Be This Kind Of Person | Ask DS

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Aug 24, 2023

Explore how Cato balanced strict principles with unexpected kindness, emphasizing humility during adversity. Discover the crucial roles of libraries and independent bookstores in combating censorship and fostering community knowledge. Uncover the rediscovery of lost literature and the joys of reading aloud versus audiobooks. Learn how to make stoicism more relatable through everyday examples, and reflect on how personal experiences influence our understanding of literature, highlighting the importance of empathy in diverse perspectives.

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ADVICE

Be Like Cato

Be patient and forgiving, especially in minor daily frustrations.
Emulate Cato's example by being low-key and not demanding special treatment.

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ANECDOTE

Cato's Kindness

Cato, known for his strict principles, surprised people with his kindness in casual encounters.
He forgave a man who struck him in the baths, demonstrating unexpected forgiveness.

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ADVICE

Curate for Impact

Curate your collection based on personal values and impactful content.
Offer unique selections that resonate with your audience and inspire change.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

The Power of Libraries and Independent Bookstores

04:09 • 5min

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The Rediscovery of Literature and the Magic of Libraries

08:55 • 3min

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Making Stoicism Accessible Through Modern Examples

11:51 • 2min

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The Evolving Interpretation of Literature

Set during the Great Depression, 'Ask the Dust' is a gritty and poignant tale of Arturo Bandini, a young writer in Los Angeles. The novel, told through Bandini's first-person narrative, explores themes of poverty, ambition, love, and despair. Bandini's struggles with writer's block, financial hardship, and his complex relationship with Camilla Lopez are vividly depicted against the backdrop of the era's harsh realities. The book is known for its spare, well-crafted prose and its influence on later writers, including Charles Bukowski.

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is a series of private writings composed by Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome's greatest emperors, as he struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Written between 170 and 180 CE while on military campaigns, this work combines Stoic philosophy with personal observations on leadership, duty, mortality, and human nature. Through twelve books of intimate thoughts never intended for publication, Marcus Aurelius explores themes of self-improvement, resilience in the face of adversity, and living virtuously while accepting what cannot be changed.

A Confederacy of Dunces

John Kennedy Toole

A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel that tells the story of Ignatius J. Reilly, an overweight, unemployed, and intellectually arrogant man living with his mother in New Orleans. The novel is a rich satire that critiques modern society through Ignatius's interactions with a diverse cast of characters, including his mother Irene, his girlfriend Myrna Minkoff, and various eccentric figures from New Orleans. Written in the early 1960s while Toole was in the army, the book was published posthumously in 1980 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. It is celebrated for its witty and absurd portrayal of life in New Orleans and its memorable protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly.

Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury

In this classic dystopian novel, Ray Bradbury depicts a future American society where books are outlawed and 'firemen' are tasked with burning any discovered. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman who starts to question his role after encountering Clarisse, a young girl who loves nature and reading. As Montag delves deeper into the world of books, he begins to see the emptiness of his life and the dangers of a society that values entertainment over critical thinking and intellectual freedom. With the help of Faber, a retired English professor, Montag rebels against the system, leading to a confrontation with his fire chief, Captain Beatty, and ultimately joining a group of intellectuals who have memorized books to preserve knowledge for a post-apocalyptic future.

Factotum

Charles Bukowski

En "Factotum", Charles Bukowski presenta una novela autobiográfica que narra las experiencias de un hombre que trabaja en una variedad de empleos poco cualificados. La historia sigue a Henry Chinaski, un personaje alter ego de Bukowski, que vaga por la vida, trabajando en diferentes trabajos y lidiando con sus problemas personales. Chinaski es un personaje cínico y pesimista, que expresa su frustración y desilusión con la sociedad y la vida en general. La novela destaca la importancia de la autenticidad, la búsqueda de la libertad y la lucha contra la conformidad. Su enfoque realista y crudo lo convierte en una lectura intensa y conmovedora.

In matters of law, Cato was a stickler. In matters of principle, Cato was uncompromising. His opponents found him exhausting. Even some of his friends thought he was impossible.

Yet as we wrote about recently, people who bumped into him in the street were always surprised. By how nice he was. By how low key he was. There was the man who struck Cato in the baths, not aware of whom he was fighting with, only to be unceremoniously forgiven by the great Roman he had assaulted. There were the local dignitaries who didn’t notice the powerful politician in their midst, and were gently reminded that future visitors might not be as easy-going as Cato. Again, few would have described the meticulous Cato as low maintenance, but in an important way–which is to say, ironically in unimportant things–he was. We should follow this example.

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And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan addresses questions after a talk he gave to employees at the new Austin Public Library about how he curates his bookstore, the importance of having a physical space for books, the huge benefits that reading out loud provides for your brain, and more.

You can watch the full speech and Q&A on the Daily Stoic YouTube channel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUY7igobTqY

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