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📪 Hello again, your Sunday read is here.
It was a striking opening with a Sartre, I know. I am here for your troubled souls if you want to talk about your and my emptiness and meaninglessness. What are you doing to me on a Sunday morning you ask ? I feel you, but you need to be an optimistic nihilist. Believing it does not mean anything but still surviving. Seeing you are not as important as an ant on the universal scale, but still thinking you can upend mountains. Doing what the hell you want just for the sake of it. Not because someone asks you to do it, just because somewhere in you, you believed you had to make it. Nothing really matters. Else, why do you bother breathing ?
As always, I will make sure that there is not a second wasted here. Before we continue, I am adding and deleting some parts of my post structure, so if you ever want to share your thoughts and/or suggestions for me please leave a comment, shoot me an email, or a DM on LinkedIn.
🐦2 Tweet Thread:
Sahil Bloom is one of the very few people for whom I turned the notifications on. Every week while I was curating this newsletter, he is number one feed I check.
Below you can find a good summary of how he suggests you to stop procrastinating. 5 step-framework :
Awareness
Deconstruction
Plan Creation
Stake Creation
Action
Here is a good visual of the above tweet thread, give a follow to @SahilBloom and @SachinRamje.
Second tweet thread is just fabulous, I lost my Friday evening to this thread saving, watching, taking notes, talking to myself. Just dig deep and forget time.
📘 1 Book:
PRACTICING STOIC:
I have finally found the compact Stoic philosophy guide that I have been looking for for a long time, and finished it as I found it. Let's take a look at what I learned:
The present alone is true and actual; it is the only time which possesses full reality, and our existence lies in it exclusively.
— Schopenhauer, Our Relation to Ourselves (1851)
The first part of the book is, of course, our judgments.
On our Judgements
Our first job is to distinguish between external and internal factors and not to forget that what causes our sadness / distress is the thoughts we form on the event.
If any external thing causes you distress, it is not the thing itself that troubles you, but your own judgment about it. And this you have the power to eliminate now. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.47
This concept is repeated over and over in all works. I think this will be the most important thing to remember from the book.
For what is weeping and wailing? Opinion. What is misfortune? Opinion. What is discord, disagreement, blame, accusation, impiety, foolishness? All these are opinions and nothing else.
— Epictetus, Discourses 3.3.18– 19
What do we admire? Externals. What do we spend our energies on? Externals. Is it any wonder, then, that we are in fear and distress? How else could it be, when we regard the events that are coming as evil? We can’t fail to be afraid, we can’t fail to be distressed. Then we say, “Lord God, let me not be distressed.” Moron, don’t you have hands? Didn’t God make them for you? So are you going to sit down and pray that your nose will stop running? Better to wipe your nose and stop praying. What, then — has he given you nothing to help with your situation? Hasn’t he given you endurance, hasn’t he given you greatness of spirit, hasn’t he given you courage?
— Epictetus, Discourses 2.16.11–14
After separating them as internal and external factors, the Stoics say don't add to what you see. With your thoughts about the subject/event, you are making 1000 when the event is 1. They say that you should not reach inferences from the little information you hear about people and make sure you spend time and look from different angles many times without feeling hate/love/love/respect/jealousy about someone.
Say nothing more to yourself than what first appearances report. Suppose it is reported that a certain person is saying terrible things about you. This much is reported; but it is not reported that you have been hurt.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.49
Our opinions torment us more than things themselves, and are formed by the words we use when something surprising occurs.
— du Vair, The Moral Philosophy of the Stoics (1585)
On Death:
I found a video from Pigliucci that sums up the main ideas in this part of the book very well. That's why I don't tire you with writing. I also recommend this book of his.
On Perspective:
Our most important quote here comes from Aurelius. Things can never touch our souls and everything you see around you will soon be gone. The world is constant change, your life lies in your thinking.
These are the two ideas you should keep at the very front of your mind and think about. One is that things in the world do not touch your spirit, but stand quietly external to it; that which disturbs us comes only from the opinions within us. Second, everything you see changes in a moment and will soon be gone. Keep in mind always how many of these changes you have already seen. The world is constant change; your life lies in your opinion.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.3.4
They also note that we should always keep in mind the smallness of our own life.
Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, the rememberer and the remembered. And all this in just one corner of this continent — and yet even here we are not in accord with each other, nor with ourselves; and the whole of the earth, too, is a speck.
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.21
When evaluating the things that have happened to us in our lives, we are advised to always consider what happened to who and what happened to them in the past.
This great world, which some would say is only one species within a genus, is the mirror in which we must look to see ourselves from the right perspective…. So many revolutions, so many changes in the fates of nations, teach us to see our own fate as no cause for astonishment. So many names, so many victories and conquests buried in oblivion, make it ridiculous for us to hope to immortalize our names by capturing a bunch of soldiers and some chicken coop that is remembered only for being destroyed.
— Montaigne, Of the Education of Children (1580)
On Desires:
The point that the Stoics pointed out in the first place is that our desires have no end. They say that after wanting to achieve something, the desire to achieve another thing that follows it never goes away.
Why wait until there is nothing left for you to crave? That time will never come. We say that there is a succession of causes from which fate is put together. There is likewise a succession of desires: one is born from the end of another.
— Seneca, Epistles 19.6
Our author sprinkles some Montaigne here, it is obvious that Montaigne's thoughts were greatly influenced by the Stoics. Montaigne says this is the unhappy life we live because we are not attached tightly enough to the present and what we currently have.
Whatever falls into our possession and knowledge fails to bring satisfaction; we go panting after things unknown and things to come, because the things that are present are never enough. It is not, in my view, that they lack what it takes to satisfy us, but rather that we hold them in an unhealthy and immoderate grip. Montaigne, Of a Saying of Cæsar (1580)
The book then distinguishes between natural and unnatural pleasures/desires. We can give feelings like hunger as an example for our natural desires, and our status anxiety in society for our unnatural desires.
Every want that springs, not from any need, but from vice, is of a like character; however much you pile up for it will serve not to end but to advance desire. He who keeps himself within natural limits will not feel poverty; he who exceeds them will be pursued by poverty even amid the greatest wealth.
— Seneca, Consolation to Helvia 11.4
The laws of Nature teach us what we legitimately need. The sages tell us that no one is poor according to Nature; everyone is poor according to opinion. They then distinguish skillfully between desires that come from Nature and desires arising from our disordered imaginations. The desires that have limits come from Nature. The ones that run away from us and never have an end are our own. Poverty in material things is easy to cure; poverty of the soul, impossible.
— Montaigne, Of Managing the Will (1580)
Another important concept from the book is to not stop chasing. In short, they say that we are happy not when we reach the goal, but when we run towards the goal. 2000 years ago, they already said what needs to be said about hedonic adaptation, which has a great place in today's psychology.
The philosopher Attalus used to say: “It is more pleasant to make a friend than to have one, as it is more pleasant to the artist to paint than to have painted.” When one is busy and absorbed in one’s work, the very absorption affords great delight; but when one has withdrawn one’s hand from the completed masterpiece, the pleasure is not so keen. Now it is the fruit of his art that he enjoys; it was the art itself that he enjoyed while he was painting.
— Seneca, Epistles 9.7
As for jealousy, the Stoics say that as long as people compare themselves to others, they will never be happy. Seneca wants us to remember that what we envy is actually very few compared to those who envy us.
No man when he views the lot of others is content with his own. This is why we grow angry even at the gods, because some person is ahead of us, forgetting how many men there are behind us, and how huge a mass of envy follows at the back of him who envies but a few. Nevertheless such is the presumptuousness of men that, although they may have received much, they count it an injury that they might have received more.
— Seneca, On Anger 3.31.1
We have the sentence, which is the cornerstone of Epicurus, on all our wishes and desires. If you want to make someone rich, don't add money to his money, he says, reduce his desires.
If you wish to make Pythocles rich, do not add to his store of money, but subtract from his desires.
— Epicurus, quoted in Seneca, Epistles 21.7
Somewhat interesting, though, the Stoics have some interesting advice on comparison. There's always worse, and you should be thankful for what you have. How much you participate is debatable, but it is a method that can be effective in practice.
It is a fact that if real calamity comes upon us, the most effective consolation — though it springs from the same source as envy — is just the thought of greater misfortunes than ours; and the next best is the society of those who are in the same luck as we — the partners of our sorrows.
— Schopenhauer, Our Relation to Ourselves (1851)
As for our losses, the Stoics suggest a controlled path. Before we lose, they advise not to become attached as if we will lose what we have at any moment. However, they advise us to always remind ourselves how much we want what we have before we get it.
Don’t spoil what’s here by longing for what’s not here, but realize that these too were things to be prayed for.
— Epicurus, Vatican Sayings 35
There is much more to the book of course, I strongly encourage you to buy it, read it, highlight it, reread it and absorb it.
📝 2 Articles:
Author of the bestseller book Atomic Habits, James Clear, distills his ideas on how to form a new habit into this short post.
Start with an incredibly small habit
Increase your habit in very small ways
As you build up, break habits into chunks
When you slip, get back on track quickly
Stick to a pace you can sustain
The second article is an important finding that I used and explored in my upcoming book “Happy Anyways” .
Our hypothesis is that happiness precedes and leads to career success – not the other way around. In psychological science, ‘happiness’ relates to ‘subjective wellbeing’ and ‘positive emotions’ (we use the terms interchangeably). Those with greater wellbeing tend to be more satisfied with their lives, and also to experience more positive emotions and fewer negative ones. Research suggests that it’s these positive emotions – such as excitement, joy, and serenity – that promote success in the workplace.
🎨 1 Painting:
Hopper considered himself an Impressionist for the majority of his lifetime. Most art historians called him an American Realist or American Scene Painter.
He often paints lone scenes. Woman looking out the window, naked. Men taking some sunshine in. This habit was often misinterpreted as his own feelings of loneliness. However these paintings are more likely to represent his desire for quiet, nature and alone time for self examination.
The beginning and end of all literary activity is the reproduction of the world that surrounds me by means of the world that is in me, all things being grasped, related, recreated, molded and reconstructed in a personal form and an original manner. - GOETHE
📺 1 Video:
Video below also has a book called Last Lecture, I do not want to spoil the video since it offers the best experience. Make your coffee, get under your blanket and put on your bunny slippers and prepare for the best lecture.
📽️ 1 SERIES / FILM or DOCUMENTARY:
I strongly suggest you to not look up this film before you watch. Do not learn any information beforehand. I did it that way, and it was a super interesting experience. I am sure it will be in your Top-10.
Let the world change you, and you can change the world.
📜 2 Quotes:
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
—LANCE ARMSTRONG
You cannot define a person on just one thing. You can’t just forget all these wonderful and good things that a person has done because one thing didn’t come off the way you thought it should come off.
—ARETHA FRANKLIN
✨ 1 Poem:
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? HARLEM — LANGSTON HUGHES
📼 1 Playlist:
This playlist is my rage against Euro being 16 and my inability to travel around the globe. It will take you to Paris instantly. Use a little bit of your imagination. What do we have more valuable than our imagination, eh?
The song of the week:
I have always been very fond of beautiful cover songs. Works that take the song from its original creation and place it on the top of a high mountain. This is one of those works. Listening to this while preparing a good meal.
📱 1 Useful App/Website/Tool
This section is a new addition to the newsletter. I will be sharing a superb resource for you to try, it can be an app, a website or a tool.
First suggestion ? Of course it is Refind Refind Refind. It was one of the best discoveries of my life. Every day, 20 links at your doorsteps. Links are tailored to your interests. You can explore similar links, mute publications or subjects. There are much more functionalities than I can explain.
Please use my referral link to sign up. Thank me later.
✔️ Read the issues you might have missed:
Until next time,
Forward, always.
Ratip.