The Daily Stoic19 Nov 2018

The Best Way To Fight Evil

Tolstoy believed his most essential work was not his novels but his daily read, A Calendar of Wisdom. Like in The Daily Stoic, each day in that book is a meditation on a theme of ancient wisdom which provides insights for self-improvement. In a June entry (published in the early 20th century, but clearly both timeless and very timely), Tolstoy speaks about how to fight evil and improve society.

It doesn’t start with ambitious plans to remake the order of things or with the passing of laws to ban this behavior or that one. On the contrary. “There can be only one way to fight the general evil of life,” he writes. “It is in the moral, religious, and spiritual perfection of your own life.”

The Stoics would have agreed with this, that a more virtuous society begins at home—at our home. If you want the world to be better, improve yourself, for this is entirely in your circle of control. To paraphrase Marcus Aurelius: Don’t talk about what a good person should be like. Be that person. Again, because this is in your control. But also because it is the most compelling argument and the best way to prod others to change. How can you possibly have the gravitas necessary to convince others to be better when you clearly haven’t convinced yourself? How can you fight evil or sin or bad habits in the world when you’re losing the battle at home?

Of course, this is not an excuse to not be politically or charitably active, but it should inform your priorities. Get your life in order. Do the work you need to do. Because it will make the biggest difference and it will give you the platform—the moral high ground—necessary to make a difference for the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3173)

Stoicism Requires You to Stay a Student | Codie Sanchez

You might have a great idea, some success, or the confidence to risk everything. But you still have something to learn.🎥 Watch the full episode with Codie Sanchez here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

14 Okt 13min

You Don’t Get To Do One Last Thing

It might be important to you. It might be long-planned. Maybe it’s unfinished business. Maybe lives even depend on it. But you know what? Life doesn’t care.🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying t...

14 Okt 1min

Most Things Haven’t Changed (But This Has) | What Do the Stoics Say About Attachment?

Human beings are human beings. We have the same weaknesses. We have the same tendencies. We have the same potential.The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic is out NOW! 👉 Grab your copy he...

13 Okt 24min

This Isn’t How Anyone Wants It To Go (So This Is What We Have To Do) | Practice Love

Nobody would choose most of the difficulties and troubles that they face. The question is how do you react when you get those difficulties and troubles anyway?🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is co...

12 Okt 7min

The Most Important Things You Need To Stop Doing

We’re not the first culture to burn out and dream of getting away from it all. But the Stoics understood why the life you’re trying to escape has a way of following you.Watch this episode on YouTube: ...

11 Okt 16min

The New Gilded Age: Are We Repeating the Gold Rush? | Nathaniel Philbrick

From the California Gold Rush to the railroad boom to Silicon Valley, the promise of instant riches keeps convincing us that this time will be different. Nathaniel Philbrick, a bestselling author and ...

10 Okt 42min

Not Everyone Is Lucky Enough To Do This | 9 Core Stoic Beliefs

We have power of movement—literally and figuratively—that not everyone has, that we ourselves might not get forever, either. The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic is out NOW! 👉 Grab you...

9 Okt 25min

Go Back And Pick It Up Again | Is This the Life You Worked For?

Everyone has a book that changed their life. But how long has it been since you first read the book that hit you so hard?The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic is out NOW! 👉 Grab your co...

8 Okt 10min