The Daily Stoic - Make Sure You're Coming Home

Episode Date: September 21, 2018

All of us have day jobs. Even professional philosophers are still professors or authors, which means they have other responsibilities than just thinking and reading. That means that like the rest of us, they’ve got meetings to take and phone calls to make and paperwork to do and politics to play. And that’s okay. It’s only an issue when, if we’re not careful, those “other” things grow and grow until they take over our whole life. It’s as true for us now as it was true for Marcus Aurelius. He was responsible for a whole empire. Yet to explain how to balance his priorities, he made this analogy, “If you had a stepmother and a real mother, you would pay your respects to your step mother, yes...but it’s your real mother you’d go home to. The court...and philosophy: Keep returning to it, to rest in its embrace. It’s all that makes the court--and you--endurable.” His point was that you should return to that which nourishes you, because self-improvement is your true task in life. Philosophy is part of that essential pursuit. It’s what birthed you into this world, raised you, and made you an adult. Sure, you also have to make money and contribute to society (or deal with the court, in Marcus’s case). You may have hobbies and other obligations too. Just remember that those come after. Those are your step-parents. It’s not that you love them less or that they haven’t been instrumental in your life. But there should be an extra loyalty to who and what made you. There is something extra special about home. Make sure you’re visiting enough. And paying the proper respects. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoke podcast early and add free on Amazon music. Download the app today. Welcome to the Daily Stoke. For each day, we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. insight, wisdom necessary for living good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystowick.com. Make sure you're coming home. All of us have day jobs. Even professional philosophers are still professors or authors, which means they have other responsibilities

than just thinking and reading. That means that like the rest of us, they've got meetings to take and phone calls to make and paperwork to do and politics to play. And that's okay. It's only an issue when, if we're not careful, those other things grow and grow until they take over our whole life. It's as true for us now as it was true for Marcus Aurelius. He was responsible for a whole empire, yet to explain how to balance his priorities, he made this analogy. If you had a stepmother and a real mother, you would pay your respects to your stepmother, yes. But it's your real mother. You'd go home to the court and philosophy.

Keep returning to it to rest in its embrace. It's all that makes the court and you endurable. His point was that you should return to that, which nourishes you because self improvement is your true task in life. Philosophy is part of that essential pursuit. It's what birthed you into this world, raised you, and made you an adult. Sure, you also have to make money and contribute to society or deal with the court, Marcus' case.

You may have hobbies and other obligations too. Just remember that those come after. Those are your step parents. It's not that you love them less or that they haven't been instrumental in your life. But there should be an extra loyalty to who and what made you. There is something extra special about home. Make sure you are visiting enough and paying the proper respects. Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to the Daily Stoke early and add free on Amazon Music,

download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondering Plus in Apple Podcasts. day, or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple podcasts.