The subconscious mind is like a wellspring, bringing forth the water we drink. From the depths it comes, unseen, until it manifests itself on the surface. So, too, are our minds the wellsprings of our actions, of our perceptions, and many other aspects of our lives. Marcus Aurelius, Roman philosopher and emperor, wrote incessantly about […]
Seneca – The Balance of Activity and Leisure
Western society is a hive of activity, of rushing and going, of nonstop motion. Humanity has never been more driven about, so bombarded by information and spurred to often senseless action, and what this gives us is often an illusion of activity, an illusion of productivity. But are we really going anywhere? As the Roman […]
Tao Te Ching ~ Lao Tzu’s Simple Yet Revealing Statements on Character
Laozi was an ancient Chinese philosopher and writer, known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching. He is seen as the founder of philosophical Taoism. His work has been immortalized through the ages, and much of it stands today as a timeless reminder of what it means to live full to one’s potential […]
The Fine Line Between Creating and Copying
All art is imitation to some extent. We are inspired by the works of others, by nature itself, or by countless other things that may draw our attention and enamor us with their example. There is no such thing as complete originality, for no matter what we do we draw upon that which has shaped […]
Contentment – Happiness in an Unhappy World
We all know what contentment means–or at least we think we do. It is such a simple concept. To be content is to be happy with what one has, to look upon his or her life and feel no envy, no bitterness, but simply a calm acceptance of what is and an elation of all […]
Readings From Seneca – Part 1 – The Futility of Running Away
You cannot run away from yourself . . . For several years of his life, Seneca (c. 4 BC – AD 64) was the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. His timeless writings, which are well portrayed in Letters from a Stoic, were derived mainly from Stoic principles, which had been developed centuries earlier in […]
When You Wake Up In The Morning, Remember This . . .
Remember that this moment is all that you have. That your future is yet to come, and your past is finished. It is only now, this very instant, that is yours to shape to your will–or to let others shape it to theirs. All of your dreams, all of your goals, everything you desire, it […]
It Doesn’t Always Have To Be All Or Nothing
We do all we can, we do the best we can, but some days we wake up and we’re behind, and things are not on time, and it feels as though our routines and plans are coming undone. Do not despair. Instead, do what you can, get done what you can, and keep going. Even […]
The First Fall of Snow
“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?” J. B. Priestley Today the first snow fell, and as […]
Arnold Bennett on Time and Living a Meaningful Life
There is nothing more valuable than time. All other things spring from it, and all things shall bend to it, even the stars. Yet in this day and age we worry about money and other tangibles and neglect our greatest possession of all, which is our time. And like an hourglass, each second, each moment, […]