What if Things are Great?

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“…it is not men’s acts which disturb us, for those acts have their foundation in men’s ruling principles, but it is our own opinions which disturb us.” Marcus Aurelius Meditations Chapter 11

Yes, this is the very same quote from my last post. You know, the post where I talked about all the terrible things that can happen to you, and how Continue reading

A Reflection for Today: Live Conformably in Piety and Justice

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OK, I have not been posting like I would like to.  The fact of the matter is that I have some irons in the fire, and writing has been scarce.  I will get back to it soon.  Hopefully, regularly starting in December.

In the meantime, I’ve “modernized” this passage from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations Book 12.  Simply beautiful and wise: Continue reading

Balancing The Present Moment with the Future

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I do a lot of talking about the present moment here on the site.  For good reason:  the present moment is where I will find true happiness.  It is the only thing that is real; the past is a memory and the future is never assured… Continue reading

Back to Basics: Control, Fate, Impermanence

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I sure am full of a lot of advice.  If you read here on the site enough, you might wonder if I have any organization to my thoughts, or am I just like Jack Handy with a few deep thoughts now and again?  The answer to these questions is “yes” and “no.”  I do have random ideas pop into my head, but it is always through the filter of my philosophy.  In the interest of maintaining a simple template for the Heroic Stoic philosophy (at least as a beginning), I think I have been very clear that there are 3 tenets to always remember: Continue reading

I Finally Found My Son…Alive!

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I was planning to visit my son at college.  He knew I was going to see him Thursday.  My wife had sent him a text on Monday, telling him that we would be making the 3-hour drive to have lunch with him.  He responded with his typical concise “ok.”  We were very busy until Wednesday night, but my wife sent a text around 6 pm, “We are coming for lunch tomorrow.”  He did not respond.  No big deal, this is typical of my atypical son who does not check texts very often, and seems to reply even less.  At 10:30 pm the night before our trip, I sent a text to him…no response.  Again, this is typical, he was probably working and couldn’t check it.  As we departed for his college Thursday morning, I sent a new text, “We are coming for lunch today.”  I did not receive a reply. Continue reading