The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 26 November 7th - How To Be Powerful "Don't trust in your reputation, money, or position, but in the strength that is yours - namely, your judgements about the things that you control and don't control. For this alone is what makes us free and unfettered, that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with the rich and powerful." -Epictetus, Discourses, 3.26.34-34 Excerpts from Author: "In a scene in Steven Pressfield's classic novel about Alexander the Great, The Virtues of War, Alexander reaches a river crossing only to be confronted by a philosopher who refuses to move. 'This man has conquered the world!' one of Alexander's men shouts. 'What have you done?' The Philosopher responds, with complete confidence, 'I have conquered the need to conquer the world'. We do know that Alexander did clash with Diogenes the Cynic, a philosopher known for his rejection of what society prizes and, by extension, Alexander's self-image. Just as in Pressfield's fictional encounter, in Diogenes real confrontation with Alexander, the philosopher was more powerful than the most powerful man in the world - because, unlike him, Diogenes had fewer wants. They were able to look each other in the eye and see who really had control over himself, who had achieved the self-mastery required for real and lasting power. You can have that too. It just means focusing inward on acquiring power rather than outward. As Pubilius Syrus, himself a former slave, put it: 'Would you have a great empire? Rule over yourself!'" "Every man has a kingdom inside him Will he ever see What is here in the now is the reason Find the path for his soul to be free Deep inside is the key..." Dungeon - The Power Within Not only do we all have an Empire, or a Kingdom, inside us, we have the ability to dig deep for the key. In self mastery this would reflect our abundance and gratitude for what we have, or our ability to extend our time horizon the future, or to discipline ourselves in ways of physical training, philosophical thinking and prayer. To keep your word and to pursue what matters, doing what helps your growth. Not in power over others, but over yourself. The power within.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 25 November 6th - Someone Else Is Spinning The Thread "If the breaking day sees someone proud, The ending day sees them brought low. No one should put too much trust in triumph, No one should give up hope of trials improving. Clotho mixes one with the other and stops Fortune from resting, spinning every fate around. No one has had so much divine favor They they could guarantee themselves tomorrow. God keeps our lives hurtling on, Spinning in a whirlwind." - Seneca, Thyestes, 613 From the Author, paraphrased: "To the ancients, Clotho, one of the three Greek goddesses of fate 'spun' the thread of human life. She decided the course of the events of our lives - some good. Some bad. A triumph becomes a trial, a trial becomes a triumph. Life can change in an instant. Remember, today, how often it does." "When the gods send evil, one cannot escape it." - Aeschylus, playwright. I'm constantly reminded that 'this too shall pass'. It seems that everytime I go through a rough time, the goddesses relieve me, let me breathe fresh air once again. I don't tend to go through many trials, or maybe I do and just don't notice how bad it could be for others if they were in my situation. I see others go through great trials, though, and then see their triumphs on the way, and it reinforces the ups and downs of life, and to not spend time wallowing on the trials, nor celebrating the triumphs, but to look forward to each trial as an opportunity to triumph over, then onto the next. Fate is spun outside of our control, and we never know what tomorrow will bring. The only thing we can control is how we react to each hurdle and haven. Remember; This too shall pass, and the clouds will part, and the sun will shine on your face. But don't spend too much time basking, because there is much work to do.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 24 November 5th - A Higher Power "This is the very thing which makes up the virtue of the happy person and a well-flowing life - when the affairs of life are in every way tuned to the harmony between the individual divine spirit and the will of the director of the universe." -Chrysippus, Quoted in Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, 7.1.88 From the Author: "It's also clear that this wisdom is beneficial to us all. you don't have to believe there is a god directing the universe, you just need to stop believing /you're/ that director. As soon as you can attune your spirit to that idea, the easier annd happier your life will be, because you will have given up the most potent addiction of all: control." So the author (Ryan Holiday and/or Stephen Hanselman) talks about 12 step programs for addicts, and how many get stuck on step 2 - acknowledging a higher power, and getting out of their own way. Serenity Prayer: "God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference." -Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971) A very well known prayer that tends to pop up a lot in addiction recovery programs, because it allows one to give oneself a chance to let go, and come to terms with the fact there are things one can't control. Life is much more peaceful and simple when you (As @Brisket said) "Be like water". To stop trying to herd cats, or at least to not give rise to negative feelings and energies when the cats climb up curtains, hide under couches and push glasses of water off tables instead of being corralled by you.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 23 November 4th - Not Good, Nor Bad. "There is no evil in things changing, just as there is no good in persisting in a new state" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.42 From the Author: "When people say change is good, they're usually trying to reassure someone (Or themselves). Because instinctively we view change as bad - or at least we're suspicious of it. The Stoics want you to do away with those labels altogether. Change isn't good. The Status Quo isn't bad. They just are. Remember, events are objective. It's only our opinion that says something is good or bad (and thus worth fighting against or fighting for). A better attitude? To decide to make the most of everything. But to do that you must first cease fighting." When I think of the last few years on the world stage, and the things we were told to do, think and believe, I remember the initial stages of me finally opening my eyes. I remember thinking how much I wanted to fight this overarching power structure, to deliberately disobey to prove that they had no power over me. Then after some time I realised that the truth is they don't, and therefore I don't need to fight. I will just live the way I want and pay no mind to those who wish me to act according to their agenda. The way we feel about change is determined by how we see certain events or future trends playing out. But just like preference in music, and even the evolution of music, it's entirely opinion, not necessarily truth. One person may like Rap, and you may think it's the most awful thing to be played on the radio, but neither you or the other person's opinion is true, or correct. I always feel some amount of disgust for the direction the general world is going, but I realise it's less important to dislike that, and more important to focus on the change I want. In myself, in who I surround myself with, in what we build, and how we can all contribute to a shared goal. In the mean time, despite everything, I make the most of, and be grateful for, all the good and positive things.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 22 November 3rd - Following the Doctors Orders. "Just as we commonnly hear people say the doctor prescribed someone particular riding exercises, or ice baths, or walking without shoes, we should in the same way say that nature prescribed someone to be diseased, or disabled, or to suffer any kind of impairment. In the case of the doctor, prescribed means something ordered to help aid someone's healing. But in the case of nature, it means that what happens to each of us is ordered to help aid our destiny" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.8 From the Author: "... When it comes to external events, we fight like hell if anything happens contrary to our plans. But what if, Marcus asks, a doctor had prescribed this exact thing as a part of our treatment? What if this was as good for us as medicine?..." My understanding of this is what makes us grow. Taking responsibility makes us grow a sense of self preservation, perhaps. Being forced to take a look at what you're doing, via some illness of sorts that come from a life of certain lack of activity, nature, nourishing food, is the same thing. Illness is often no more than a cry from your body to reassess the environment you're in, the thought patterns and beliefs you entertain all day, and the people who's ideas are pushed onto you in some way or another. "We fight like hell" if we become sick in the middle of an important timely event in our life, so that we can successfully navigate through stresses and deadlines. But why do we only fight then, and not in every day to ensure our bodies are in best physical and mental health? Lessons to be learned are medicine for the growth of our self.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 21 November 2nd - Binding our Wishes to What will Be. "But I haven't at any time been hindered in my will, nor forced against it. And how is this possible? I have bound up my choice to act with the will of God. God wills that I be sick, such is my will. He wills that I should choose something, so do I. He wills that I reach for something, or something be given to me - I wish for the same. What God doesn't will, I do not wish for." - Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.89 'Everything we could think of has been done, the troops are fit everybody is doing his best. The answer is in the lap of the gods." - General Dwight D. Eisenhower to his wife on the eve of the invasion of Normandy He had written two letters, the other was ready for release in the circumstances that the invasion was a failure. 'If failure was what God - or fate or luck or whatrever you want to call it - willed, he was ready.' Despite assembling perhaps the most powerful army, he was humble enough to know that the outcome ultimately belonged to someone or something bigger than him. "And so it goes with all our ventures. No matter how much preparation, no matter how skilled or smart we are, the ultimate outcome is in the lap of the gods. The sooner we know that, the better we will be." This ties in a little with the most recent post I made - Accepting What Is. I feel like this is a preemtive kind of step. Be prepared for what could be from all angles, and accept that they are all possible, and then to be at peace with what the outcome is. This is again a 'if it's not meant to be, it won't be' from the gods, another door is waiting for you.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 20 November 1st - Accepting What Is "Don't seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will - then your life will flow better." -Epictetus, Enchiridion, 8 "It is easy to praise providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities: a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance and a sense of gratitude. Without gratitude what is the point of seeing, and without seeing what is the object of gratitude?" -Epictetus, Discourses, 1.6.1-2 From the Author: "Something happened that we wish had not. Which of these is the easiest to change: our opinion or the event that is past? The answer is obvious. Accept what happened and change your wish that it had not happened. Stoicism calls this the "art of acquiescence" - to accept rather than fight every little thing. And the most practiced Stoics take it a step further. Instead of simply accepting what happens, they urge us to actually enjoy what has happened - whatever it is. Nietzsche, many centuries later, coined the perfect expression to capture this idea: "amor fati" (A love of fate)" You must have a ducks back to start, then you must be a pig enjoying the shit he's rolling around in. It's not easy at all to just simply accept what happens to us (Or better - what we experience that we misunderstand as 'happening' to us), but when you can leave things in the past that you perceive as negative, or when you can see that, for example, the car driving slowly in front of you, - infuriatingly slow - is actually fatefully put there to stop you from potentially making a mistake, getting a fine, or worse, the better off you will be. That's a very simple to see example that you can recognise in life, but there are many potential examples. Like you don't succeed at a certain venture, maybe you simply weren't working from the soul, instead chasing something that wasn't truly you. If you can't let go of those feelings of failure, disappointment and resentment, then you won't see the door that has opened up in front of you. Even more difficult than accepting what is, is cherishing the experiences that aren't to plan. But the more you accept, the more you leave those negative emotions, feelings and actions behind, the more you change your mindset, the more perceived positive things happen, and the cycle continues.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 19 October 31st - You were Born Good "The human being is born with an inclination toward virtue." - Musonius Rufus, Lectures, 2.7.1-2 "All of us have been made by nature" Rufus said, "so that we can live free from error and nobly - not that one can and another can't, but all." From the Author: "The notion of original sin has weighed down humankind for centuries. In reality, we're made to help each other and be good to each other, We wouldn't have survived as a species otherwise." I think it's important to note the last sentence, despite all the horrible ways people treat others, from positions of assumed/non consensual authority (Which makes it's way into media seemingly more than good), the fact we've lasted so long is the majority population will come together for mutual benefit and coordinate peacefully with one another. The majority of people are good, with perhaps a small minority being selfish, and another small minority being outright evil. I like "Bill and Ted"'s saying "Be excellent to each other". Excellency isn't just a higher 'tier' of goodness, but encompasses striving to do the best you can by another. "You were born with an attraction to virtue and self-mastery. If you've gotten far from that, it's not out of some inborn corruption but from a nurturing of the wrong things and the wrong ideas." Many are led astray from the path of goodness, of excellency, to their own lives and to their interactions with others. Virtue has been spun, perverted perhaps. Or maybe in a Libertarian way, it's only expanded, but I think virtue as we see it (to use a very common phrase - 'Virtue Signalling') is not what real virtue is. Real virtue isn't blind to truth, ignorant to nature, or 'forcing square pegs into round holes'. When it comes to whats true, and what comes from nature, we must not just accept everything as virtuous, but I think we must always be excellent to each other.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 18 October 30th - Who Gets the Lion's Share? "Aren't you ashamed to reserve for yourself only the remnants of your life and to dedicate to wisdom only that time can't be directed to business?" -Seneca, On the Brevity of Life, 3.5b Alexander the Great would say to those who would offer him some of their land in hopes he would leave them alone while he was conquering, that he 'hadn't come all the way to Asia to accept whatever they would give him, but instead they were going to have to accept whatever he chose to leave for them'. From the Author: "According to Seneca, we should treat philosophy the same way in our lives. Philosophy shouldn't have to accept what time or energy is left over from other occupations but instead we should graciously make time for those other pursuits only once our study is finished". There is time in the day to have your work done to cover your needs, and some, and then there is time in the day to study whatever it is you feel best serves you. Whether it's for a new occupation, a hobby you wish to turn into a form of income, or just for your own personal clarity of your self and future. What Seneca suggests may be less viable in todays age, but Bitcoin does allow us to have the chance to step off the treadmill in order to persue other things than a 9-5 job. Choose what you do with your time wisely.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 17 October 29th - Character is Fate "Each person acquires their own character, but their official roles are designated by chance. You should invite some to your table because they are deserving, others because they may come to deserve it." -Seneca, Moral Letters, 47.15b From the Author: "When you seek to advance your own position in life, character is the best lever - perhaps not in the short term, but certainly over the long term. And the same goes for people you invite into your life." People successes and circumstances are not always a reflection of their character, as some may have had handouts, leg-ups, "who you know, not what you know", and other such advantages. Past performances don't always give a good indication of future performances, unless it's due to the character the person has developed; focus, discipline, ambition, for example. Low time preference people will understand that ones capabilities, skills learned, and rules laid for ones future is more important than chance and hope to fall into a position that is beyond their merit. Work on yourself, your skills - people and practical. Find something to work towards, and do it all with honesty and surround yourself with similarly minded people.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 16 October 28th - We were Made for Each Other "You'll find more quickly an earthly thing kept from the earth than you will a person cut off from other human beings" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.9.3 From the Author: "Naturally, Marcus Aurelius and the rest of the stoics were not familiar with Newtonian physics. But they knew that what went up must come down. That's the analogy he's using here: our mutual interdependence with our fellow human beings is stronger than the law of gravity." Aristotle called us 'social animals', in that we need to be there for others, and allow others to help us. We need to have that energetic connection that, despite the radical advances of technology and social networks we've built (I don't necessarily mean 'social networks like facebook at twitter'), we're possibly not as connected to each other as the Romans and Greeks were, or any period leading up to the 21st century. What I like most about these thoughts is how I can tie them into Bitcoin - something we can talk about, philosophise and dream about, and give us a reason to create real world communities, because it's something that is so completely tied to the real world. Allowing us to interact with each other, to share, help, provide, support each other. It's a connection that surpasses hobby trends and financial means. Socialising is what makes us human. Being able to interact with honesty in our word and our Medium of Exchange, backed by proof of our work, as well as the protocol makes that socialising so mutually beneficial.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 15 October 27th - We Reap what we Sow "Crimes often return to their teacher." - Seneca, Thyestes, 311 From the Author: "It's something to think about when you consider whom to work with and whom to do business with in life. If you show a client how to do something unethical or illegal, might they return the favor to an unsuspecting you later on? If you provide a bad example to your empolyees, to your associates, to your children, might they betray you or hurt you down the road? What goes around, comes around, is the saying. Karma is a notion we have imported from the East, along similar lines." This one is quite an easy one. Another similar would be; "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew, 7:12 Everything is a balance of energies. A pendulum swings one way, but it must swing back. Pendulums are a bit strange though, as one can be a turning of the tides, perhaps a breakdown of the current status quo into something else. But it's important to keep putting out energies with best intentions, not in the way that the karma will come back and make it self serving, but so that you can collectively bring honesty, truth and respect to the forefront of every interaction.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 14 October 26th - Three Parts, One Aim. "The best and the greatest number of authors have asserted that philosophy consists of three parts: the moral, the natural, and the rational. The first puts the soul in order. The second thoroughly examines the natural order of things. The third inquires into the proper meaning of words, and their arrangements and proofs which keep falsehoods from creeping into displace truth" - Seneca, Moral Letters, 89.9 From Author: "These three parts - the moral, the natural, and the rational - have one aim. As different as they are, they have the same purpose: to help you live a good life ruled by reason. Not in the future, but right now." Focusing on the 'rational' for this first part, because it deals with the proper meaning of words, arrangements and proofs. Keeping what is true (to nature and the natural order of things), true. In our every day lives we have people telling us all kinds of things they claim as true, despite them clearly, to the rational thinker, being complete falsehoods. People are confused. Merriam-Webster dictionary a few years ago added to the definition 'literally', 'figuratively/virtually'. Changing the definition from truth to loose exaggeration of the truth. Words matter, usage of the correct terminology matters, and intentions with using words need to be rooted in truth. Harkening back to a previous post I talked about a book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz, one of the other four agreements discussed was "Be impeccable with your word." Speak truth without trying to convince people of something that isn't rational, natural or that which puts the soul in order.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 13 October 25th - Two Tasks "What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self-determination? For wealth doesn't, neither does high-office, state or kingdom - rather, something else must be found... in the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live" - Epictetus, Discourses, 4.1.62-64 From the Author: "You have two essential tasks in life; to be a good person and to pursue the occupations that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a squandering of your potential. How does one do that? Ok, that's a tougher question. But the philosophy we see from the Stoics make it simple enough: say no to distractions, to destructive emotions, to outside pressure. Ask yourself: 'What is it that only I can do? What is the best use of my limited time on this planet?'." How do you detatch yourself from, and stop giving your energy in todays world when everything is designed to be a distraction. Tik tok is a distraction from wars in Eastern Europe, Middle East. Politics is a distraction from why our money doesn't hold it's buying power. News is a distraction from your family and community. Movies and sitcoms are distractions from your day job and other smaller responsibilities. How do you relieve yourself of destructive emotions once you've taken a side on the political fence, or social issues that you have no power over, when everything is divided into sides, psy-ops, good and bad, and all you can do is get angry at the 'enemy', people just like you who, in most cases, want to be free, left alone? How do you ignore the outside pressures of living up to a certain standard in anothers eyes? Or how to not be sucked into buying every little thing that we're bombarded with day in, day out on billboards, tv and radio ads, in newspapers, magazines, on your phone when you scroll through Tik Tok or Twitter (thankfully not nostr)? It's time to go inside yourself, shut out everything so you can think in peace, for one fucking second, and pull yourself out from the undertow of the waves of extraneous life that wants to keep pulling you under, keep your energy flowing to the pendulums, feeding the beast, as it were. Breathe for a moment, and find what you can do for yourself, your family, friends and community, in the most positive, powerful and impactful way you can muster. If you must put yourself in a position outside of this, make sure it's damn well worth the fight, because in most cases, the odds may seem stacked against you, and it will be a drain on your energy.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 12 October 24th - The Fountain of Goodness "Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.59 From the Author: "Today, we could hope that goodness comes our way - good news, good weather, good luck. Or we could find it ourselves, in ourselves. Goodness isn't something that's going to be delivered by mail. You have to dig it up inside your own soul. You find it within your own thoughts, and you make it with your own actions.'' Relating to yesterdays post about gratitude; gratitude is an appreciation of the goodness in yourself, in your life, in the things you are capable of doing. Finding and expressing that goodness may end up being the mail delivery for someone else. Bad weather shouldn't dampen you, things not going exactly as planned should only give you reason to search for the good that comes out of the change, the silver lining. Remember, the universe, God, conspires in your favour, always, as long as you allow it to.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 11 October 23rd - Show the Qualities your were made for. "People aren't in awe of your sharp mind? So be it. But you have many other qualities you can't claim to have been deprived of at birth. Display then those qualities in your own power: honesty, dignity, endurance, chastity, contentment, frugality, kindness, freedom, persistence, avoiding gossip, and magnanimity." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.5 Excerpt from Author: "It's easy to blame our circumstances. One person curses that they weren't born taller, another that they're not smarter, with a different complexion, or born in a different country... ... But whatever your perceived deficits are, remember that there are positive qualities that you can develop that don't depend on genetic accidents" "You have the choice to be truthful. You have the choice to be dignified. You can choose to endure. You can choose to be happy." You have all these choices that you make every day, not just the actions you take, but the thoughts you create, the story you write in your head as you go through your day. Make conscious effort to recognise what thoughts don't serve you. Show people who you are with positive outgoing expressions, show gratitude for what you have, and for things that happen around you that you experience. Gratitude is a powerful thing, because with the thought energy of gratitude we ripple out into the universe a message that responds with more of the same. Showing the world our positive attributes, especially that of gratitude for what we have, and who we are, rather than bemoaning the things we don't have, will better encourage you, and those around you, to see things in a more positive light. Doing this will create a world for you where you see good things happening around you, influenced by your thoughts, rather than seeing bad things happening /to/ you, caused, you might think, by the universe conspiring against you. Mantra: "The universe conspires in my favour"

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 10 October 22nd - It's Easy to get Better. But Better at What? "So someone's good at taking down an opponent, but that doesn't make them more community-minded, or modest, or well-prepared for any circumstance, or more tolerant of the faults of others" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.52 Balancing the benefits of personal physical, financial, or otherwise social pursuits with those of compassion for others, having the time to enjoy your family and friends and the love that should overflow to them is more important than just the former alone. Be healthy, strong, stable, courageous , and charismatic. Be loving, have time for others, support those around you who mean the most to you. From the Author: "Let's not confuse getting better at /stuff/ with being a better /person/. One is a much bigger priority than the other."

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 9 October 21st - Heroes, Here and Now. "Such behavior! People don't want to praise their contemporaries whose lives they actually share, but hold great expectations for the praise of future generations - people they haven't met or ever will! This is akin to being upset that past generations didn't praise you." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.18 From the Author "Instead of wasting even a second considering the opinions of future people - people who are not even born yet - focus every bit on yourself on being the best person you can in the present moment" I think doing the best, being the best, you can, should include projecting into the future as much and as far as you can for the betterment of others, irrespective of who knows your name, or the fact you'll be dead and not know. This isn't to suggest that you can't do that and also praise those around you now for having a similar mindset of empowering the next generation, as well as the current, and to push each other to new heights. Be grateful for your ancestors for doing what they could, for your current position and what your have already, and have yet to, achieve, and that gratitude will ripple forwards in time beyond you. Leave a mark if you can, but just do your best.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 7 October 29th - Marks of the Good Life. "You have proof in the extent of your wandering that you never found the art of living anywhere - not in logic, nor in wealth, fame, or in any indulgence. Nowhere. Where is it then? in doing what human nature demands. How is a person to do this? By having principles be the source of desire and action. What principles? Those to do with good and evil, indeed in the belief that there is no good for a human being except what creates justice, self-control, courage and freedom, and nothing evil except what destroys these things." -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.1.(5) Authors note; "As Viktor Frankl points out in 'Man's search for meaning', it is not our question to ask (What is the meaning of life? Why was I born?). Instead, it is 'we' who are being asked the question. It's our lives that are the answer. No amount of travel or reading or clever sages can tell you what you want to know. Instead, it is 'you' who must find the answer in your actions, in living the good life - by embodying the self-evident principles of justice, self-control, courage, freedom, and abstaining from evil." Something I've learned a lot in the last few years is how important to a man his purpose is. If you have no purpose, you have nothing to strive for, work for, or to cast into the future your energy. If you find purpose in things that you carry discipline of principled action into - justice, self-control, courage, and freedom - then your life will be well lived. Do things on your terms, with everything at stake for your, and your childrens, future. Build, share, teach, learn. Do all things with integrity to yourself and others. Do not be a destroyer of good things, but lay aside the evil that does not serve you or others. I think we're collectively doing this, and being able to do so with confidence, with Bitcoin. We're casting aside the theft, violence and building something incredible for our children, and theirs, in the face of everything that wants to destroy us and them.

The Daily Stoic - Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Day 7 October 19th - Good Habits Drive out Bad Habits "Since habit is such a powerful influence, and we're used to pursuing our impulses to gain and avoid outside our own choice, we should set a contrary habit against that, and where appearances are really slippery, use the counterforce of our training" -Epictetus, Discourses, 3.12.6 From authors notes; 'When a bad habit reveals itself, counteract it with a commitment to a contrary virtue. For instance, let's say you find yourself procrastinating today - don't dig in and fight it. Get up and take a walk to clear your head and reset instead' 'Good habits have the power to drive out bad habits. And habits are easy to pick up - as we all know.' I've recently been making a few habits a focal point in my life, particularly post sunset/pre bed. Eating before sun down, wearing blue blockers, taking flush niacin. Rather than give excuses why any of it could be forgone for a night, I tell say to myself 'not today, brain worms', as a little joke where I defy the little voice in my head telling me it's ok to not do these little things. Creating good habits that have a positive result further in the future is best of low time preference. Start something today, continue tomorrow, repeat all week, reap the rewards in time.