the last week I have been trying my hand at being indifferent. It was so much harder than I thought. With the constant stream of news, social media, opinions, ideas, information and all the rest that comes with a modern, technology-based life, we are continually exposed to the actions and words of others. Let's just say, I've been challenged to keep my mouth shut and not comment on the things that in all reality mean nothing to me o...

  As you know,  I've been reading the Stoics a bit lately, and came across this quote from Marcus Aurelius in his book, Mediations. I absolutely fell in love with it. I love the word "dwell" and how here it is use for such a positive message. Usually it is associated with negative connotations - dwell on the past, dwell on the bad things, dwell on uncertainty...and so on. But this quote reminds us to dwell on the beauty of life. It amazes me that the "mindfulness  movement" has gained such popularity in recent years when two thousand years ago (at least), it was already a movement and people were urged to take stock of their lives and enjoy the little things.  I thought long and hard about the second part of the quote - watch the stars and see yourself running with them . I came up with this thought: the stars move slowly. They do  move, but it's slow and requires a lot of patience to see them go. They move on a steady, predictable path and nothing can stop...

 In this new series, I am reflecting on a quote from a classic author, poet or novelist, or another small tidbit of inspiration, in just a few lines.The aim is to take inspiration from delicious, bite-sized morsels, without a long, overwhelming blog post. So let's begin with the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius on the topic of work and having a purpose. "In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present - I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bedclothes and keep myself warm? - But this is more pleasant. - Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe?" I think we can all sympa...