The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.16
Day 1 brings us something beautiful. We must be guardians of our mental space. We have control, not about events that happened to us but we are able chose what to focus on. It is easier some days than others. We don’t have control over war, famine, and pandemics. Yet as long as we are breathing we have control over the meaning we give these experiences.
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. — Viktor Frankl
I grew up in the United States and moved to South Korea at the end of 2015. Many people told me I was crazy and that the North Korea:South Korea ceasefire during the war would end. That hasn’t happened yet; although in 2020 the world took a drastic turn. We learned how fragile our systems are and how little control I have within them.
I was a foreigner in a homogeneous country. I was alone with access to the internet during a pandemic with a curiosity for truth. A dangerous combination. Fear. Scarcity. Lack. Division. One of the most powerful forces in the world today is the American media. We all know that is what the media focuses on. Yet, we can’t turn away. Pandemics, war, and Chris Rock grab our online discussions and our thoughts.
My Vipassana mediation practice has the goal to see reality as it is. Unbiased Thoughts is what Ryan Holiday focuses on for April. Day one teaches us that “what we think about we bring about.” We must fight at times. We must argue at times. Yet, we must be mindful of the shape of our mind as we choose one’s way.
Day 1 of exploring The Daily Stoic.
Peace be the journey.
-Ace
