Practical Stoicism

Today we’re covering meditation #4 from book #1 of Meditations and in it, we are going to hear why Marcus was thankful to Rusticus. Quintus Junius Rusticus was a Roman teacher and politician. He was probably also a grandson of Arulenus Rusticus, who was a prominent member of the Stoic Opposition. If you’ve not heard of the Stoic Opposition, boy oh boy will you be in for a treat when we get to that fireside chat. Now that you have little background on ol’ Rusticus, let’s jump into the meditation.--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Practical Stoicism, dear Prokopton, I’m glad you’re here. Today we’re jumping into letter 80 of Seneca’s moral letters to Lucilius."To-day I have some free time, thanks not so much to myself as to the games, which have attracted all the bores to the boxing-match. No one will interrupt me or disturb the train of my thoughts, which go ahead more boldly as the result of my very confidence. My door has not been continually creaking on its hinges nor will my curtain be pulled aside; my thoughts may march safely on, – and that is all the more necessary for one who goes independently and follows out his own path. Do I then follow no predecessors? Yes, but I allow myself to discover something new, to alter, to reject. I am not a slave to them, although I give them my approval."--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So today we’ll revisit Book 1 Meditation 1 to read what is defined in other places as book 1 meditation 3. Here’s that segment:"Of my mother I have learned to be religious, and bountiful; and to forbear, not only to do, but to intend any evil; to content myself with a spare diet, and to fly all such excess as is incidental to great wealth."--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Letter #3 of Seneca's letters to Lucilius (link to source, below).--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Of him that brought me up, not to be fondly addicted to either of the two great factions of the coursers in the circus, called Prasini, and Veneti: nor in the amphitheatre partially to favour any of the gladiators, or fencers, as either the Parmularii, or the Secutores. Moreover, to endure labour; nor to need many things; when I have anything to do, to do it myself rather than by others; not to meddle with many businesses; and not easily to admit of any slander." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 1.2--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I'm chatting with Mitch Leventhal, President of the College of Stoic Philosophers. Learn about the history, purpose, and curriculum of the college and then consider enrolling by going to https://collegeofstoicphilosophers.org--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're diving into letter #69 of Seneca's letters to Lucilius, which begins:"I do not like you to change your headquarters and scurry about from one place to another. My reasons are, – first, that such frequent flitting means an unsteady spirit. And the spirit cannot through retirement grow into unity unless it has ceased from its inquisitiveness and its wanderings. To be able to hold your spirit in check, you must first stop the runaway flight of the body."You can find the full text of letter #69 here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_69--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we will be covering Meditation #1 from Book #1 of Meditations:"From my grandfather Verus: the lessons of noble character and even temper."--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Register for the Justice in the Cosmopolis event on February 12th: https://as.wisdomunlocked.orgToday's episode: Meditation #52 from book #4--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Register for the Justice in the Cosmopolis event on February 12th: https://as.wisdomunlocked.orgToday's episode: Meditation #51 from book #4--Get rid of ads and support our work : https://link.stoicismpod.com/membersHang out with us in our free listener community: https://link.stoicismpod.com/discordJoin our daily Stoic journaling program : https://link.stoicismpod.com/journalingJoin our Stoic mentoring community : https://link.stoicismpod.com/path --View a list of our sponsors : https://link.stoicismpod.com/sponsors--Visit our website : https://stoicismpod.comCheck out our reading list : https://stoicismpod.com/suggested-readingRead our articles : https://stoicismpod.com/category/articles--Online copy of Meditations (Long) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-longOnline copy of Meditations (Casaubon) : https://link.stoicismpod.com/meditations-casaubonOnline copy of Seneca's Letters : https://link.stoicismpod.com/letters-- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices