“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” – Seneca
Who Knows What is Good and What is Bad – Taoist Parable
The Three Disciplines of Stoicism: Life Lessons from a Roman Emperor
- The first discipline is the discipline of perception. “[Perception] requires that we maintain absolute objectivity of thought
- The second discipline, action, deals with our relationships with others. We need, in the words of Marcus Aurelius, “to live as nature requires.”
- The third discipline, the discipline of will, encompasses our attitude to things that are not within our control.