Fighting Beside Seneca

We want things to be simple. We want things to be… black and white. What we have seen over the last week or so is that “black and white” does not have to mean, either/or. Those marching in the streets for justice are black and white. Those police officers are black and white. At a time when too many in America have taken sides, many more have recognized that outrage is the only response to George Floyd’s death. And Breonna Taylor’s death. And… That outrage does not justify looting and burning the businesses of hard-working people who are doing the best they can to take care of their families. The actions of some officers have been nothing short of reprehensible and unacceptable. When officers fuel the protests, with what can reasonably be called violence, we fall far short of who we think we are as a nation. That does not justify shooting, stabbing, or running down police officers. And some officers have been nothing short of heroic and all have put themselves at risk. We have seen...

If you have not read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning , feel free to stop here and do so. While we are certainly going through challenging times, the details of life in Nazi concentration camps (he spent time in four, including Auschwitz) provide real perspective. But the book offers more than simply perspective. Frankl was also a brilliant neurologist and psychiatrist. His daily life became a study of man at his worst, but also at his best. It was a classroom of evil & despair with every student asking, “why”? Most of us have had some kind of existential crisis at some point in our lives. We have asked the litany of questions… Who am I? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? Or maybe it was faith found, faith questioned, faith lost, faith found again. Maybe you were convinced that you had to go “find yourself”. Whatever the case, we all want our limited time on Earth to matter. And we assume the answer is “out there” somewhere. The burden of man is that, whi...

Here we are… huddled at home, social-distancing, frequently scrubbing our hands, becoming aware of how often we touch our face, while checking our phones for the latest COVID-19 updates. If you work from home, WebEx and Zoom meetings are nothing new, but now our children may be learning that way. And some are using the same technology just to stay connected with friends. Depending upon your job, you may be working harder than ever. Or you may have much more time on your hands that you ever wanted. Some families grow closer while others crack under the financial strain. Heroes put their lives on the line, as code words are needed to get help to those in abusive relationships. Some leaders exemplify their role, while others make excuses. Some rise to the challenges. Wisdom and prudence and regard for others drive their actions. Some disgust and disappoint. As of this writing, more than 1.2 million people have been confirmed* with the virus and 68,000 have died. The government r...

Every day you are breathing presents you with opportunities. Is this day unique? In the sense that more than 100k people in the United States (& 650k people around the world) are sick with a novel virus for which we have no vaccine, limited testing, and this fact has many of us sheltered at home… sure. But otherwise, no. Battles are being fought every day. If you’re lucky, those battles are limited to you battling you. The reality, however, is that we are almost two decades into non-stop war in the Middle East. Lest we forget, lives are still being lost in Iraq & Afghanistan. First responders and medical professionals are getting dressed for work knowing that, for some, their very life may be on the line that day. And many are almost certain to be face-to-face with the deaths of others before their shift ends. Those living in poverty are likely not able to prepare effectively for this pandemic, much less share jokes on social media about the lack of toilet paper and other...

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? You probably give yourself credit for being a realist. You see it. You get it. The problems and challenges of this world… you understand them. You’re actively predicting the future in your own head. Well, if so, that means you’re likely doing a rather poor job of two key things that can seriously impact the quality of your life… 1) living in the present moment & 2) focusing on what you can control. Are there challenges in the world, in our country, today, right now? Yes. Plenty. Is that new? No. But this is different? Crumbling financial markets, a growing pandemic; the world has never seen such as this. Never? Just try to imagine the world of roughly 100 years ago. World War I rages, followed by the Spanish flu, then Prohibition and the related violence, the Twenties roar, then the stock market crashes precipitating the Great Depression. Wow! All of that in a span of about 20 years, that was then followed by World War II. This is not to m...

We have all done it… Found ourselves hurt and disappointed when we didn’t get the approval of others. Found ourselves hurt and disappointed even though we don’t even respect or like the person withholding the approval. Even though we recognize that the person may not even understand the situation, and even though we are certain that we have done well, or at least, done our best. Why? Why do we allow others such sway over us? Why would we ever allow something so totally outside of our own control and as arbitrary as the thoughts of others to impact our peace? This is simple… You know that we all have different skills, different interests, and different levels of education & training regarding whatever the topic. AND, you know whether or not, in any situation, you have given your best. What else is there? Nothing! The wise throughout history have tried to help us understand this. And yet, we struggle… All the Stoics addressed the topic: “If you are ever tempte...

I love words and their definitions. I respect the ability to parse the nuances of meaning to effectively express oneself. And I, particularly, respect the ability to succinctly deliver an intellectual gut-punch as Marcus Aurelius does with the seven words of this title. And the nuance here matters so much. To be clear… Indifference is a Cancer . For the definition of Indifference , we turn to Oxford: lack of interest, concern, or sympathy Look around… indifference is everywhere. Horrible, ugly, indifference. The current state of politics, where few participate, and those that do, work to the benefit of some tribal subset of the populace is an obvious example. At this point, standards have been lowered to levels once unthinkable, yet so many can’t even be bothered to vote. Consider schools, where year after year, adults (parents, teachers, administrators, politicians) fail students. And all too often those students give up, indifferent to their own futures, assuming the ef...

I love quotes. They make you pause, make you think. A few words, maybe a few sentences, can sum up so much wisdom. One of great quotes regarding our potential as rational beings to manage our base emotions and gain the freedom that derives from our exerting control over our reactions comes from Viktor Frankl, the concentration camp survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning , which, if you have not read, you should walk away and go do so now. “Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” It’s a great quote. So great that you can buy the framed print, the coffee mug. But Frankl did not actually say that. There’s no evidence that it should be attributed to him at all. And, so what… It really sounds like something he would have said or written. It’s profound and true and wise people take wisdom from wherever they might find it. The greatest thing about the quote is that it ...

“Busy” is a fascinating word. No definition needed, right? We all get it. I’m sure you have so much “on your plate” and find yourself living at a frenetic pace these days. Because we all know that feeling. Seriously, who has time for a proper vacation when there is so much to do? Most Americans don’t. Truth is, we admire the busy person with the full schedule. They’re important. Achieving. But here’s the thing… Americans (and I can only assume most people) are really bad at judging their time. We only sleep six hours per night. Unless sleep is actually monitored, then it’s closer to eight hours. And TV? There are various surveys and studies, but Nielsen measures average TV viewing at over five hours each day. And that phone of yours, with social media beckoning you to share senseless details of your life, while viewing the glamorous pursuits of others or reading the most disheartening stories from a “newsfeed” or, God forbid, aimlessly clicking one link after another down some ra...

In 1947, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas penned one of the great poems of the twentieth century. Ostensibly, as he watched his father fading at the end of his life, he encouraged him to “rage against the dying of the light”. Read it. Sit with it. Meditate upon it. Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my fa...

What do you want? Seriously. Life is finite. You have no idea how much time remains. But you know there are coming limits and a definitive end. What is important to you and where do you want to go with this thing? This is a fundamental question regarding the value that you place upon your own time, your own joy, your own wellbeing. In effect, your life itself. Whether you bother to take in those sunrises and sunsets, they occur. Time marches. Consider for a moment… Do you have written goals? Do you have a plan to better yourself? Do your daily ACTIONS align with what you SAY is important to you? What would an outsider, observing your daily existence, think is most important to you? You ok with that? If you have no clear plan for your life, you really can’t complain. People stumble through life all the time. Just look around. That is an option. But not a path to happiness. That is, rather, a path to the unnecessary (harsher side of me might say “silly”) discontent that arises ...

It’s normal that we appreciate our own challenges and achievements. Obviously, they are the challenges and achievements that we know best. However, that appreciation becomes a blind spot if we think of them as special. That appreciation may prompt us to pat our own backs, rather than say “thanks” where it’s appropriate, or fail to reach down to pull up others, or push as hard as we can against the next obstacle. Odds are that whatever challenges you have faced in life, others have as well. And many have suffered more. Much more. You name it… the loss of a loved one, divorce (parent’s or your own), financial ruin, fear and loneliness. Not to minimize anyone’s particular hurdles, wouldn’t do that, but only to offer context. So much of the world (not to mention mankind throughout history) lives on less money, less food, has less freedom, and fewer choices. Yet we tend to compare ourselves to our friends and neighbors. We see all that they have and want it. We see the Instagram vacat...