Stoicism for a Better Life

As I do every year, I am looking to adapt the podcast and try something new. I was going to wrap it all up and call it a day on these series, but I got inspired to do three more seasons before I potentially hang up the towel. I'm just trying to do what I can and make the world a better place one conversation at a time. This season will have LOTS of opportunities to interact. Keep an eye out for those Q&As!

A prayer is just a form of meditation. And even though the origins of the prayer as e know it today are not exactly from Stoic sources (just like the terms Amor Fati and Memento Mori). However, we still use them today to summarize a collection of ideas that are representative of our school. The Serenity / STOIC prayer is no different and as Prokoptons we should all be reminded of this once in a ALL THE TIME.

The MOST powerful tool we have in our arsenal is our own rational mind. For millennia, intelligent and self-aware individuals have kept rigid journals/logs in a disciplined manner. One of our school's most popular books is quite literally the journal of a Roman Emperor (or what survives of it). Journalling is clearly a powerful tool and over the past decade, I have spent my time perfecting my journaling methodology. No...it is not rocket science. But it is nice to define what it is we want to accomplish. The goal: PEACE of MIND. The Means: Your JOURNAL.

I'm not sure how everyone else does it, but I can't help being angry and emotional. I feel them daily, no matter how 'focused' or 'present' or 'mindful' I am. But I've kind of found a way to deal with it.

This episode is all about one of those "BEAK GLASS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY" meditations (Stoic or otherwise). I came up with this gem of a meditation a few years back while I happened to be binging on Epictetus et al...and while watching the second season of the awesome TV series Lucifer. I shamelessly usurped a catchphrase from who else but the most stoic of all angels ... Lucifer Morningstar. Come devil-worshipping with me.

We bond and unite under many banners. Corporations...school...family...gang...sports teams.... so I figure why not also unite under a banner that stands for doing the RIGHT thing ONLY because it is the right thing to do, PERIOD. Or at least try their best to do so. That's SFBL.

If we live and exist in the present moment only, then we can only feel / think / assess one thing at a time. So the capacity to find virtue no matter what, anytime anywhere is a Stoic superpower that allows you to find peace and equanimity whenever YOU feel like it. 

Being stronger is good. It's good for you and good for the world, for you are part of the world. But is there such a thing as too much? Like anything else, of course, there is. And naturally, the next question will be 'so how much is too much?' The answer, as always, will depend on you, your reality, your purpose...essentially it will depend on (you guessed it) your necessities.

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Who can honestly say that they LOVE making mistakes? A true Stoic can and I'll explain why while Epictetus explains how.