Dry bones rattle a lonely soul
Slipped and fell into a deep black hole
I can tell you are lost, I’m here for you
Wildfires burning you down to stone
A million miles apart within my reach
It’s not like me to worry
But when I see you fading in the dark
I’ll leave a light on for you
Through the long nights, I will be right
There for you if you drift too far
I’ll leave a light on for you
— Leave a Light On – Carrie Underwood & Papa Roach
On the advice of my son, I recently read the book “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius and was taken back by some of his fascinating writings and observations. The short version of all this is that Marcus was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. He practiced a philosophy called Stoicism and he wrote daily in his private journals about his thoughts and adventures. As legend has it, these writings were never supposed to see daylight, but like all things, the never contemplated is usually visited upon us, invited or otherwise. One interesting note on Marcus, when he assumed the title of Roman Emperor, he made the decision to share the title and duties with his adopted brother.
One must ask out loud(rhetorically), who amongst us would willingly give up half of our power—to a relative no less? I don’t think too many. Helping a needy relative has its own rewards and drawbacks, but empowering a needy or helpless relative with half of a power base is simply too frightening to contemplate. Hypothetically speaking.
Stepping way back, we need a refresher course on what Stoicism really is. With my very limited understanding, I have come to learn that Stoicism is a philosophy of personal ethics that flourished in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It emphasized the practice of virtue to believe that we don’t react to events directly, but rather to our judgments about them. Those of us without a minor in philosophy need to take a breather.
Rather than provide my version of monarch notes on the dense subject matter, I will simply give you a few takeaway lines to remember:
1) Think of what you have rather than what you lack;
2) Be tolerant of others and strict with yourself;
3) Remember to live in the present, in this fleeting instant; all the rest of life is either past and gone or not yet revealed;
4) Do not be wise in words—be wise in deeds; and
5) The things that you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.
As I climbed down this rabbit hole of Stoicism, I found about 15 more memorable truisms. For the brave, you can write down some of these cool truths on a refrigerator door or put on a 3M sticky sheet on your computer screen:
1) Recognize what you can and cannot control;
2) You determine your reaction to a crisis;
3) Ignore people dominated by their own negative emotions;
4) Aim to be virtuous;
5) Learn to move on;
6) Be open to all types of situations in life;
7) Practice philanthropy;
8) Connect to nature;
9) Check your ego;
10) Stand for your virtue;
11) Stop controlling things;
12) Protect your time;
13) Spend time in self-reflection ;
14) Seek happiness within; and
15) Stay focused.
Now that we have completed the basic level course of Ancient Roman Philosophy on Stoicism, we are ready to tackle the harder-edged truths found in Sun Tzu’s Art of War—stay tuned.