“Remember these nine rules, as if thou hadst received them as a gift from the Muses, and begin at last to be a man while thou livest.” –Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 11
In The Meditations, Book 11, I came upon nine rules that Marcus Aurelius advised himself to follow. I found them to be thoughtful and helpful, in pondering “how to live.” Not really anything fundamental, but some things to think about.
Here’s the first of the nine: Continue reading
I am a man of action, leading with passionate equanimity, rational self-interest, and never forgetting the power of individual liberty. I will never forget that my wife is my queen, and I her king, and that my children are my gift to humanity. I will respect the dignity of all, but measure the character of each. I will honor my body and mind by taking care of them. I will light a candle in darkness.
The passage above is my creed. This is not some fancy introduction to something I read, it really is mine. I developed it over a period of years. Continue reading
The third question I should answer “yes” to on my deathbed (yes, you should read this first) is “Did you Participate?”
This is a tough one for me to nail down. Is it about giving? Yes. Is it about working? Yes. Doing your best? Sure. I suppose the question could be “Did you share your life with others?” However, that’s not really it either, as sharing implies only giving. Continue reading
Like today, my tendency as an eighth grader was towards timidity, peacefulness, and reflection. I feared conflict, I was generally non-aggressive. When my friend, John, encouraged me to play high school football, at first I was confused. I didn’t consider myself particularly burly, fast or mean…you know, the football type, but he persisted. As a football coach’s son, he already had a knack of finding football talents in those who didn’t think they had it. He would later become a high school football coach himself (he was born to do it). Anyway, I wasn’t alone on his recruiting list. Once he recruited me, I helped him make sure that the talented prospects in our town came out and played some football. During the years I played, our high school had some of its most successful seasons, due at least in part, to his recruiting and mentoring efforts.
However, let me return to my individual situation. Continue reading
On to the first part of living so I can answer “Yes” to three questions.
Why are you not having fun right now, and every day? I know I value fun. Sometimes I want to live life like it was an adventure, and other times like I was at the spa, but the real question is if I am having fun. Continue reading