Welcome to The PATH — A weekly reflection with three timeless insights for daily life. This week’s reflection searches for ancient lessons on the timeless art of leading a life (Perspectives, Principles, and Practices).
1. Perspectives
How are you leading your life? Do you have a way of making sense of life during good and bad times? The French philosopher and historian Pierre Hadot described philosophy as a way of life in three parts: metaphysics (how the world works), ethics (or virtues), and practices (or exercises).
Here are three universal perspectives across wisdom traditions:
Impermanence — The Buddha taught, “All conditioned things are impermanent — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
Interconnectedness—In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, “You should meditate often on the connection of all things in the universe and their relationship to each other.”
Beginner’s Mind — Shunryu Suzuki wrote in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.” Although one might also think of humility, wonder, or an openness to learning new things.
When it comes to navigating life — our perspectives (or views and beliefs) shape the principles we put into practice. For example, understanding the nature of impermanence helps us realize that tomorrow is not promised. Or, as Seneca put it, “The future lies in uncertainty; live immediately.”
2. Principles
When it comes to principles for life, we are wise to adopt a set of time-tested virtues. Plato identified the four cardinal virtues with the character of a good city as described in The Republic. According to Plato, “Clearly, then, it will be wise, brave, temperate, and just.” The cardinal virtues of courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom are four near-universal principles adopted by Christianity and most of Western philosophy.
Although the term virtue can feel outdated or old-fashioned, it is relevant and practical. Virtue (or arete) translates as excellence or moral virtue. One could think of virtue as living up to one’s full potential or the highest good.
Courage — In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle observed, “Our aim is not to know what courage is but to be courageous; not to know what justice is but to be just.” When thinking of virtue, we must view virtue as action.
Temperance —Think of temperance as moderation or simply self-control. The Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus suggested, “If we were to measure what is good by how much pleasure it brings, nothing would be better than self-control.”
Justice — The virtue of justice is described as fairness and kindness. The novelist Henry James put it this way, “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.”
Wisdom — Socrates transformed our understanding of wisdom. It is not just a matter of having skills, knowledge, or a long life of experience. It is primarily realizing how little you understand about yourself, others, and the world around you.
Our principles help us to navigate life; one could think of them as points on a compass. The nineteenth-century philosopher Soren Kierkegaard believed the most important thing was to find a truth to live by. Seneca urged Lucilius, “Adopt once and for all a single rule to live by, and make your whole life conform to it.” The principles we choose set our direction and help us to be intentional about leading our life.
3. Practices
When it comes to practices (or exercises), there are many to choose from across wisdom traditions. Think of practices like meditation, journaling, prayer, memento mori, and many others.
Here are three from both philosophical and spiritual traditions:
Meditation — “The practice of meditation teaches us how to relate to life directly,” explains the teacher and writer Pema Chödrön, “so we can truly experience the present moment, free from conceptual overlay.”
Journaling — The practice of journaling enables us to examine our day in an objective and non-judgmental way. In On Anger, Seneca put it this way, “When the lamp is taken out of my sight…, I pass the whole day in review before myself, and repeat all that I have said and done.”
Contemplation — Aristotle said, “contemplation is the highest activity of human life.” Similarly, the theologian Meister Eckhart suggested, “What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.”
Although there is much more to be said about the timeless art of leading a life, it starts with creating (or adopting) a philosophy to lead your life. The art of living involves thinking about how you see (perspectives), how you live (principles), and what you do (practices) to lead your life.
—
Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,