Required Reading: Letter 25: On Reformation
“I should prefer to lack success rather than lack faith.”
That is a sure motto to adopt in everything purposeful you do! It is okay to fail at a thing than to not attempt a thing at all. Now, to center on our aim for the day, Seneca addresses Lucilius regarding his two friends; one of which is older perhaps in his forty’s and the other reasonably younger.
Lucilius believes that time and or wisdom is better spent on the younger for his mind is more malleable; pliable; open to ideas versus the veteran who might be set in his ways. Well, aren’t we all? Isn’t is easier to just treat the healthy man and forget the diseased individual?
If we take such a stance; that our services are made only for the “right customer”; the right patient; the right listeners; would we have need for hospitals, for institutions of higher learnings; for places of worship? Do “Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise” people need such services? Is it not for the “sick” we teach, heal, help, serve; sacrifice sometimes to our own disadvantage; yet we must continue to press on?
For a “sick” man does not realize most times he is in need of “health”; so as a teacher, doctor, “service man”, your calling is to serve in whatever capacity you find yourself; you are in the ‘Reformation Business‘ and you didn’t chose it; it choose you!
You will never have that peace ofmind once called unless you obey and serve; there is no expected reward in this; you are not in it for the applause; the recognition; the glory; in fact, you take the backseat; the first one in, the last one out; you see to it that all goes according to plan and then you take your applause silently within your heart.
Let others get the glory; in fact they stand most times on your shoulders; you lift them up! And what better place to be; to know that others need you and you? Well, you may need them; not MUST need them. The teacher continues to emphasize for us “to lighten your baggage for the march; to return to the law of nature.”; that she only craves bread and water—cheap; inexpensive tools to keep you sharp for higher things—light on your feet! The road is a long one; you need not burden yourself with non-essentials.
The call is to withdraw into yourself when you are forced to be in a crowd; the watch word here is “forced”. It is best to be alone in a crowd than to be in solitude; on your journey to the promise land, do not be a hermit—”Alone, you are too close to a rascal!”; Farewell.
Word of the day:
Tranquil (adjective): calm, serene, unruffled (The Oxford American Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus 2nd Edition).
Quotations:
“I shall take every liberty; for I do not love this one, if I am unwilling to hurt his feelings.”
“You need not despair of curing sick men even when the disease is chronic…”
“Let us return to the law of nature; for then riches are laid up for us. The things which we actually need are free for all, or else cheap.”
“No one is poor according to this standard; when a man has limited his desires within these bounds, he can challlenge the happiness of Jove himself.”
“Do everything as if Epicurus were watching you.” -Epicurus.
“There is no real doubt that it is good for one to have appointed a guardian over oneself, and to have someone whom you may look up to, someone whom you may regard as a witness of your thoughts.”
“The time when you should most of all withdraw into yourself is when you are forced to be in a crowd.” -Epicurus.
“You ought to make yourself of a different stamp from the multitude. Therefore, while it is not yet safe to withdraw into solitude, seek out certain individuals; for everyone is better off in the company of somebody or other—no matter who—than in his own company alone.”
Questions:
1) Do you spend majority of your day in solitude? Is this on purpose or out of your control?
2) Do you have a mentor(s); accountability partners to watch important aspects of your life?
3) What could you do away with to lighten the load—the burden of your current life?
Activities:
1) Interact with people daily; chat with your spouse; significant other; children; if none currently; seek out your friends—the world is your laboratory; as you study philosophy, put what you learn into practice—it has to be cultivated with interacting with people.
2) Spend three times a day to be alone; 20 minutes in the morning, afternoon and in the evening for silent thought and introspection—all other times carry on as normal.
3) Find 3-5 mentors in these categories: Spiritual, Health/Fitness, Personal Finance, Career and Entrepreurship (or Business).
