Stoic Week 2015 Saturday Morning Reflection

Text for Morning Reflection: "Be like the headland on which the waves break constantly, which still stands firm while the foaming waters are put to rest around it. ‘It is my bad luck that this has happened to me!’ On the contrary, say, ‘It is my good luck that, although this has happened to me, I can bear it without getting upset, neither crushed by the present nor afraid of the future'."

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.49

Stoic Week 2015 Friday Evening Reflection

Text for Evening Reflection: "One type of person, whenever he does someone else a good turn, is quick in calculating the favour done to him. Another is not so quick to do this; but in himself he thinks about the other person as owing him something and is conscious of what he has done. A third is in a sense not even conscious of what he has done, but is like a vine which has produced grapes and looks for nothing more once it has produced its own fruit, like a horse which has run a race, a dog which has followed the scent, or a bee which has made its honey. A person who has done something good does not make a big fuss about it, but goes on to the next action, as a vine goes on to produce grapes again in season. So you should be one of those who do this without in a sense being aware of doing so.

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.6

Stoic Week 2015 Friday Morning Reflection

Text for Morning Reflection: "Say to yourself first thing in the morning: I shall meet with people who are meddling, ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable. They are subject to these faults because of their ignorance of what is good and bad. But I have recognized the nature of the good and seen that it is the right, and the nature of the bad and seen that it is the wrong, and the nature of the wrongdoer himself, and seen that he is related to me, not because he has the same blood or seed, but because he shares in the same mind and portion of divinity. So I cannot be harmed by any of them, as no one will involve me in what is wrong. Nor can I be angry with my relative or hate him. We were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. So to work against each other is contrary to nature; and resentment and rejection count as working against someone."

 — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.1

Anyone who knows me well has probably heard me recite at least part of this passage before; it is one of my favorite passages in the whole of the Meditations, and has been the only thing that seemed to help me get through some days that seemed hard because my perception of indifferents was flawed!

Stoic Week 2015 Thursday Evening Reflection

Text for Evening Reflection: "Every habit and faculty is formed or strengthened by the corresponding act — walking makes you walk better, running makes you a better runner. If you want to be literate, read, if you want to be a painter, paint. Go a month without reading, occupied with something else, and you’ll see what the result is. And if you’re laid up a mere ten days, when you get up and try to talk any distance, you’ll find your legs barely able to support you. So if you like doing something, do it regularly; if you don’t like doing something, make a habit of doing something different. The same goes for the affairs of the mind… So if you don’t want to be hot-tempered, don’t feed your temper, or multiply incidents of anger. Suppress the first impulse to be angry, then begin to count the days on which you don’t get angry. ‘I used to be angry every day, then only every other day, then every third…’ If you resist it a whole month, offer God a sacrifice, because the vice begins to weaken from day one, until it is wiped out altogether. ‘I didn’t lose my temper this day, or the next, and not for two, then three months in succession.’ If you can say that, you are now in excellent health, believe me."

 — Epictetus, Discourses, 2.18

Stoic Week 2015 Thursday Morning Reflection

Text for Morning Reflection: "If you find anything in human life better than justice, truthfulness, self-control, courage… turn to it with all your heart and enjoy the supreme good that you have found… but if you find all other things to be trivial and valueless in comparison with virtue give no room to anything else, since once you turn towards that and divert from your proper path, you will no longer be able without inner conflict to give the highest honour to that which is properly good. It is not right to set up as a rival to the rational and social good [virtue] anything alien its nature, such as the praise of the many or positions of power, wealth or enjoyment of pleasures."

 — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 3.6

Stoic Week 2015 Wednesday Evening Reflection

Texts for Evening Reflection: "Get rid of the judgement and you have got rid of the idea. ‘I have been harmed’; get rid of the idea, ‘I have been harmed’, and you have got rid of the harm itself."
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.7


"All turns on judgement, and that is up to you. So when you want to do this, get rid of the judgement, and then, as though you had passed the headland, the sea will be calm and all will be still, and there won’t be a wave in the bay."
 — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 12.22

Stoic Week 2015 Wednesday Morning Reflection

Text for Morning Reflection: "People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills; and you too are especially inclined to feel this desire. But this is altogether unphilosophical, when it is possible for you to retreat into yourself at any time you want. There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind, especially if he has within himself the kind of thoughts that let him dip into them and so at once gain complete ease of mind; and by ease of mind, I mean nothing but having one’s own mind in good order. So constantly give yourself this retreat and renew yourself. You should have to hand concise and fundamental principles, which will be enough, as soon as you encounter them, to cleanse you from all distress and send you back without resentment at the activities to which you return. "

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 1.3.1-3

Stoic Week 2015 Tuesday Evening Reflection

Text for Reflection: "Try to persuade them; and act even against their will, whenever the principle of justice leads you to do so. But if someone uses force to resist you, change your approach to accepting it and not being hurt, and use the setback to express another virtue. Remember too that your motive was formed with reservation and that you were not aiming at the impossible. At what then? A motive formed with reservation. But you have achieved this; what we proposed to ourselves is actually happening."

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.50

Stoic Week 2015 Tuesday Morning Reflection

Text for Morning Reflection: "Early in the morning, when you are finding it hard to wake up, hold this thought in your mind: ‘I am getting up to do the work of a human being. Do I still resent it, if I am going out to do what I was born for and for which I was brought into the world? Or was I framed for this, to lie under the bedclothes and keep myself warm?’ ‘But this is more pleasant’. So were you born for pleasure: in general were you born for feeling or for affection? Don’t you see the plants, the little sparrows, the ants, the spiders, the bees doing their own work, and playing their part in making up an ordered world. And then are you unwilling to do the work of a human being? Won’t you run to do what is in line with your nature?"

 — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.1

Stoic Week 2015 Monday Evening Reflection

Text for Evening Reflection: "Let us go to our sleep with joy and gladness; let us say ‘I have lived; the course which Fortune set for me is finished.’ And if God is pleased to add another day, we should welcome it with glad hearts. That man is happiest, and is secure in his own possession of himself, who can await the morrow without apprehension. When a man has said: ‘I have lived!’, every morning he arises he receives a bonus." 

— Seneca, Letters, 12.9

Stoic Week 2015 Monday Morning Reflection

"From Maximus [I have learnt the importance of these things]: to be master of oneself and not carried this way and that; to be cheerful under all circumstances, including illness; a character with a harmonious blend of gentleness and dignity; readiness to tackle the task in hand without complaint; the confidence everyone had that whatever he said he meant and whatever he did was not done with bad intent; never to be astonished or panic-stricken, and never to be hurried or to hang back or be at a loss or downcast or cringing or on the other hand angry or suspicious; to be ready to help or forgive, and to be truthful; to give the impression of someone whose character is naturally upright rather than having undergone correction; the fact that no-one could have thought that Maximus looked down on him, or could have presumed to suppose that he was better than Maximus; and to have great personal
charm."

 — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 1.14

Boondock Saints Theme Song Violin (The Blood of Cu Chulainn)

I just published a fantasy novella on Kindle . . .

     So, back around 2001, I started tinkering with a Norse-themed fantasy setting called Midhgardhur. I ran a couple of Dungeons & Dragons games using the setting, but mostly it was just a pleasant mental exercise in world building. I started working on it a little more in-depth in 2011, and began a Pathfinder RPG campaign set in that world in November 2011 (that campaign is still running as of this writing, incidentally - we just had our 77th game session on June 6th, 2015). Anyway, a couple of years ago, for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those of you who may not be familiar with the acronym), I wrote a novella set in the world of Midhgardhur, called The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper. When NaNoWriMo was over, I didn't look at it again for a while, but I recently dusted it off and edited it, then passed it to my wife Tanya for another round of editing, then I tinkered with it a bit more. Today I decided to publish it for Amazon Kindle . . . why not, right? I mean, I wrote a novel (really more of a novella) - I'm going to put it out there! So today I published it, and I just got notification that it is live for sale on Amazon. So, if anyone is interested, please do check it out - it sells for just $3.99 and it is the first time I've ever tried publishing my writing for sale. Give it a shot! The link is http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGDQGOU

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 17 - Talk To 3 Strangers

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 17 - Talk to 3 Strangers

     This one has never been a big deal for me - I don't really have a huge problem with talking to strangers (the teenage me would never believe it!). This task was especially easy to complete when I used to go to bars, or when I used to take public transportation. But these days - long solitary commute, long work day . . . I don't even interact with 3 strangers in my average day. This task may take me until the weekend to complete . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 16 - Create A Budget

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 16 - Create A Budget

     Right now is not an easy time for budgeting. My wife is on disability, and is not getting any real regular income. My income is regular now, but is uncertain after June. So right now it is all but impossible to do this task effectively. But I have taken the steps I can to do this right. I have set up a budget in my Evernote and plugged in what I can for the moment. I will continue to plug in data as it becomes available, and build a functioning budget, with the plan to revise it around the Kalends of each month. So I may not create a budget in a day, but one is slowly evolving, and will continue to evolve . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 15 - Make A Meal

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 15 - Make a Meal

I made my lunch today - but this isn't a big challenge for me, as I make a large percentage of the meals in my household!

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 14 - Write A Letter To Your Father

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 14 - Write a Letter to Your Father

     I have fallen so far behind in my correspondence . . . I had intended to catch up this week, but somehow my week was busier than I had intended. So now, I am somewhat grateful for this task, as it shall motivate me to begin catching up on my correspondence with my father (and my mother, who needs an update as well).

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 12 - Create A Bucket List

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 12 - Create A Bucket List

     I had created one previously, but now I uploaded it to Evernote and crossed off one accomplished item (my wedding!). Now, the hard part is keeping it up-to-date and setting plans in motion to accomplish goals . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 11 - Give Yourself A Testicular Exam

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 11 - Give Yourself a Testicular Exam

     Not much to say here, except the importance of checking oneself for warning signs of cancer cannot be understated. Whether it is regular breast exams for women or testicular exams for men, it is foolish to take risks when a simple, regular checkup could save your life or your health.

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 10 - Memorize "If"

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 10 - Memorize "If"

So, this challenge is about the importance of memorization and poetry, along with one of the challenge-setter's favorite poems by Kipling. Now, I know all about the importance of memorizing some verse - better than most, I would imagine. And I have all sorts of bits of verse tucked away - Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Shakespeare, etc. But Kipling's "If" is something I have never successfully memorized. I may try again, but it doesn't speak to me as it does to some others . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 9 - Take A Woman On A Date

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 9 - Take a Woman on a Date

I think the last time I did the 30 Days, I noted the underlying inherent heterosexism in assuming that a man will be taking a woman on a date. But let's leave that aside for this time, OK? I think it is important to do this, even - or perhaps especially - when a man is married. I think one must never stop dating one's wife. That having been said, with my wife out of work right now on disability, money is very tight right now, and it may be a while before I can take her on a proper date. Even so, I'm looking forward to doing this soon . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 8 - Start A Journal

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 8 - Start a Journal

Ummmm . . . check! I already keep a journal! Just updated it, in fact!

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 7 - Reconnect With An Old Friend

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 7 - Reconnect with an Old Friend

     So, a happy coincidence, but I just got caught up with a former student from Plymouth, Tracy. She's doing well, and had some great suggestions and words of encouragement about some of the situations my family is currently facing. So great to reconnect with her!

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 6 - Update Your Resume

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 6 - Update Your Resume

     This is both timely (considering my plans to look for new opportunities) and long overdue (hasn't really been updated since I applied for the job I have now about 3 years ago) . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 5 - Cultivate Your Gratitude

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 5 - Cultivate Your Gratitude

     For this day of the challenge, I started a new Gratitude Journal as part of my regular journal. That should make it easier to keep up every day . . .

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 4 - Increase Your Testosterone

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 4 - Increase Your Testosterone

Choose three from this checklist (I am doing 4):

1. Get at least 8 hours of sleep tonight
2. Do not smoke at all today (if you don't normally smoke, this one cannot count as one of your 3!)
3. Do not eat anything with soy in it (read labels!)
4. Meditate for at least 10 minutes
6. Eat a serving of good fat (e.g. nuts, olives, olive oil, seeds, fish, avacadoes, etc.)
7. Eat a serving of animal protein
8. Eat a serving of cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, cabbage, brussels spouts, etc.) - not gonna happen
9. Have morning sex (if your partner is willing)

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 3 - Find A Mentor

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 3 0 Find A Mentor

     I cannot write much about this right now, but I shall be seeking mentorship in my current profession from a colleague for the remainder of the school year, and mentorship from certain associates about possible future career decisions for after this school year. This is not an easy thing for me to do.

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 2 - Shine Your Shoes

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 2 - Shine Your Shoes

     I'll do this task tonight when I get home - it'll be late (church Small Group Ministry meeting after work), but it'll be worth it for the exercise in good discipline alone, if not for the shinier shoes. I think I'll expand the task to include sorting my wardrobe a bit and getting rid of what needs to be discarded over the course of the month.

30 Days To A Better Man, Day 1 - Define Your Core Values

30 Days to a Better Man, Day 1 - Define Your Core Values

     March seems to be my month for this - attempting the "30 Days to a Better Man" challenge from The Art of Manliness. My life is challenging enough at the moment, but as the Roman New Year begins on March 1st, and it is near the beginning of spring and thus is a time symbolic of renewal, I feel the need to undertake the challenge yet again.

     The first task - day 1 - is to "define your core values." I have done this many times, and while I sometimes shift around my priorities within these core values, the values themselves remain the same. Some of them lack a single English word that encompasses all that I mean to say, so I have some that are split, like #3 Reason/Education.

      As my family and I stand at a crossroads right now, and we are struggling to define what our future should look like, and what Tanya and I want to do with the next phase of our lives, my values stand at the forefront of my decisions.

Here is the prioritized list:
1. Integrity - Without my personal sense of honor and integrity, any other values would be meaningless. Integrity must come first!
2. Family - Besides my sense of integrity, my family is the most important thing to me (what good would I be to my family without my integrity?). I have found that honoring the family is a delicate balancing act at times - like spending time away from one's family in order to support one's family. But my family - my wife Tanya, and my sons Andrew and Eli - are the core of my life.
3. Reason/Education - The life of the mind is of extremely high importance to me, and I honor with this value both the faculty of reason and the acquisition of material for reason to process (through education and learning). Right now I am considering an attempt to go back to school because this is something that has not been a formal part of my life for almost 15 years. I feel a powerful call to return to the hallowed halls of academia . . .
4. Philosophy/Spirituality - Nearly on par with reason and education is the care of the soul - I actually consider both to be different aspects of the same phenomenon, but there really is no way to express this properly in English. I have pursued philosophy (particularly Stoicism) over spirituality and religion for a long time because my profession as teacher has demanded neutrality from me in such matters. My religious beliefs (a form of the cultus deorum Romanorum) and valued spiritual teachings (such as those found in Unitarian Universalism) are of vital importance to me, and yet I have allowed them to be placed to one side for the purposes of my career, which I have come to feel is a mistake. I have always felt called to the clergy, and I am now considering the possibilities of seminary. These are the things that provide the human soul with its nourishment and comfort.
5. Discipline - A value on which I have always prided myself, and yet which has always been of uneven temper in my soul. I list this as the last core value in part because it is the one I feel needs the most work.

From "The Chancellor" by Reinhold Heidenstein (1553-1620), official Chistorian of the Polish King Stephen Bathory

     A quote from Reinhold Heidenstein (1553-1620), the official historian of the Polish King Stephen Bathory, in his essay Cancellarius sive de dignitate et officio cancellarii regni Poloniae ("The Chancellor; or concerning the dignity and duty of the chancellor of the king of Poland"):

     "Latina lingua tamquam communis omnium gentium Christianarum publico quasi consensu recepta fere ab omnibus est. Repertos tamen aliquando quosdam memini, qui sua etiam lingua ad reges nostros scriberent vicissimque agitatum ut nostra quoque sclavonica eis responderetur, ut cum illi dignitatis gravitatisque suae nimis retinentes viderentur, nos nostrae non omnino etiam neglegentes videremur. Sed maioris partis principum populorumque Christianorum, ut aliis in rebus, ita in hac quoque fortassis consensus spectandus Latinaque orationem utendum."

     "The Latin languages has been accepted by almost everyone as though by public consent as the common tongue of all the Christian peoples. I recall that at times there have been some who wrote to our kings even in their own language and that it was in turn proposed that they seemed too conscious of their own position and importance, we should not seem altogether negligent of our own. But in this, as in other matters, one should look to the agreement of the majority of the Christian rulers and peoples and use Latin."

How quickly things changed, and for the worse!

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