The Daily Stoic27 Feb 2020

You Are A God

The Stoic writings alternate between reminding us of our humility and our power. For humility, we have the concept of amor fati, for example—we should learn to love our fate, “good or bad” because we’re powerless to do anything about it. And with equal sincerity, Marcus Aurelius reminds himself that if something is humanly possible, he should believe he is capable of doing it.

Humility and power. Power and humility. It’s not a contradiction. It’s a balance. On some days we need a reminder of the former, and on other days, the latter. Today, let’s do the latter. How’s this: The Stoics believed each of us was a god. As Cicero writes in his dialog, Scipio’s Dream:

“The true self of each person is the mind. Know therefore that you are a god. For a god is someone who moves, who feels, who remembers, who looks to the future, who rules over and guides and directs the body he is master of, just as that Supreme God directs the universe. And just as this eternal God controls the universe, which is partly mortal, so too your eternal spirit directs your fragile body.”

It’s a pump-me-up that should have you ready to run through walls this morning. Sure, we are powerless over so much. We can be tossed around by the oceans, we can be struck down by disease, we’re not even as strong as a small chimpanzee. But over our own mind? There we have god-like powers. There, we are supreme masters. There we can direct and control the world like those mythical beings from Mt. Olympus.

You’re a god. Know that. Now use that power wisely. Go do something that matters with it.

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

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

Avsnitt(3143)

No One Is Excused From This | You’re Reading Books Wrong. Here’s A Better Way.

No one—no Marine, no leader, no citizen, no parent, no one who wants any measure of success—is excused from studying. Not now. Not ever.Turn the words into works 👉 Read to Lead: A Daily Stoic Reading...

22 Sep 20min

It’s Good That You’re Having Trouble | On Handling Haters

Nobody said getting wiser, better, or stronger would be accomplished without hard work. In fact, the Stoics specifically said the opposite.Turn the words into works 👉 Read to Lead: A Daily Stoic Read...

21 Sep 7min

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