The Daily Stoic16 Apr 2020

We Cannot Be Servants To Our Stuff

There is a story about King Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. He was leading a massive army campaign, and had picked an ideal spot to stop to break camp. As he began to give out orders, an aide rushed up to inform him that the location lacked enough pasture for the army’s pack animals and that they would have to move. “O Hercules,” Philip cursed in frustration, “what a life I lead if I am obliged to live for the benefit of my asses!”

Philip may have been powerful, but not more powerful than the reality of logistics. His unstoppable, all-powerful army was—for all its victories—at the mercy of its weakest link. It has always been and always will be thus. As Marcus Aurelius would write in Meditations about Philip’s son, Alexander—for all his victories too—was buried in the same ground as his mule driver. Reality has a way of cutting us down to size like that.

But the real message of that story is how easily even the most powerful people can become a slave to their stuff. Every soldier Philip pressed into service meant more supplies, which meant more pack animals to carry them, which required larger and larger amounts of fodder. Every ounce of treasure that Philip acquired in victory meant the same. Everything he accomplished or did was actually slowing—weighing—him down.

And so it goes for us. Which is why we should remember Seneca’s advice today: “Get used to dining out without the crowds, to being a slave to fewer slaves, to getting clothes only for their real purpose, and to living in more modest quarters.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3141)

Ryan Holiday on Bill Maher: Why Stoicism Is Having a Moment

Before stepping in front of a live audience on Real Time with Bill Maher, Ryan turned to five Stoic reminders to calm his nerves. In today’s episode, Ryan takes you behind the scenes and shares highli...

20 Sep 21min

What It Means to Be on That Hill | Seth Wickersham

How do you keep climbing when there’s no guarantee your work will pay off? Sportswriter Seth Wickersham joins Ryan to talk about the Springsteen lyric that inspired his new book Be On That Hill, the r...

19 Sep 22min

Do This (It’s Good For Your Sanity) | A Garden Is Not For Show

Comfort and convenience are nice, but too much insulation comes at a cost. 🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here | https://www.dailystoiclive.com/🎙️ AD-...

18 Sep 6min

You’re Going To Wish You Did This

Do you write down the important things you read? Do you take the time to understand those “helpful pieces of teaching” and what they could mean for you?Turn the words into works 👉 Read to Lead: A Dai...

17 Sep 2min

Colin Kaepernick, 10 Years After Taking A Knee

Ten years after taking a knee, Colin Kaepernick looks back on the decision that changed his life and cost him more than $150 million. In today’s episode, he sits down with Ryan to discuss navigating t...

17 Sep 1h 18min

You Don’t Need Your Books | 9 Stoic Lessons From Roman Politics

Marcus Aurelius loved to read and tried to always have a text from a philosopher or a playwright or a historian with him. But, as it is for all of us, we don’t always get our way—sometimes life interv...

16 Sep 17min

Time Is a Violent River | Stop Being Surprised By This

Are we doing the work we know we should be doing? Or are we letting hour after hour, day after day, simply drift past us? -- Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and the f...

15 Sep 12min

BONUS: The Advice Ryan Got Before Running His First 50K

Ryan knew running 50 kilometers through Rome would require more than just being in shape. So he turned to Luke Tuttle from the blog Ultra Running Destinations for firsthand advice on how to prepare fo...

14 Sep 25min