ON DUTY AND CIRCUMSTANCE
“Never shirk the proper dispatch of your duty, no matter if you are freezing or hot, groggy or well-rested, vilified or praised, not even if dying or pressed by other demands. Even dying is one of the important assignments of life and, in this as in all else, make the most of your resources to do well the duty at hand.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.2

Will this make me rich? Will people be impressed? How hard do I need to try? How long will this take? What’s in it for me? Should I do this other thing instead? These are the questions we ask ourselves amid the day’s opportunities and obligations. Marcus Aurelius had many responsibilities, as those who hold executive power do. He judged cases, heard appeals, sent troops into battle, appointed administrators, approved budgets. A lot rode on his choices and actions. Should he do this or that? What about this concern or that concern? When would he get to enjoy himself?

The simple reminder above was a way to cut through the Gordian knot of incentives, complaints, fears, and competing interests. It’s what we must use to decide what to do in each and every phase of life. Morality can be complicated—but the right thing is usually clear and intuitive enough to feel in our gut.

Our duty is rarely easy, but it is important. It’s also usually the harder choice. But we must do it.

Two GOATS.

CR7 x 45/47

White house posted this

Good to see them Happy.

TURN HAVE TO INTO GET TO
“The task of a philosopher: we should bring our will into harmony with whatever happens, so that nothing happens against our will and nothing that we wish for fails to happen.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.14.7

Along To-Do list seems intimidating and burdensome—all these things we have to do in the course of a day or a week. But a Get To Do list sounds like a privilege—all the things we’re excited about the opportunity to experience. This isn’t just semantic playing. It is a central facet of the philosopher’s worldview. Today, don’t try to impose your will on the world.

Instead see yourself as fortunate to receive and respond to the will in the world. Stuck in traffic? A few wonderful minutes to relax and sit. Your car broke down after idling for so long? Ah, what a nice nudge to take a long walk the rest of the way.
A swerving car driven by a distracted,cell-phone-wielding idiot nearly hit you as you were walking and soaked you head to toe with muddy water? What a reminder about how precarious our existence is and how silly it is to get upset about something as trivial as being late or having trouble with your commute! Kidding aside, it might not seem like it makes a big difference to see life as something you have to do versus get to do, but there is. A huge, magnificent difference.

Shabbat Shalom y'all.
Gonna have me time around beherawi theater on shabbat.

Lately, I’ve realized something important: when you’re chasing your dreams and working toward your ultimate goals, your social life often comes at a cost. Friendships, gatherings, and casual connections—many of them will take a backseat.

And that’s okay. You don’t owe anyone an explanation for why you’re busy or why you’re not around. Trying to justify your absence can trap your mind in a subtle, dangerous loop—convincing yourself you’re “working hard” for others instead of yourself.

The truth is, focus is not a social obligation. If you’re busy, keep your work to yourself. Do what needs to be done. Protect your energy, your time, and your purpose.

Distractions will come. Opinions will come. But clarity comes from silence, discipline, and action. Let your work speak for itself.

Ig the stoic of me is coming out😎

Mhmet season 2 Netflix documentary
Season 1 was very interesting. Now season 2

PROTECT THE FLAME

“Protect your own good in all that you do, and as concerns everything else take what is given as far as you can make reasoned use of it. If you don’t, you’ll be unlucky, prone to failure, hindered and stymied.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.3.11

The goodness inside you is like a small flame, and you are its keeper. It’s your job, today and every day, to make sure that it has enough fuel, that it doesn’t get obstructed or snuffed out.

Every person has their own version of the flame and is responsible for it, just as you are. If they all fail, the world will be much darker—that is something you don’t control. But so long as your flame flickers, there will be some light in the world.

NO ONE SAID IT’D BE EASY

“Good people will do what they find honorable to do, even if it requires hard work; they’ll do it even if it causes them injury; they’ll do it even if it will bring danger. Again, they won’t do what they find base, even if it brings wealth, pleasure, or power. Nothing will deter them from what is honorable, and nothing will lure them into what is base.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 76.18

If doing good was easy, everyone would do it. (And if doing bad wasn’t tempting or attractive, nobody would do it.) The same goes for your duty. If anyone could do it, it would have been assigned to someone else. But instead it was assigned to you.

Thankfully, you’re not like everyone. You’re not afraid of doing what is hard. You can resist superficially attractive rewards. Can’t you?

From the two books I have a difficult time choosing which one I should buy and read