Stoic prompts

Episodes

1. 11

   Fantasies

   You have a fantasy, and you realize that acting out that fantasy would mean violating one or another of your values. You worry that the fantasy itself makes you a bad person, because of this. It does not. No thought, on its own, makes you a bad person. A fantasy is a story, and many stories can…

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   Jan 5, 2022

   1m
2. 10

   Responsibilities

   You have taken on a difficult responsibility; you have chosen a weighty task. It is unpleasant, uncomfortable. You find it difficult to carry on; you are dull and laggard in fulfilling the duty. This is because you are determined to only enjoy the absence of the duty - by looking forward to its...

   Jan 14, 2021

   2m
3. 9

   Antisocial

   You really don't feel like being sociable, but they are calling on you to join in, mingle, enjoy time together. As a social being, do you have a duty to join in? Or are you entitled to stay aloof just now, do your own thing? First, perceive the situation clearly. What are they asking of you? Are...

   Jan 3, 2021

   2m
4. 8

   Disagreement

   You're part of a group, and the group has made a decision that you disagree with. The decision is made, yet you continue to fret. Did you share with the group all your reasons for preferring the other option? Then you have done what you can, and should be satisfied. Did you fail to share all of...

   Dec 22, 2020

   1m
5. 7

   Ruminating

   You know the challenge is coming. Have you prepared? Have you done what you can? Then you have done your duty for now. Set it aside, and deal with the other things before you. Is there some preparation yet to do? Then do it, not with the goal of making the work easier, but with the goal of making...

   Nov 20, 2020

   1m
6. 6

   Hourglass

   Every day is a grain of sand in the hourglass of my life. Those in the bottom are already in the hands of Death. Those in the top - if any even remain - are unknown to me: their character and their number. Only the single grain passing through the neck right now - today, this very moment - is...

   Nov 11, 2020

   2m
7. 5

   Be Your Own Anchor

   When you are away from your accustomed places, when you are apart from the people you normally interact with, when the regular tasks are not before you, you can feel unmoored. You can drift from the good habits you have accumulated. The problem is that we like to anchor ourselves in externals: in...

   Mar 18, 2019

   2m
8. 4

   Where is my path?

   The virtuous life can sometimes seem far away - a path available only to those who are already wise, or those who have plenty of spare time to seek it. But it is not a path, to first find and then follow. The virtuous life is a direction. Face it. Feel the sun on your face. Now move forward, one...

   Aug 30, 2018

   1m
9. 3

   Perspective of the Sage

   It feels like you do not have the power within yourself to make the right choice. You know that you should do that, but habit, or convenience, or fear make this choice more more appealing, more compelling. It feels like you don't have the strength to choose right. But you know someone who would...

   Jul 8, 2018

   2m
10. 2

    The Ruling Faculty

    You have control over your decisions. You are the ruling faculty. This podcast is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Music is from the track "Which That is This" by Doctor Turtle, also distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. It can be found at...

    Jul 5, 2018

    1m
11. 1

    Introduction

    This podcast contains meditations on Stoic themes, to help overcome the obstacles we put in our own way as we seek to live well. I offer them not as an expert in either meditation or Stoicism, but as someone who wants such meditation prompts for myself and can't find exactly what I want anywhere...

    Jul 5, 2018

    1m