BECOMING AN EXPERT IN WHAT MATTERS

“Believe me, it’s better to produce the balance-sheet of your own life than that of the grain market.

”—SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE, 18.3b

The things that some people manage to be experts in: fantasy sports, celebrity trivia, derivatives and commodities markets, thirteenth-century hygiene habits of the clergy.

We can get very good at what we’re paid to do, or adept at a hobby we wish we could be paid to do. Yet our own lives, habits, and tendencies might be a mystery to us.

Seneca was writing this important reminder to his father-in-law, who, as it happened, was for a time in charge of Rome’s granary . But then his position was revoked for political purposes. Who really cares, Seneca was saying, now you can focus that energy on your inner life.

At the end of your time on this planet, what expertise is going to be more valuable—your understanding of matters of living and dying, or your knowledge of the ’87 Bears? Which will help your children more—your insight into happiness and meaning, or that you followed breaking political news every day for thirty years?

~ Beautiful 😍 

~ 🙏 Gratitude 

Love Kavi ☀️

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 JUDGMENTS CAUSE DISTURBANCE

“It isn’t events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgments about them.”

—EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 5

The samurai swordsman Musashi made a distinction between our “perceiving eye” and our “observing eye.

” The observing eye sees what is. The perceiving eye sees what things supposedly mean. Which one do you think causes us the most anguish?

An event is inanimate. It’s objective. It simply is what it is. That’s what our observing eye sees.

This will ruin me. How could this have happened? Ugh! It’ s so-and-so’ s fault. That’s our perceiving eye at work. Bringing disturbance with it and then blaming it on the event.

Something like

 Paapi 👿 insaan jaaag tera to weekend 🔥 aagaya ! Gross 👿👿👿

Dual again . Luv Kavi ❤️🥵

Back to your Calendar

 There is no better time to begin ❤️Kavi 

~ 💭 

My Prejudiced choices

Truutths. Luv Kavi ❤️

Hugs

 The silence and a warm hug, the place I currently occupy perhaps, aka my happy hiding spot 🤔 

 ❤️Kavi 

WHERE PHILOSOPHY BEGINS

“An important place to begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one’s own ruling principle.”

—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.26.15

Philosophy is intimidating. Where does one start? With books? With lectures? With the sale of your worldly possessions?

None of these things. Epictetus is saying that one becomes a philosopher when they begin to exercise their guiding reason and start to question the emotions and beliefs and even language that others take for granted. It is thought that an animal has self-awareness when it is able to fully recognize itself in a mirror.

Perhaps we could say that we begin our journey into philosophy when we become aware of the ability to analyze our own minds.

Can you start with that step today? When you do, you’ll find that from it we really come alive, that we live lives—to paraphrase Socrates—that are actually worth livin