You've Chosen Your Own Hell
In Marcus Aurelius’s time, Roman religion was a hodgepodge of different rituals and ideas, which were evident in Marcus’s own behavior. For instance, he deified his wife and his stepfather Antoninius,...
4 Nov 20193min
There is Only One Place to Look
There was a Stoic named Diotimus who messed up. Like really messed up. Sometime around the turn of the first century BC, he committed what can only be described as an unjustifiable crime. He forged do...
1 Nov 20193min
Which Founder Will You Be?
It’s easy to whitewash history, to look back at a group of people who did an incredible thing and assume they were all on the same page when it happened. We forget the egos and the personality flaws. ...
31 Okt 20194min
Don’t Follow The Mob
It’s a fitting warning about man’s nature that in the Old Testament, God would command his followers, “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil,” and to resist the pull of the multitude when they ...
30 Okt 20194min
You Must Live Below Your Means
The Roman elite were constantly living beyond their means. Leaders like Cicero lived lavishly—he owned something like nine different villas at the same time. Other Romans believed the path to politica...
29 Okt 20193min
It All Rests on Pillars of Sand
Imagine, one day you’re king and the next day you’re not. Literally. That's the story of Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, who was made King of Naples and Spain, only to be forced to flee in exil...
28 Okt 20193min
You Are Mortal. You Don’t Have To Be Stupid.
Yes, the Stoics talk a lot about death. How it’s inevitable. How life is fragile. How it can be taken from us at any moment. It’s in our power to live well, Seneca said, but not in our power to live l...
25 Okt 20192min
It’s True: You’re Exactly Where You’re Supposed To Be
Keanon Lowe grew up in a family struggling to make ends meet. His father left when he was nine. When money was tight or when things were hard, his mother would try to encourage him by saying that it w...
24 Okt 20193min
