Enlightenment(רְאוּבֵן)
A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS “Every great power is dangerous for the beginner. You must therefore wield them as you are able, but in harmony with nature.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.13.20
Great teachers are usually hardest on their most promising students. When teachers see potential, they want it to be fully realized. But great teachers are also aware that natural ability and quick comprehension can be quite dangerous to the student if left alone. Early promise can lead to overconfidence and create bad habits. Those who pick things up quickly are notorious for skipping the basic lessons and ignoring the fundamentals.
Don’t get carried away. Take it slow. Train with humility.
Don’t get carried away. Take it slow. Train with humility.
DOING THE RIGHT THING IS ENOUGH
“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.73
“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it, why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.73
The answer to the question “Why did you do the right thing?” should always be “Because it was the right thing to do.” After all, when you hear or see another person do that—especially when they might have endured some hardship or difficulty as a consequence for doing that right thing—do you not think, There, that is a human being at their finest?
So why on earth do you need thanks or recognition for having done the right thing? It’s your job.
So why on earth do you need thanks or recognition for having done the right thing? It’s your job.
One year ago today — December 9 — my friends and I joined the Ethiopian Air Force for military training. I still remember the tension we felt, the uncertainty, and even the fear that came with stepping into the unknown. But looking back now, every moment of that journey was worth it. It shaped us, strengthened us, and taught us more about discipline and resilience than we ever expected.
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PROGRESS OF THE SOUL
“To what service is my soul committed? Constantly ask yourself this and thoroughly examine yourself by seeing how you relate to that part called the ruling principle. Whose soul do I have now? Do I have that of a child, a youth . . . a tyrant, a pet, or a wild animal?”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.11
“To what service is my soul committed? Constantly ask yourself this and thoroughly examine yourself by seeing how you relate to that part called the ruling principle. Whose soul do I have now? Do I have that of a child, a youth . . . a tyrant, a pet, or a wild animal?”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.11
Enlightenment(רְאוּבֵן)
PROGRESS OF THE SOUL “To what service is my soul committed? Constantly ask yourself this and thoroughly examine yourself by seeing how you relate to that part called the ruling principle. Whose soul do I have now? Do I have that of a child, a youth . . .…
To what are you committed? What cause, what mission, what purpose? What are you doing? And more important, why are you doing it? How does what you do every day reflect, in some way, the values you claim to care about? Are you acting in a way that’s consistent with something you value, or are you wandering, unmoored to anything other than your own ambition?
When you examine these questions, you might be uncomfortable with the answers. That’s good. That means you’ve taken the first step to correcting your behavior—to being better than those wild creatures Marcus mentions. It also means you’re closer to discovering what your duty calls you to do in life. And once you discover it, you’ve moved a little bit closer to fulfilling it.
When you examine these questions, you might be uncomfortable with the answers. That’s good. That means you’ve taken the first step to correcting your behavior—to being better than those wild creatures Marcus mentions. It also means you’re closer to discovering what your duty calls you to do in life. And once you discover it, you’ve moved a little bit closer to fulfilling it.
Forwarded from YearProgressET
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DON’T ABANDON OTHERS . . . OR YOURSELF
“As you move forward along the path of reason, people will stand in your way. They will never be able to keep you from doing what’s sound, so don’t let them knock out your goodwill for them. Keep a steady watch on both fronts, not only for well-based judgments and actions, but also for gentleness with those who would obstruct our path or create other difficulties. For getting angry is also a weakness, just as much as abandoning the task or surrendering under panic. For doing either is an equal desertion—the one by shrinking back and the other by estrangement from family and friend.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.9
“As you move forward along the path of reason, people will stand in your way. They will never be able to keep you from doing what’s sound, so don’t let them knock out your goodwill for them. Keep a steady watch on both fronts, not only for well-based judgments and actions, but also for gentleness with those who would obstruct our path or create other difficulties. For getting angry is also a weakness, just as much as abandoning the task or surrendering under panic. For doing either is an equal desertion—the one by shrinking back and the other by estrangement from family and friend.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 11.9
Enlightenment(רְאוּבֵן)
DON’T ABANDON OTHERS . . . OR YOURSELF “As you move forward along the path of reason, people will stand in your way. They will never be able to keep you from doing what’s sound, so don’t let them knock out your goodwill for them. Keep a steady watch on both…
As we begin to make progress in our lives, we’ll encounter the limitations of the people around us. It’s like a diet. When everyone is eating unhealthy, there is a kind of natural alignment. But if one person starts eating healthy, suddenly there are opposing agendas. Now there’s an argument about where to go for dinner.
Just as you must not abandon your new path simply because other people may have a problem with it, you must not abandon those other folks either. Don’t simply write them off or leave them in the dust. Don’t get mad or fight with them. After all, they’re at the same place you were not long ago.
Just as you must not abandon your new path simply because other people may have a problem with it, you must not abandon those other folks either. Don’t simply write them off or leave them in the dust. Don’t get mad or fight with them. After all, they’re at the same place you were not long ago.
I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I haven’t been as active as I wanted—especially in sharing more of the stoic philosophy I enjoy. But I’m excited to announce something new:
Shabbat Update.
Every weekend, I’ll share insights on technology, philosophy, and new inventions, and I’ll also be inviting people who are knowledgeable in specific topics to join the conversation.
Stay tuned—great things are coming.
Shabbat Update.
Every weekend, I’ll share insights on technology, philosophy, and new inventions, and I’ll also be inviting people who are knowledgeable in specific topics to join the conversation.
Stay tuned—great things are coming.
EACH THE MASTER OF THEIR OWN DOMAIN
“My reasoned choice is as indifferent to the reasoned choice of my neighbor, as to his breath and body. However much we’ve been made for cooperation, the ruling reason in each of us is master of its own affairs. If this weren’t the case, the evil in someone else could become my harm, and God didn’t mean for someone else to control my misfortune.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.56
“My reasoned choice is as indifferent to the reasoned choice of my neighbor, as to his breath and body. However much we’ve been made for cooperation, the ruling reason in each of us is master of its own affairs. If this weren’t the case, the evil in someone else could become my harm, and God didn’t mean for someone else to control my misfortune.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.56
Enlightenment(רְאוּבֵן)
EACH THE MASTER OF THEIR OWN DOMAIN “My reasoned choice is as indifferent to the reasoned choice of my neighbor, as to his breath and body. However much we’ve been made for cooperation, the ruling reason in each of us is master of its own affairs. If this…
The foundation of a free country is that your freedom to swing your fist ends where someone else’s nose begins. That is, someone else is free to do what they like until it interferes with your physical body and space. This saying can work as a great personal philosophy as well.
But living that way will require two important assumptions. First, you ought to live your own life in such a way that it doesn’t negatively impose on others. Second, you have to be open-minded and accepting enough to let others do the same. Can you do that? Even when you really, really disagree with the choices they’re making? Can you understand that their life is their business and yours is your own? And that you’ve got plenty to wrestle with yourself without bothering anyone else?
But living that way will require two important assumptions. First, you ought to live your own life in such a way that it doesn’t negatively impose on others. Second, you have to be open-minded and accepting enough to let others do the same. Can you do that? Even when you really, really disagree with the choices they’re making? Can you understand that their life is their business and yours is your own? And that you’ve got plenty to wrestle with yourself without bothering anyone else?
Forwarded from 3:16
ማርቆስ4፡35-41
በዚያም ቀን በመሸ ጊዜ፦ ወደ ማዶ እንሻገር አላቸው። ሕዝቡንም ትተው በታንኳ እንዲያው ወሰዱት፥ ሌሎች ታንኳዎችም ከእርሱ ጋር ነበሩ። ብርቱ ዐውሎ ነፋስም ተነሣና ውኃ በታንኳይቱ እስኪሞላ ድረስ ማዕበሉ በታንኳይቱ ይገባ ነበር። እርሱም በስተኋላዋ ትራስ ተንተርሶ ተኝቶ ነበር፤ አንቅተውም፦ መምህር ሆይ፥ ስንጠፋ አይገድህምን? አሉት። ነቅቶም ነፋሱን ገሠጸው ባሕሩንም፦ ዝም በል፥ ፀጥ በል አለው። ነፋሱም ተወ ታላቅ ፀጥታም ሆነ። እንዲህ የምትፈሩ ስለ ምን ነው? እንዴትስ እምነት የላችሁም? አላቸው። እጅግም ፈሩና፦ እንግዲህ ነፋስም ባሕርም የሚታዘዙለት ይህ ማን ነው? ተባባሉ።
#Churchሂዱ
@chrstian_316
13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to control me. Then I will be blameless, and innocent of blatant rebellion.
14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord , my sheltering rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:13-14
14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord , my sheltering rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:13-14
FORGIVE THEM BECAUSE THEYDON’T KNOW
“As Plato said, every soul is deprived of truth against its will. The same holds true for justice,
self-control, goodwill to others, and every similar virtue. It’s essential to constantly keep this in your mind, for it will make you more gentle to all.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.63
“As Plato said, every soul is deprived of truth against its will. The same holds true for justice,
self-control, goodwill to others, and every similar virtue. It’s essential to constantly keep this in your mind, for it will make you more gentle to all.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.63
Enlightenment(רְאוּבֵן)
FORGIVE THEM BECAUSE THEYDON’T KNOW “As Plato said, every soul is deprived of truth against its will. The same holds true for justice, self-control, goodwill to others, and every similar virtue. It’s essential to constantly keep this in your mind, for it…
As he wound his way up Via Dolorosa to the top of Calvary Hill, Jesus (or Christus as he would have been known to Seneca and other Roman contemporaries) had suffered immensely. He’d been beaten, flogged, stabbed, forced to bear his own cross, and was set to be crucified on it next to two common criminals. There he watched the soldiers roll dice to see who would get to keep his clothes, listened as the people sneered and taunted him.
Whatever your religious inclinations, the words that Jesus spoke next—considering they came as he was subjected to unimaginable human suffering—send chills down your spine. Jesus looked upward and said simply, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
That is the same truth that Plato spoke centuries earlier and that Marcus spoke almost two centuries after Jesus; other Christians must have spoken this truth as they were cruelly executed by the Romans
under Marcus’s reign: Forgive them; they are deprived of truth. They wouldn’t do this if they weren’t.
Use this knowledge to be gentle and gracious.
Whatever your religious inclinations, the words that Jesus spoke next—considering they came as he was subjected to unimaginable human suffering—send chills down your spine. Jesus looked upward and said simply, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
That is the same truth that Plato spoke centuries earlier and that Marcus spoke almost two centuries after Jesus; other Christians must have spoken this truth as they were cruelly executed by the Romans
under Marcus’s reign: Forgive them; they are deprived of truth. They wouldn’t do this if they weren’t.
Use this knowledge to be gentle and gracious.