Get Yourself Under Control
The Daily Stoic9 Nov 2018

Get Yourself Under Control

It was Heraclitus--a favorite of Marcus Aurelius--who said that “to be self-controlled is the greatest of excellence.” Isn’t that the truth? It’s why we admire athletes and Navy SEALS and the Civil Rights Activists of the 1950s and 1960s.


To see someone being provoked with horrific language and threatened with bodily violence--only to ignore it. To see someone under incredible pressure and perform despite it. To see someone override their fears and physical limitations in service of their country. This, we know, is self-control par excellence.


The reason we study this philosophy, follow its precepts and practice its exercises, is to develop our own ability to control ourselves. To control our desires, our emotions, our bodies, and our minds. So that under pressure, under threat, under siege, we can be our best selves. We are working to get ourselves under control so that we can be excellent--we can be virtuous--and because we know that self-control is its own form of excellence.


It’s a hard thing to do, and that’s why we admire it.


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

Avsnitt(2889)

What Do You Gain By Worrying?

What Do You Gain By Worrying?

When did Jesus deliver his famous Sermon on the Mount? We don’t know. But we know that Seneca and Jesus were born at roughly the same time and were part of the same massive empire. As far distant as t...

5 Aug 20192min

Winning The Ultimate Victory

Winning The Ultimate Victory

There is a tradition in Stoicism that few notice, but is possibly one of the most inspiring and chilling parts of the entire philosophy. There’s no real polite way to describe it other than “badass la...

2 Aug 20193min

Try The Opposite Remedy

Try The Opposite Remedy

In his essay Of Clemency, Seneca tells a story of a time Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, had his temper severely tested. Augustus receives intelligence that a man named Lucius Cinna w...

1 Aug 20192min

Be Careful About Who You Want To Impress

Be Careful About Who You Want To Impress

When you listen to people talk about choices they regret, whether it was working for the guy who put on Fyre Fest or joining a gang or a cult, it’s remarkable how much it comes down to wanting to impr...

31 Juli 20193min

We’re Lucky Not To Get What We Want

We’re Lucky Not To Get What We Want

There’s an old joke: When the Gods wish to punish us, they give us everything we’ve ever wanted. Look at most people who win the lottery. Look at most famous people. Look at most world leaders. To bor...

30 Juli 20192min

What To Take From All This

What To Take From All This

Very few people, if they’re being honest, would want their kids to grow up to be like Donald Trump. And that includes the folks who had perfectly good reasons for voting for him and hope he will be a ...

29 Juli 20193min

Spare Time Is Not Enough Pt II

Spare Time Is Not Enough Pt II

The great Athenian statesman Pericles once explained to his people that being a great naval power was not some hobby. It was the key to their survival. “Seamanship is an art,” he said, “just like anyt...

26 Juli 20193min

Good or Evil...The Choice Is Yours

Good or Evil...The Choice Is Yours

The Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck thought the tug between good and evil was a necessary contradiction of human nature. There is no better demonstration of his world view than East of Eden....

25 Juli 20193min

Populärt inom Business & ekonomi

badfluence
framgangspodden
varvet
rss-svart-marknad
rss-jossan-nina
rss-borsens-finest
uppgang-och-fall
svd-tech-brief
lastbilspodden
dynastin
avanzapodden
borsmorgon
rss-inga-dumma-fragor-om-pengar
fill-or-kill
24fragor
bathina-en-podcast
rss-dagen-med-di
rss-kort-lang-analyspodden-fran-di
rss-veckans-trade
tabberaset