The Daily Stoic7 Dec 2018

This Is How They Treat You After You’re Gone

Da Vinci painted his brilliant fresco, The Last Supper, and how did they respond? They nagged at him for taking too long. Then, after he finished, they cut a giant hole in the bottom for a door. Marcus slaved away on his private Meditations, a work of incredible vulnerability and emotional exposure, that he almost certainly would not have wanted anyone to see. And what did we do? We not only published it, but we had the nerve to move the writing around in an indecipherable order. Seneca and Epictetus? They were the unconsenting victims of fake dialogs--with St Paul and Hadrian, respectively--that sought to capitalize on their names to make political or religious points.

That’s just what we do to genius. We disrespect it. We manipulate it. We mistreat it. And that’s the preferential treatment that genius gets. The vast majority of ordinary people from ancient times? We promptly forgot about them after they died...except the occasions where we dug them up and displayed their bones for educational purposes...and profit.

The point is: The dead don’t get no respect. Which is why anyone overly concerned with their legacy is wasting their time. Same goes for anyone who values posthumous fame. It ain’t coming. In fact, the opposite is probably more likely.

Focus on the here and now. Focus on living well, on doing good, and not giving two cares for what happens later. Because you’ll be gone...and soon enough, so will everyone else.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(3154)

50 Stoic Rules to Live By

The Stoics wrote about almost every part of life, but which of their ideas are worth carrying with you every day? In this episode, Ryan shares 50 short rules from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, a...

30 Sep 25min

It’s Happening To Them…and To You Too

Time has passed. The ideas haven’t changed, as the Stoics say, but you have. The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic will be released October 6, 2026—but signed and numbered first-edition ...

30 Sep 2min

You Should Be In The Thick of It | How Oprah Discovered Stoicism

How are you making your impact felt? How are you bringing your beliefs—and virtues—into the world?👉 Watch Ryan's episode with Oprah here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiua-LIB7MY📚 Books:Build the...

29 Sep 18min

It Shows Us This | Your Actual Needs Are Small

On the one hand, history is a catalog of human misdeeds. On the other hand, is history not also a catalog of human greatness?📚 History Matters by David McCullough🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday i...

28 Sep 6min

11 Stoic Lessons Ryan Learned in Rome

The streets of Rome still carry the lessons the Stoics left behind nearly 2,000 years ago. In today’s episode, Ryan walks through the places where Stoicism was lived and tested and shares 11 lessons t...

27 Sep 20min

Inside the Final Years of Marcus Aurelius

By the final years of his life, Marcus Aurelius had lost nearly everyone he loved, endured years of war, and watched the Antonine Plague devastate the empire. In today’s episode, Professor William O. ...

26 Sep 17min

BONUS | 3 Stoic One-Liners You Need Today

Today's bonus episode: three Stoic one-liners to help you start the day with the right mindset.🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here | https://www.dailys...

25 Sep 1min

No Time Like The Present To Drink These Draining Seconds | The Most Secure Fortress

There is no time like the present because, really, there is no time but the present. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https:/...

25 Sep 6min