“Nor am I so mad as to crave illness; but if I must suffer illness, I shall desire that I may do nothing which shows lack of restraint, and nothing that is unmanly. The conclusion is, not that hardships are desirable, but that virtue is desirable, which enables us patiently to endure hardships.” –Seneca’s letters to Lucillius LXVII (47)
This line goes straight to what is thought of as “stoic” in the neo-modern interpretation, no? 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
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
I do a lot of talking about the present moment here on the site. For good reason: the present moment is where I will find true happiness. It is the only thing that is real; the past is a memory and the future is never assured… Continue reading
So in the spirit of the Body portion of our Triad of Virtue. I speak a little about diet.
If someone were to ask me, “If I want to be healthy, how should I eat?” this is how I would tell them to get started:
I would start by cutting out all refined carbohydrates, simple sugars in other words. Continue reading