Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (August 7, 2019)

Hello there,

This week for our practice, let us grab some inspiration from the philosopher who inspired Zeno to find Stoicism. Socrates said in Plato’s Republic:

“Pleasure deprives a man of the use of his faculties quite as much as pain.”

We all have vices. Some are obvious, others not so much. One of the first PEotW was in fact ditching your cell phone at the dinner table, which was difficult for most. Cell phones are one example of an addiction that we don’t recognize. Other vices may be more obvious, like sugar alcohol or drugs, but we don,t want to admit it. Excessive television time is another potential one.

Whatever the addiction, it is not easy to just walk away, so we must establish reasonable goals. So this week, identify a vice that you have, that is fairly easy to stop, and abstain from it for a week. If nothing else, just to show yourself you can take control of the animal mind with its pursuit of sensory pleasures.

As always, much love to you all and I wish you a wise, tranquil and productive week.

Anderson Silver

(Author of “Your User’s Manual” and “Vol 2: Your Duality Within”)