It was announced in late May that the remains of the great poet Samuel Coleridge were finally rediscovered, having been lost for nearly six decades. Coleridge, one of England’s most beloved poets (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, and Dejection: An Ode) had originally been buried at the chapel of Highgate School but …
Wherever you are on the political spectrum, turning on the news is unlikely to make you feel anything but bad. Look at what the Democrats are doing. Are the Republicans serious? Even if you’re able to escape partisan reporting, the state of the world is hardly going to cheer you up. Earthquakes. Civil wars. Failed states. Somebody …
The debate amongst philosophers for centuries has been whether the philosopher–whether the sage–who has achieved happiness will be able to maintain that happiness even in horrible circumstances. Could the philosopher smile while on the rack? Could the philosopher’s contentment endure the loss of loved ones? It is fitting, as Stoics ourselves, to find an answer …
She liked to believe she lived for adventure, but any adventure in her life had been limited to drama she created herself.
In Mindfulness in Plain English, Bhante Henepola Gunaratana explains a well-known Zen analogy and its connection to meditation: “After sitting motionlessly, close your eyes. Our mind is analogous to a cup of muddy water. The longer you keep a cup of muddy water still, the more the mud settles down and the water will be …
When you’re doing well they’ll send a car for you, or cover your incidentals charges at the hotel. They’ll overnight your packages or give you an assistant. They’ll remember your name and your preferences. You won’t even ask and you’ll find that your tickets are first class, and that someone is always apologizing, “So sorry …
The timeless symbol of Stoicism is the lone knight fighting a war they cannot hope to win–but fighting bravely and honorably nonetheless. It’s Thrasea challenging Nero, even though the challenge will cost him his life and fail to stop the man. It’s Marcus Aurelius struggling not to be corrupted by absolute power, to be a …
Marcus Aurelius’s joke was that no one ever came to grief “ignoring what goes on in other people’s souls.” He meant that if you want to reduce the amount of stress and drama in your life, mind your own business. Because every one of us wastes far too much time thinking about, commenting on, and …
An iron law of history is that greatness and goodness are rarely appreciated in their own time. Winston Churchill was more or less tossed out of office…twice. Amelia Earhart had to get a job as a social worker because no one would give her a flight (and when she finally did get one, they wouldn’t …
It’s July 4th, 1776. Think about where America was in that moment: Blood in the streets. A revolution against an empire. Families ripped apart because a war forced them to choose sides. Hopeful successes on the battlefield repeatedly followed by dispiriting defeats. The uncertainty of victory, shrouded in the certainty of death and misery and …