Row (Busts) of Ancient Greek Philosophers: Socrates; Antisthenes; Chrysippus; Epicurus (Picture taken at the British Museum by Lawrence OP)

I hereby issue a plea to everyone to embrace the wise thinkers of ancient times, and for posterity not to ever forget these men we like to call philosophers.

Let’s pay homage to these ancient philosophers who are inexplicably forgotten by the modern generations who live in a realm of superficiality, conflict, celebrity worship, technological dependency and general ignorance of themselves.

The wisdom to be found from reading the philosophical works of these men could, if we wished, serve an important function in guiding us all towards peace, unity and common sense which can make this world a paradise of joy and reason – but as things stand today, maybe that is a dream only Utopia can conjure up.

Most importantly, we must not forget the teachings that these philosophers provided, as they dived head first into the deep oceans of thought and attentiveness towards observing themselves,  humanity and nature.  Through their own self-learning they ceaselessly sought Truth so to provide us with the foundations to build a impregnable wall of wisdom for ourselves.

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The weekend is here at long last, and I feel the need to reflect on something important…like learning to mind my own business.

Seneca’s & Plutarch’s Stoic Philosophy against Anger

I have personally learned a lot about self help anger management by reading ancient philosophy from the great thinkers, who purported to know the answers towards dampening the fires of Man’s failing grace – anger.

So let me begin with the Stoics who fall into the category above.  Lucius Annaeus Seneca and Plutarch, who wrote essays about the importance of being aware of the dangers and effects of anger.  Both men agreed that if left untreated, anger can do irreparable damage to the mind, spirit and relationships.

The essays in question were Seneca’s On Anger and Plutarch’s On Avoidance of Anger which can be found in the books Seneca: Moral and Political Essays and Plutarch’s Essays respectively.

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Are you one of the many millions who are suffering because of the economic crisis?

Is it a struggle to find two pence to rub together so you can buy a good book to read?

Well, with Christmas (Yes, I mentioned the big ‘C’ word) being  just around the corner I thought I’d cheer you guys up by starting the festivities early and to share with you some free philosophy eBooks and audio books to warm the cockles of your mind.

If anyone reading this blog is in actual hardship or worries because of their financial situation maybe it’s the time to think like a Stoic and attain the wisdom to live within your means contentedly and with equanimity.

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The weekend is almost over and I have so little time to do anything, but I do have the time to share with you some ancient wisdom from the Roman stoic, Seneca.

The following video is a transcript from the book ‘The Epistles of Lucius Annaeus Seneca V1‘ that contains various letters from Seneca advising his friend Lucilius on the stoic way of living.

The letter in question, ‘On Saving Time’ is relevant to my recent posts, “How to Manage your Time doing the Important things you Love”, and the practical wisdom offered by Seneca reinforces my view that time is the most precious thing we have in our relatively short lifetimes.

Description

Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and Aurelius’s own emotions.

But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.
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