Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (May 30, 2021)
Hello there,
From time to time I try to look outside our school for some inspiration (while looking to apply our school’s precepts) and I found one such occasion last weekend. One of my neighbours is Austrian and we got to chatting last Sunday. We spoke about all things primordial for life: What is the purpose of it all, how we feel detached from our nature and purpose, how the other neighbour’s lawn is immaculate…you know…important philosophical stuff about the human condition.
Our discussion led me to this quote I have not used in (easily) over five years. This is from the German novelist extraordinaire Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:
“Man is not born to solve the problems of the universe, but to find out what he has to do, and to restrain himself within the limits of his comprehension.”
Like Leo Tolstoy or Guy Dumas, a talented artist has the capacity to convey the entirety of the complexity of human emotions, fears and concerns into printed pages.Goethe was no different, and his quote above helped me a lot when I was a young father. It was a reminder that I cannot do everything I want to, nor give everything I want to (no matter how much I would like it), to my children. But today I am focused more on the second part…”but to find out what he has to do”.
You will recall from Your User’s Manual (chpt 12-14) that our spiritual necessities are ALWAYS changing. You may have found your purpose today, but your life changes, your objective reality changes, you change, and so your necessities change. If we do not take the time to consciously and conscientiously think about our spiritual necessities, then we risk working hard towards an end that won’t even bring us purpose in life.
So for this practical exercise, revisit your list of spiritual necessities and update your list. WIth the changing of the seasons, this exercise becomes even more pertinent. Having an up-to-date list of necessities will ensure you are always working towards YOUR purpose (as opposed to juet being and just doing). Recall that time is our most valued possession (since we cannot make more of it). So as an added bonus for doing this exercise, you can feel better knowing that by having a clear plan of what it is you want to work towards, you will be more efficient in what you do, and therefore save on your precious time (while still feeling like you’re living a more purposeful life).
Yes, I’m not exaggerating here. This exercise will really give you that much (this is why I urge my readers and listeners to revisit their list of necessities 1-2 times a year). Peace of mind comes with knowing what we are doing here. And knowing what we are doing is a function of knowing what we want to do (i.e. spiritual necessities).
Anderson Silver (Stoicism for a Better Life)