Greetings Friends,
I hope this finds you well! Here is your Perennial Meditations (Saturday Review) — A weekly recap and reflection of meditations on the art of living. Below are links, notable quotes, and a Saturday Meditation.
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The Paradox of Solitude
This week’s Saturday Meditation comes from a conversation on the On Being podcast with Stephen Batchelor (author of The Art of Solitude), explaining the paradox of solitude:
That is the paradox of solitude. And one of the deep paradoxes of our humanity is that we’re — in each moment — when I’m speaking to you now, for example, there’s a part of that in which I’m aware of my own inner feelings and maybe anxieties, and there’s another part of it which is only possible because I’m engaged in a conversation with another person. And you can never step out of all of that. Even the hermit, living in the middle of nowhere, is still acutely aware that he or she is a social being.
Similarly, the writer and theologian Thomas Merton observed,
“The person who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely, no matter how much he may surround themselves with people.”
Reflection Questions (Pick one or create your own):
How do you define or think about loneliness?
In what ways could the practice of solitude add value to your life?
Interested in exploring solitude further?
Check out these short videos:
This Week’s Meditations…
1. Seneca | On Seeing Clearly (Listen here)
In a letter known today as On Our Blindness and Its Cure, Seneca wrote,
I hope by this time you are living in such a way that I can be sure what it is you are busy with, no matter where you may be. For what else are you busied with except improving yourself every day, laying aside some error, and coming to understand that the faults which you attribute to circumstances are in yourself? We are indeed apt to ascribe certain faults to the place or to the time; but those faults will follow us no matter how we change our place. […]
Why do we deceive ourselves? The evil that afflicts us is not external, it is within us, situated in our very vitals; for that reason we attain soundness with all the more difficulty, because we do not know that we are diseased. […]
2. The Wisdom of Impermanence (Read here)
The notion of impermanence (or nothing lasts) is stressed across wisdom traditions. It is often viewed as a foundational perspective or universal truth. Although it seems we can often overestimate our understanding of impermanence.
However, figures like the ancient pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus (and the Buddha) stressed that understanding “nothing endures but change” is central to living a good life. Heraclitus called “change” the only constant thing, emphasizing that everything flows, and nothing abides; everything gives way, and nothing stays fixed. […]
3. The Perils and Opportunities of Anger (Read here)
Do you have a blind spot?
Your road to self-improvement might be a path you’re not seeing.
In a recent conversation with Donald J. Robertson (author of How to Think Like Roman Emperor), I asked him to unpack his statement, “Anger is the royal road to self-improvement.” Here’s a short clip with his response:
4. An Epicurean Guide to Life (Listen here)
In this week’s episode of In Search of Wisdom, my guest is Prof. Emily Austin, the author of the new book Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life. Living for Pleasure is part of the Guides to the Good Life series by Oxford University Press. As many of you know, I’m a massive fan of the series. It is dedicated to the idea that philosophy can, as it was for hundreds of years in the ancient world – be a way of life. In the conversation, Emily and I discuss:
Who is Epicurus (and why his philosophy matters today)
Pleasure
Virtue
Gratitude
The fear of death
Wisdom in daily life, and much more.
5. Reading & the Good Life (Read here)
On Reading & the Good Life this week (our Friday meetup at Noon EST), we continued our exploration of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations.
Selected passages for this week:
At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
—But it’s nicer here.… So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands? […]
— Meditations, 5.1
6. Who is Your Socrates? (Listen here)
Do you have someone in your life (past or present) that you look to as an example of virtue in action? The Stoics did. They turned to the life of figures like Socrates and Cato. Similarly, many spiritual traditions have great Saints and theologians as models or guides to follow.
In a passage from the Enchiridion, Epictetus says,
“From now on, then, resolve to live as a grown-up who is making progress, and make whatever you think best a law that you never set aside. And whenever you encounter anything that is difficult or pleasurable, or highly or lowly regarded, remember that the contest is now: you are at the Olympic Games, you cannot wait any longer, and that your progress is wrecked or preserved by a single day and a single event. That is how Socrates fulfilled himself by attending to nothing except reason in everything he encountered. And you, although you are not yet a Socrates, should live as someone who at least wants to be a Socrates.”
My recent conversation with Massimo Pigliucci (author of The Quest for Character) revealed that there is significant research behind the ancient idea of role models and mentors. Here’s a short clip from the conversation:
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Thank you for reading and listening this week; I hope you found something useful for daily life.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
P.S. Feel free to comment, ask questions, and suggest future topics!