The Bhagavad Gita says that the Universe is made up of eight elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether (Space), Mind, Intellect, and Consciousness. The five sheaths to human existence are the environment, physical body, prana or energy, mind and consciousness. So, the whole universe is an individual part, and we are part and parcel of the universe.

Honour Existence

Krishna tells Arjuna to fight but be in peace at the same time. He says, “First, go inside and cleanse yourself. Do not fight with hatred but fight for justice; fight with equanimity.”

Peaceful Fight

The Gita says, “Your own mind is responsible for your bondage and for your liberation.” Your mind keeps changing all the time. If your mind is trained well through Sadhana (spiritual practices), it befriends and helps you. Otherwise, your own mind behaves like an enemy.

Mind your Mind

Liberation is acquired by Nishkama-Karma — Action, which is done without any feverishness or attachment to the fruits of the action. Karma yoga is doing work with total responsibility.

Karma Yoga

Remember that that which is temporary is sorrowful. Sukha is inside you. Don’t look for happiness in that which is temporary, fleeting and changing. Joy and happiness are only in that which does not change.

You are Sukha

The relevance of Gita is in observing the flow of events in your life. That is ‘Sakshi’! Look at your past — Is it not a dream? Similarly, another 20 years will pass. Remembering that, “Whether unpleasant or pleasant things are happening, I am a witness to it. My mind getting caught up in it is also part of the happening; I am witness to that too.” This is how you rise above any situation.Just like how the air comes and blows everything away, in the same way, all of life’s events come and go.

Witness the Flow of Time

the Holy Book of Geeta teaches the ultimate ways of living a fulfilled life.

The Bhagavad Gita caters to the entire range of human evolution. It stands for poise and equanimity and for performing one’s designated duty.

philosophy

Philosophy

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

mindfulness

Mindfulness

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

meditation

Meditation

Life Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita

Solipsism revolves around the idea that there is nothing you can confirm except your own existence. If you think about the brain’s capacity for hallucination, and just good ol’ dreaming, it’s not that hard to imagine outside manipulation being possible as well. For all we know, we COULD be stuck in the Matrix, or maybe you’re the only person that exists and the entire world and your experience of it is just an illusion.

Solipsism

The philosophy of idealism has nothing to do with being idealistic. It has nothing to do with ideals, but rather ideas. It revolves around the thought that reality is fundamentally something that exists on a mental level. Kant once defined idealism as “the assertion that we can never be certain whether all of our putative outer experience is not mere imagining.”

Idealism 

Is the idea that nothing can be said to exist beyond the observation of the thing itself. So, for example, you could not argue that the stone exists, only that your sense of it exists. You could say: “I saw a stone.” but not: “The stone was there.” The only thing that one is able to confirm is the sensory data of the stone, but not the stone’s existence independent of your own.

Phenomenalism

The idea that only the present exists, and that both the past and future do not. A Buddhist scholar named Fyodor Shcherbatskoy said the following: “Everything past is unreal, everything future is unreal, everything imagined, absent, mental . . . is unreal. . .. Ultimately real is only the present moment of physical efficiency.” The belief that our way of experiencing time is it’s true and only nature. So, for a presentist the idea of time travel is ridiculous, as there exists no destination to travel to, where other philosophies and theories might suggest otherwise.

Presentism

Contrary to presentism, eternalism is the belief that all moments in time, past, present and future are equally real. Some eternalists believe that because of the nature of time, in this case that time exists as a whole, not in separate parts, the existing future already exists in a set and final manner, and therefore we are only capable of experiencing the future, not able to change it in any way, which one could interpret as the existence of fate. Modern scientific theories seemingly support the eternalism over presentism, but with our ever-developing understanding of the universe.

Eternalism

The most well-known form of nihilism, existential nihilism is focused on the assertion that life has no inherent purpose, goal, or intrinsic value. (Intrinsic value is the idea of something having value in and of itself.) Simplified, it’s the belief that life is utterly pointless. The difference between nihilism and hedonism is that pleasure, or joy, is seen as worthless as well, and therefore is often characterized as leading to a feeling of despair. Some modern interpretations of existential nihilism conclude that precisely because your life has no intrinsic value, goals or purpose.

Nihilism

Hedonism is centered around the belief that pleasure is the only thing that has intrinsic value. Basically, a hedonist makes pleasure the ultimate goal of any and all of his actions and choices in life. Hedonism is perhaps the philosophy that is closest to our original instincts, in that it embraces the response of pleasure to things like eating and fornicating wholeheartedly. Instead of bringing morals into the picture, it focuses on feasting on pleasure, a sensory response that probably played a vital part in our survival as a species.

Hedonism

Unlike what seems to be popular belief, stoicism is not about faking not having an emotional response or becoming completely emotionless. It is a philosophy that focuses on training yourself to improve through training and conditioning. From everything to your outlook on life, to knowledge and perhaps especially minimizing your negative emotional responses. Stoics believe that emotions like anger, sadness and frustration are based in your own, fixable faults rather than justified responses to outside influences.

Stoicism

One could perhaps argue that skepticism is the basis for all other philosophies. Because if we didn’t question, if we didn’t ask, then where would the answers be? But philosophical skepticism, unlike methodical skepticism, does not focus on questioning individual statements to validate or invalidate; rather, it questions if there is a possibility for a certainty in any knowledge. And given the constant changes in our understanding of the universe and even what’s directly in front of us, it might not be as “overly skeptical” as you might think.

Skepticism

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

9 Philosophies That Will Change The Way You Look At Life

We become perfectionists from a primary sense of being unworthy, flawed, a disappointment, a letdown, a nuisance.Result: So powerful is this sense, that we are ready to do more or less anything to expunge it.

What Is It ?

Our brain promises our mind, that after the completion of next task we will get dropped into the peace pool, but we are clearly lying to ourselves in the mirror.Result: We aren't fascinated in doing the perfect work, we are trying to escape ourselves from a awful reality.

Fake Promise

"Perfectionsm isn't as much desire for excellence, as it isbtge fear of failure couched in procrastination

These ill-prevention driven thinking can create a paramount of anxiety, hidden-fear, resistive behavior leading to long-time destructive nature.

Aw-Phobia

‘Perfectionists’ are generally held in high-esteem: praised for their self-discipline and refusal to compromise. Yet in truth, the trait is a manifestation of self-hatred - and must be overcome if we are ever to feel truly fulfilled. Sign up to our mailing list to receive 10% off your first order with us: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/6TU0-63X/hellotsol If you want to keep working on your mental well-being and self-understanding, download our hugely helpful new app now: https://bit.ly/3uyXqG1 For information on The School of Life’s learning and wellbeing solutions for businesses, including workshops and talks, visit https://bit.ly/3ICqvGw Email business@theschooloflife.com or join our monthly business newsletter: https://bit.ly/3ICEJHq Join this channel to get access to exclusive members perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7IcJI8PUf5Z3zKxnZvTBog/join For books and more from The School of Life, visit our online shop: https://bit.ly/3y0pYYf Our website has therapy, articles and products to help you lead a more fulfilled life: https://bit.ly/3y05w9X FURTHER READING You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://bit.ly/2Wbg74o “Part of our problem as a species is that we’re troublingly good at making things perfect. We can set our minds on an extraordinary goal and – with heroic sacrifice, thousands of hours of effort, many wrong turns and periods of intense despair – we can reach the target. We can pull off a masterwork, we can exceed all normal expectations, we can triumph and awe – and advance humankind…” MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLself SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Gemma Green-Hope http://www.gemmagreenhope.com/ Title animation produced in collaboration with Vale Productions https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/

strategy

Strategy

education

Learning & Education

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

‘Perfectionists’ are generally held in high-esteem: praised for their self-discipline and refusal to compromise. Yet in truth, the trait is a manifestation of self-hatred - and must be overcome if we are ever to feel truly fulfilled. Sign up to our mailing list to receive 10% off your first order with us: https://r1.dotdigital-pages.com/p/6TU0-63X/hellotsol
If you want to keep working on your mental well-being and self-understanding, download our hugely helpful new app now: https://bit.ly/3uyXqG1
For information on The School of Life’s learning and wellbeing solutions for businesses, including workshops and talks, visit https://bit.ly/3ICqvGw  
Email business@theschooloflife.com or join our monthly business newsletter: https://bit.ly/3ICEJHq 
Join this channel to get access to exclusive members perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7IcJI8PUf5Z3zKxnZvTBog/join
For books and more from The School of Life, visit our online shop: https://bit.ly/3y0pYYf
Our website has therapy, articles and products to help you lead a more fulfilled life: https://bit.ly/3y05w9X

FURTHER READING

You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://bit.ly/2Wbg74o

“Part of our problem as a species is that we’re troublingly good at making things perfect. We can set our minds on an extraordinary goal and – with heroic sacrifice, thousands of hours of effort, many wrong turns and periods of intense despair – we can reach the target. We can pull off a masterwork, we can exceed all normal expectations, we can triumph and awe – and advance humankind…”


MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE

Watch more films on SELF in our playlist: 
http://bit.ly/TSOLself


SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel free to follow us at the links below:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ 


CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Gemma Green-Hope
http://www.gemmagreenhope.com/
 
Title animation produced in collaboration with

Vale Productions
https://www.valeproductions.co.uk/

We're interested in self-understanding, calm and emotional maturity.

We have thousands of articles about emotional life for you on our website: www.theschooloflife.com

We offer online psychotherapy: www.theschooloflife.com/therapy

We publish one film a week, on Wednesdays at 14.00hrs GMT.

The School of Life

How Perfectionism Makes Us Ill

If someone makes a joke out of you, it will only harm you if you let it. Not making eye-contact, not reacting, starting a different meaningful conversation are some usual ways.Result: We want people to act as we will, but reality teaches that people have their own will. Their behaviour isn't up to us.

Joke Mentality

"Add nothing of your own from within & that's the 3nd of it.

In a short hand, we could influence them, but usually they end up following their own mind.Result: Stop spending your precious time on changing their ideology, they will think & speak as they wish, it is a 90% universal rule.

Mindlock Ideology 

Spring-Summer-Rainy-WinterEverything is a cycle as your life. This means temporary. You have got very limited time to live, don't consume it thinking about these temporary human actions.Result: Focus on permanent changes established by the world leaders.

Tempor

Nobody escapes misfortunes, instead of complaining for a bad-luck free life, we should build our fortitude to stupendously handle the adversities.Result: Only a selective things are controllable so, target them, apart from the tragedies which are out of control.

Misfortune 

We pray to the God for preventing the uncertainties, but nonetheless they occur. So, start accepting the post-tragedic situation.Result: Start accepting that you will earn less rather than hustling unnecessarily at a time, disrupting the environment.

Accept The Uncertainty 

Which of the things around us should we value when none of them can offer a firm foothold?Like an attachment to a sparrow: we glimpse it & its gone.

Stoicism for Inner Peace (book): https://einzelganger.co/innerpeace Although he never considered himself a philosopher, Marcus Aurelius’ writings have become one of the most significant ancient Stoic scriptures. His ‘Meditations’ contain a series of notes to himself based on Stoic ideas, one of which is embracing fate and living conformably to the demands of nature. Instead of wanting things to happen as we wish, we’re better off accepting the universe, according to Marcus Aurelius, and developing a flexible attitude towards the outside world while being strict with ourselves (Stop Wanting, Start Accepting | The Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius) Support the channel: ✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco ✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster ✔️ Bitcoin: 3HQnEz1LQ4G6dqN2LdZgzc7qoJjJCyWjTC (Donated BTC and want in the credits? Send me an email with the amount/address) 🎞️ Animations and thumbnail art by Munkaa: https://www.youtube.com/user/jus7y Purchase Stoicism for Inner Peace (affiliate links): 📘 Paperback: https://amzn.to/3wB9iHb 💻 Ebook: https://amzn.to/2RdjbKV Purchase Unoffendable (affiliate links): 📘 Paperback: https://amzn.to/2RJYfti 💻 Ebook: https://amzn.to/35e23a5 Merchandise: 🛍️ Shop: teespring.com/stores/einzelgangerstore 🛍️ Merchandise design by Punksthetic Art: https://www.youtube.com/user/JRStoneart Music used: Brian Bolger - Nineties Pad Bobby Richards - Lens VYEN - Amber Creative Commons (attributions): Marcus Aurelius bust (1): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_Ephesus_Museum.jpg Marcus Aurelius bust (2): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_head_sculpture_from_Sagalasos_Turkey.jpg Marcus Aurelius bust (3): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castings_of_Ancient_Roman_busts_in_the_Pushkin_Museum_(Antonin_Pius,_Marcus_Aurelius_and_Clodius)_by_shakko.jpg Marcus Aurelius statue (1): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Replica_della_statua_equestre_di_Marco_Aurelio_(Roma).jpg Marcus Aurelius statue (2): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_(32393792365).jpg Chris: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chris_Rock_1995.jpg Hera: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wall_painting_-_wedding_of_Zeus_and_Hera_-_Pompeii_(VI_8_3)_-_Napoli_MAN_9559_-_02.jpg Zeno: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paolo_Monti_-_Servizio_fotografico_(Napoli,_1969)_-_BEIC_6353768.jpg #stoicism #marcusaurelius #stoic 00:00 - Intro 01:58 - (1) Accepting other people 04:16 - (2) Accepting transience 07:08 - (3) Accepting misfortune 09:51 - (4) Accepting change 12:50 - (5) Accepting your nature

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

Stoicism for Inner Peace (book): https://einzelganger.co/innerpeace

Although he never considered himself a philosopher, Marcus Aurelius’ writings have become one of the most significant ancient Stoic scriptures. His ‘Meditations’ contain a series of notes to himself based on Stoic ideas, one of which is embracing fate and living conformably to the demands of nature.

Instead of wanting things to happen as we wish, we’re better off accepting the universe, according to Marcus Aurelius, and developing a flexible attitude towards the outside world while being strict with ourselves (Stop Wanting, Start Accepting | The Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius)

Support the channel:
✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco
✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster
✔️ Bitcoin: 3HQnEz1LQ4G6dqN2LdZgzc7qoJjJCyWjTC
(Donated BTC and want in the credits? Send me an email with the amount/address)

🎞️ Animations and thumbnail art by Munkaa:
https://www.youtube.com/user/jus7y

Purchase Stoicism for Inner Peace (affiliate links):
📘 Paperback: https://amzn.to/3wB9iHb
💻 Ebook: https://amzn.to/2RdjbKV

Purchase Unoffendable (affiliate links):
📘 Paperback: https://amzn.to/2RJYfti
💻 Ebook: https://amzn.to/35e23a5

Merchandise:
🛍️ Shop: teespring.com/stores/einzelgangerstore
🛍️ Merchandise design by Punksthetic Art:
https://www.youtube.com/user/JRStoneart

Music used:

Brian Bolger - Nineties Pad
Bobby Richards - Lens
VYEN - Amber

Creative Commons (attributions): 

Marcus Aurelius bust (1): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_Ephesus_Museum.jpg
Marcus Aurelius bust (2): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_head_sculpture_from_Sagalasos_Turkey.jpg
Marcus Aurelius bust (3): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castings_of_Ancient_Roman_busts_in_the_Pushkin_Museum_(Antonin_Pius,_Marcus_Aurelius_and_Clodius)_by_shakko.jpg
Marcus Aurelius statue (1): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Replica_della_statua_equestre_di_Marco_Aurelio_(Roma).jpg
Marcus Aurelius statue (2): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marcus_Aurelius_(32393792365).jpg
Chris: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chris_Rock_1995.jpg 
Hera: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wall_painting_-_wedding_of_Zeus_and_Hera_-_Pompeii_(VI_8_3)_-_Napoli_MAN_9559_-_02.jpg
Zeno: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paolo_Monti_-_Servizio_fotografico_(Napoli,_1969)_-_BEIC_6353768.jpg

#stoicism #marcusaurelius #stoic

00:00 - Intro
01:58 - (1) Accepting other people
04:16 - (2) Accepting transience
07:08 - (3) Accepting misfortune
09:51 - (4) Accepting change
12:50 - (5) Accepting your nature

Einzelgänger explores a wide range of topics and ideas, with a dose of "as I see it," out of curiosity and creative urge.

Email: info(@)einzelganger.co

Einzelgänger is under the supervision of the Dutch Regulatory Media Authority (Commissariaat voor de Media).

*Disclaimer: The material provided by Einzelgänger isn't a clinical/medical service or replacement of mental health professionals, nor an academic resource.


Einzelgänger

Stop Wanting, Start Accepting | The Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Stop Wanting, Start Accepting :: The Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Wherever you find yourself at work or in your personal life, do the very best you can do.

1.Whatever you do—give it 100%

When we carry unforgiveness, it’s literally like taking a huge rock, putting it in a rucksack, and carrying it on our back wherever we go.

2. Forgive and let go

Books give us access to some of the greatest minds and ideas that ever lived—we can learn from great people we wouldn’t otherwise have access to any other way than through their books.

3. Read Everyday 

The more you learn and grow, the better your life will become.

4. Never stop learning and growing as a person

Our thinking determines what happens to us in life—not our circumstances.So, to change our lives, we must first change what we believe about ourselves and how we think.

6. Change your thinking, change your life.

If you find someone with the desired results, you need to do what they are doing.

7. Find a mentor and do what they’re doing.

Everyone loves to feel special, Everyone loves to be noticed.And if you care for people and treat them as the special people that they are, then they will love you for it.

8. Be kind to people; treat people as you would like to be treat

Never argue with a stupid person or else they’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience

9. Never argue with a stupid person

Define the problem, list out the potential solutions, and choose a path forward. Some decisions are one-way doors, but most are not.

10. Don’t obsess about making the “right” decision.

Great advice can lead you to paths and outcomes that are much better for you. Here are the 9 best pieces of life advice I have ever received.

career

Career

business

Business

books

Books

9 Best Pieces of Life Advice I Have Ever Received

For five years in a row, Finland has ranked No. 1 as the happiest country in the world, according to the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/news/finland-wins-double-gold-in-world-happiness-report-2018/">World Happiness Report </a>.  In 2022's report, people in 156 countries were asked to "value their lives today on a 0 to 10 scale, with the worst possible life as a 0." It also looks at factors that contribute to social support, life expectancy, generosity and absence of corruption.

As a <a href="https://frankmartela.com/">Finnish philosopher and psychology </a>researcher who studies the fundamentals of happiness, I'm often asked: What exactly makes people in Finland so exceptionally satisfied with their lives?To maintain a high quality of life, here are three things we never do:

There's a famous line by a Finnish poet: "Kell' onni on, se onnen kätkeköön." Roughly translated, it means: Don't compare or brag about your happiness. Finns really <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijsw.12233">take this to heart </a>, especially when it comes to material things and overt displays of wealth.

1. We don't compare ourselves to our neighbors.

I once ran into one of the wealthiest men in Finland. He was pushing his toddler in a stroller towards the tram station. He could have bought himself an expensive car or hire a driver, but he opted for public transportation. That's what success looks like in Finland: just like everyone else.  Happiness tip : Focus more on what makes you happy and less on looking successful. The first step to true happiness is to set your own standards, instead of comparing yourself to others.

According to a <a href="https://www.sitra.fi/en/news/survey-almost-90-per-cent-of-finnish-people-consider-nature-important-to-themselves-there-is-a-wide-range-of-relationships-with-nature-no-single-right-one/">2021 survey, </a>87% of Finns feel that nature is important to them because it provides them with peace of mind, energy and relaxation. In Finland, employees are entitled to <a href="https://tem.fi/en/annual-holiday">four weeks of summer holiday </a>. Many of us use that time to hit the countryside and immerse ourselves in nature. The fewer amenities, even to the point of no electricity or running water in the house, the better.

2. We don't overlook the benefits of nature.

A lot of Finnish cities are also densely built, which means that many people have access to nature at their doorsteps. I live next to Helsinki Central Park, where I go on regular walks. Happiness tip : Spending time in nature <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494409000838">increases our vitality </a>,<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2014.994224">well-being </a>and a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-019-00118-6">gives us a sense of personal growth </a>. Find ways to add some greenery to your life, even if it's just buying a few plants for your home.

Finnish people tend to trust each other and value honesty. If you forget your laptop in a library or lost your phone on the train, you can be quite confident you'll get it back. Kids also often take a public bus home from school and play outside without supervision.

3. We don't break the community circle of trust.

Happiness tip: Think about how you can show up for your community. How can you create more trust? How can you support policies that build upon that trust? Small acts like opening doors for strangers or giving up a seat on the train makes a difference, too.

A Psychology Expert in Finland lists 3 Things That They Never Do That Increase Happiness 

For five years in a row, Finland has been ranked the No. 1 happiest country in the world. A Finnish philosopher and psychology expert shares the habits that make people in Finland so exceptionally satisfied with their lives.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

problemsolving

Problem Solving

I'm a psychology expert in Finland, the No. 1 happiest country in the world—here are 3 things we never do

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60018575">Discipline Is Destiny </a>is a three-part manual to master and implement the Stoic virtue of temperance, aka discipline, in your life, thus improving your body, mind, and spirit.

Book Summary 

"You don't know have to always be amazing. You do have to show up. What matters is sticking around for the next at bat."-Ryan Holiday

Author Quote 

Most of us know Hercules as this legendary, super-strong, club-whipping guy who fights lions before lunch and can defeat nasty, multi-headed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra">hydras </a>all day long. Long before he became “Hercules” in bold letters, however, everyone’s favorite Disney hero and Greek demigod found himself at a crossroads.

Book Overview 

Standing at a literal fork in the woods, Hercules sees two women, each pleading with him to take her path. One is beautiful beyond belief, half-naked, and offers him a life full of pleasure and completely devoid of pain. The other is also pretty but dressed more conservatively. She tells him the only rewards he’ll find on her path are those he’ll have earned through courage, honorable deeds, and, yes, hardship — but that this path will help him become who he was meant to be.

The women in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_at_the_crossroads">this parable </a>are Vice and Virtue, and I’m sure you can guess which path Hercules chose, given how awesome he became. Has this story ever happened? Probably not. But is it still important? Yes, because it’s a story about us . At least, that’s what <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/ryan-holiday-books/">Ryan Holiday </a>thinks — and why he opens his book <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60018575">Discipline Is Destiny </a>, the second of four in a series about the cardinal virtues of Stoicism (courage, discipline, justice, wisdom), with this metaphor.

Covering the 3 areas in which we need discipline — body, mind, and spirit:<ol><li>Controlling your body is the first step of mastering self-discipline, and it can happen in many small ways.</li><li>Only a moderate mind can be happy, and directing your brain is a lifelong job.</li><li>Discipline is about actualization, not isolation, so stay kind to yourself and others.</li></ol>Let’s see what it takes to live a disciplined but satisfying life!

Top 3 Lessons From The Book 

The reason discipline is most easily built by starting with small, physical challenges is that you can feel your body’s responses to those challenges. When you work out, you feel the result the next day. When you sleep early, you feel more rested. That’s a great way of sending yourself the feedback that, yes, building discipline is working — and helping.

Lesson 1: Taking charge of your body is the easiest way to build discipline, and you can take many small steps to do it.

While Holiday suggests a variety of things, from eating lean to strenuous activities, like taking cold showers, working out, or walking the long route to work, to sleeping early, the most important is this: Show up. When it comes to physical discipline, doing a little every day will have a much bigger impact than trying to do a lot on rare occasions.

Holiday mentions Lou Gehrig as an example, a legendary baseball player who played over 2,000 games straight without missing a single one. Did he not feel well during some of them? For sure. But he showed up regardless, and, in the long run, that made all the difference.

Like Vice calling out to Hercules, our modern world is loaded with opportunities for instant gratification. It, too, seems to want to fulfill our every desire immediately. But if you’ve ever given in to those impulses, you know how empty and unrewarding that can ultimately feel.

Lesson 2: We can only be happy when we practice restraint, and it’s a lifelong job to moderate our minds.

When you order pizza every time you feel like it, you’ll get health problems. When you rage quit at work whenever your boss makes a snide comment, you’ll never build a meaningful career. And so on. Everything becomes meaningless when you do it all the time, so we need restraint to enjoy life’s pleasures to the fullest — and, therefore, moderating our minds is a lifelong job.

The <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/buddhas-brain-summary/">Buddha </a>was born in a palace, yet he still felt miserable. The poverty he later experienced outside wasn’t any better. It was only once he learned to practice patience, to sit with suffering, and to not lose it when things went awry that he found he could calmly manage — even enjoy — both life’s ups and downs. Try to pause before you react, analyze your feelings, and <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/hyperfocus-summary/">learn to shut things out on purpose </a>. Most of all, remember you’ll never be perfect. Mastering our brains is a job that will take forever — and that’s okay.

The highest level of discipline happens on the plane of the spirit, according to Holiday, who mentions ancient <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariot_racing">Roman charioteers </a>— competitive horse carriage riders — as a prime example. Having to balance many activities and roles at once while performing in a life-or-death situation, these athletes used their self-discipline for a higher purpose — in this case to entertain their community — while remembering that failure is just part of the equation.

Lesson 3: Unless used for the greater good, discipline is pointless, so show kindness and compassion both to yourself and others.

Spiritual discipline is about staying calm, doing the work, and steering the course without alienating others. When you fail to get to work on time, keep cool. When you feel groggy, just try to get through the day. And when others don’t understand why you’re doing things the way you do them, try to be respectful and diplomatic about it.

When <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/lives-of-the-stoics-summary/">Stoic philosopher </a>Cleanthes walked down Athens’ streets one morning, he bumped into a man yelling at himself for some mistake. “Remember, you’re not talking to a bad man,” he told him, according to Holiday. So yes, show others kindness as you pursue discipline, but remember to extend that same courtesy to yourself whenever you need it.

This book is a follow-up to <a href="https://fourminutebooks.com/courage-is-calling-summary/">Courage Is Calling </a>, the second of four books <a href="https://ryanholiday.net/about/">Ryan Holiday </a>is penning on the cardinal Stoic virtues. The virtues are courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. Given both books follow a similar structure, I assume all the others will too. It starts with a brief story and introduction to the four virtues, followed by three parts about how to master and implement this particular value into your life.

Discipline Is Destiny - Book Review

Holiday’s writing style is conversational. He draws on a wide range of examples, and the chapters are manageable, engaging, and make clear points. I’ve been a fan of Holiday’s work for years, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60018575">Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control </a> is no exception!

The 15-year-old high school student who struggles with constant distraction, the 34-year-old waiter who feels lost in her career, and anyone who enjoys modern takes on Stoic philosophy.

Who would I recommend the  Discipline Is Destiny to?

Read our free Discipline Is Destiny summary of Ryan Holiday's book to learn how to master your body, mind, and spirit.

Discipline Is Destiny Summary

"We fall in love with those who care for us in familiar ways."

<ul><li>As adults, we find ourselves rejecting certain candidates not because they're wrong for us, but because they're a little too right.</li><li>We are unfamiliar with such rightness, it feels foreign and unearned.</li></ul>

Why are we scared of the love we deserve?

"To choose our partner wisely, we need to tease out how certain compulsions to suffering may be playing themselves out in our feeling of attraction."

"It's your job to make your significant other happier — not happy, but happier. They should already be happy before they get into the relationship; it isn't fair to you that you be their source of happiness."

We are actually (only) attracted by people who have the style of love similar to our parent's in the past. And our choices are limited by that tendency, which sometimes result in toxic relationship. To choose a partner wisely, we should examine our past and free ourselves from it (e.g. When we have a toxic parent.)

Summary

We’re given very little guidance on how to choose our partners and tend to leave it to that mysterious force we know as ‘instinct’. However, it truly pays to be a little more rational in this area and work out how our instincts operate and why they push us towards some people and away from others. For gifts and more from The School of Life, visit our online shop: https://goo.gl/lLmtDZ Join our mailing list: http://bit.ly/2e0TQNJ Or visit us in person at our London HQ: https://goo.gl/scNBv2 FURTHER READING “How do we choose the people we fall in love with? The Romantic answer is that our instincts naturally guide us to individuals who are kind and good for us. Love is a sort of ecstasy that descends when we feel ourselves in the presence of a benign and nourishing soul, who will answer our emotional needs, understand our sadness and strengthen us for the hard tasks of our lives. In order to locate our lover, we must let our instincts carry us along, taking care never to impede them through pedantic psychological analysis and introspection or else considerations of status, wealth or lineage. Our feelings will tell us clearly enough when we have reached our destiny. To ask someone with any degree of rigour why exactly they have chosen a particular partner is – in the Romantic world-view – simply an unnecessary and offensive misunderstanding of love: true love is an instinct that accurately and naturally settles on those with a capacity to make us happy.…” You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://goo.gl/IkAGvy MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/1y98gz Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships Do you speak a different language to English? Did you know you can submit Subtitles on all of our videos on YouTube? For instructions how to do this click here: https://goo.gl/J1yL37 S6UUH4 SOCIAL MEDIA Feel free to follow us at the links below: S6UUH4 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ CREDITS Produced in collaboration with: Zedem media http://www.zedemanimations.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife

mentalhealth

Mental Health

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

videos

Videos

We’re given very little guidance on how to choose our partners and tend to leave it to that mysterious force we know as ‘instinct’. However, it truly pays to be a little more rational in this area and work out how our instincts operate and why they push us towards some people and away from others.  For gifts and more from The School of Life, visit our online shop:  https://goo.gl/lLmtDZ
Join our mailing list: http://bit.ly/2e0TQNJ 
Or visit us in person at our London HQ: https://goo.gl/scNBv2


FURTHER READING
“How do we choose the people we fall in love with? The Romantic answer is that our instincts naturally guide us to individuals who are kind and good for us. Love is a sort of ecstasy that descends when we feel ourselves in the presence of a benign and nourishing soul, who will answer our emotional needs, understand our sadness and strengthen us for the hard tasks of our lives. In order to locate our lover, we must let our instincts carry us along, taking care never to impede them through pedantic psychological analysis and introspection or else considerations of status, wealth or lineage. Our feelings will tell us clearly enough when we have reached our destiny. To ask someone with any degree of rigour why exactly they have chosen a particular partner is – in the Romantic world-view – simply an unnecessary and offensive misunderstanding of love: true love is an instinct that accurately and naturally settles on those with a capacity to make us happy.…”
You can read more on this and other subjects on our blog, here: https://goo.gl/IkAGvy


MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE

Our website has classes, articles and products to help you think and grow: https://goo.gl/1y98gz

Watch more films on RELATIONSHIPS in our playlist: 
http://bit.ly/TSOLrelationships

Do you speak a different language to English?  Did you know you can submit Subtitles on all of our videos on YouTube?  For instructions how to do this click here: https://goo.gl/J1yL37
S6UUH4


SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel free to follow us at the links below:

S6UUH4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theschooloflifelondon/  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSchoolOfLife   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theschooloflifelondon/ 


CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Zedem media
http://www.zedemanimations.com/ #TheSchoolOfLife

How To Choose A Partner Wisely

Mimetism was not Rene Girard original idea. It can be traced to David Hume who observed one's actions reverberates to the rest like the strings of a violin. It describes humans as a social specie, prone to co-vibrations aka under the influence of other people's actions.<ul><li>Mimetism is a social technology to get to the subjectivity of others. But ...</li><li>Mimetism is a tendency, but also a capacity. It leaves room for individual agency. At any time, you, the player, can choose the next string to pluck.</li></ul>

Mimetism as the Strings of a Violin

The basic mimetic behaviour manifests in society in more meaningful ways:<ul><li>Through prestige. The respect, admiration, and high regard that is accorded to someone has less to do with the objective qualities of the person and more with the adherence to normative values.</li><li>A step higher is the real of the sacred. For Girard this is just a dial up of mimesis. The power of a sacred relic lies just with the collective admiration that one feels compelled to mimic. Gods live only as long as there are rituals of belief.</li></ul>

Normative Evolution, Prestige and Gods

Mimesis is both the strongest and necessary authority for us to hold normative values. It more than any faculty decides what we think of beautiful, as good ... what laws we think of just or what sexual relationships we think of as legitimate or depraved. Even what we strive to be like.

Mimetic desire can be separated in:<ul><li>a desire to experience (physical desire)</li><li>a desire to be (metaphysical desire). We chase objects for what they say about us on for the fullness of being that we expect them to confer upon us.</li></ul>ex: We may chase a sexual partner for how they make us feel or for the social status of being with them. We may start a company for the thrill of the struggle or because we want to be like like the Silicon Valley tech bros. The balance of the 2 will vary from person to person, but pride and ambition are strongly correlated with metaphysical desire.

The 2 twin components of mimetic desire

Metaphysical desire is focused on our identity, our ego, our spirit ... the core of what we are. This itself can be broken down into 3 components:<ol><li>Reality. We want our existence to be observed and noticed by others. What really matters is not the physical experience but what others think it's real.</li><li>Persistence. We want our identities to last through time. We are obsessed with achieving some immortality. </li><li>Self-sufficiency: Deals with having the power of the social realm to fulfil our thirsts. It's what Nietzsche calls "the will to power". It has a lot to do with domination over others.</li></ol>

The 3 Components of Being

We crave objects because other people we look up are associated with those objects: a celebrity, a parent, a colleague etc... The faulty logic being that our acquisition of the object will grant us the same sense of being as our role-model. Desire is not a straight line from subject to object, but a triangular path to object through the role model.

The Faulty logic of Object Acquisition

Not all our actions will be motivated by metaphysical desire, but out of the possible motivations ... it is the strongest. In commercial terms it means products that focus on it will command the most value. It explains the success of branding, the celebrity culture and consumerism as a whole.

The Power of Metaphysical Desire

<ul><li>Malleability. They are highly dependent on our mediators. If I grew up with a Don Juan father I may seek superficial relationship. </li><li>Power. The more we get motivated by it the more we loose our agency. The tulip buying mania, the 2001 dotcom crash etc.</li><li>Deceitful: We are oblivious that we are confusing an object for a state of being. </li><li>Ungovernable: It is not ruled by reason. Reason becomes a spoke-person to our spirit. Not the source of action, but its justification.</li></ul>

The 4 Qualities of Metaphysical Desires

The second part of the lecture on Girard. More in depth look at desires.

Mimesis, mimetic desire, and metaphysical desire are the fundamental building blocks of Girard’s psychology. They will show us how even the most intimate aspects of our identity can be radically shaped by others and how to distinguish vanity from authenticity. These psychological fundaments are what make humans social animals, why prestige and recognition matter so much to us, and how we are able to form cultures and even language itself. They are responsible for humanity’s greatest achievements, but they also render us helplessly fallen. Under scrutiny, metaphysical desire will reveal itself to be none other than original sin. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:51 Mimesis 00:08:16 Mimesis and Normativity 00:17:34 Mimetic Desire 00:29:17 What is Meant by "Being" 00:31:53 The First End of Being: Reality 00:34:38 The Second End of Being: Persistence 00:35:31 The Third End of Being: Self-sufficiency 00:41:36 Metaphysical Desire 00:50:14 The Malleability of Metaphysical Desire 00:52:09 The Power of Metaphysical Desire 00:53:30 The Deceitfulness of Metaphysical Desire 00:58:18 The Ungovernability of Metaphysical Desire 01:00:31 Original Sin

history

History

Mimesis, mimetic desire, and metaphysical desire are the fundamental building blocks of Girard’s psychology. They will show us how even the most intimate aspects of our identity can be radically shaped by others and how to distinguish vanity from authenticity. These psychological fundaments are what make humans social animals, why prestige and recognition matter so much to us, and how we are able to form cultures and even language itself. They are responsible for humanity’s greatest achievements, but they also render us helplessly fallen. Under scrutiny, metaphysical desire will reveal itself to be none other than original sin. 

00:00:00 Introduction
00:03:51 Mimesis
00:08:16 Mimesis and Normativity
00:17:34 Mimetic Desire
00:29:17 What is Meant by "Being"
00:31:53 The First End of Being: Reality
00:34:38 The Second End of Being: Persistence
00:35:31 The Third End of Being: Self-sufficiency
00:41:36 Metaphysical Desire
00:50:14 The Malleability of Metaphysical Desire
00:52:09 The Power of Metaphysical Desire
00:53:30 The Deceitfulness of Metaphysical Desire
00:58:18 The Ungovernability of Metaphysical Desire
01:00:31 Original Sin

If I were not Diogenes, I wish I were Alexander.

Johnathan at Limbo

Lecture II: Mimetic Desire and Original Sin | René Girard's Mimetic Theory

René Girard's Mimetic Theory - Lecture 2

You Can’t be Creative Everytime. So, Will You Waste that time?Also Being Emotional with Your Work isn’t Permanent, Even Not that Good. Will You Say that Hardwork or Struggle?Always Doing Something Interesting, Will You Say that Consistency or Just a Flow of Your Interests driven by Your Emotions too??Interest in One Thing, Even that isn’t Permanent. So Gonna Change Your Goal Hann.

Creativity, Interest, Emotions

Work with These Terms-Creative, Enjoyment, Passion, Emotions, Being Motivated, Doing Something Interesting, etc isn’t Good for Everytime.Demotivation Gives You Reality Checks About Your Work.

General Psychology & Work

Clarity, Our Intension of Doing Things Needs To Be Clear.

Purpose of Work : Clarity of Dream

Find 100+ Philosophy Ideas, Insights & Facts - Curated from popular Videos, Podcasts, Books & Articles - Genuine Insights from like-minded Users like You!