A sobering but much needed wake-up call for the majority of walking dead that belong to the human race…

“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book(Lady Chatterley, for instance), or you take a trip, or you talk with Richard, and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom(when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this(or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death.”

~ Anaïs Nin

In these troubling times of perpetual man-made conflict and recent natural disasters, let us now embrace the practical teachings of a wise old Stoic called Epictetus.

So why not apply this stoic wisdom daily so to calm our minds and strengthen our wills against all adversity.

As Epictetus advised regarding one who is experiencing trials and tribulations:

Chapter 24

How we should struggle with circumstances

It is circumstances which show what men are. Therefore when a difficulty
falls upon you, remember that God, like a trainer of wrestlers, has matched you
with a rough young man. “For what purpose?” you may say, Why, that you may
become an Olympic conqueror; but it is not accomplished without sweat. In my
opinion no man has had a more profitable difficulty than you have had, if you
choose to make use of it as an athlete would deal with a young antagonist. We
are now sending a scout to Rome; but no man sends a cowardly scout, who, if he
only hears a noise and sees a shadow anywhere, comes running back in terror and
reports that the enemy is close at hand. So now if you should come and tell us,
“Fearful is the state of affairs at Rome, terrible is death, terrible is exile;
terrible is calumny; terrible is poverty; fly, my friends; the enemy is near”;
we shall answer, “Begone, prophesy for yourself; we have committed only one
fault, that we sent such a scout.”

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Manly P. Hall, who I consider to have been one of the wisest men of the 20th century, has featured more than once on this blog – with good reason.

Not only was Hall a man with a tremendous amount of esoteric knowledge, but he also had the wisdom, insight and common sense to advise us all towards a greater path of living, as he voraciously demonstrated in his chosen career of communicating his enlightening knowledge to the masses,

“In his over 70-year career, Hall delivered approximately 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.”

So here I present to you, from the man himself, ten basic rules of wisdom which should provide the foundations towards living a better life…hopefully.

A concise guide for spiritual living in the modern world:

1. Stop worrying.

2. Stop trying to dominate and possess your friends and relatives.

3. Moderate ambition.

4. Do not accumulate more than you need.

5. Learn to relax.

6. Cultivate a sense of humor.

7. Find a reason for your own existence.

8. Never intentionally harm any other person.

9. Beware of anger.

10. Never blame others for your own mistakes.

Is this man actually mature despite looking like he should be put in a museum?

The following precepts of wisdom that I am about to share with you was devised by fellow Blogger ThoughtBubble of Rooms for the Soul blog.  These 10 Commandments for the 21st Century should, I feel, be adopted by everyone who wishes to mature in mind and live a fuller life:

“Signs of maturity:
1. A desire to explore a point rather than make or prove it
2. A tendency not to take things personally
3. A refusal to be judgmental
4. A willingness to admit “I don’t know”
5. An acceptance of people and things as they are rather than demand that they conform to one’s expectations, needs and beliefs
6. A realization that one’s happiness is entirely self and not other-determined
7. An ability to enjoy all the colors of the rainbow rather than be confined to the extreme positions of black and white, right and wrong
8. A readiness to honor every being as an equal and unique expression of the one, universal source
9. The ability and willingness to have as much fun as possible
10. The ability to live a life of gentle, humorous self-enquiry which often means self-acceptance, self-realization and self-liberation”

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Read the biography of Epictetus

Click here to read ‘Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 2′

Stoic Philosopher Epictetus returns to offer you advice on how to get rid of any fears you may have of something that is inevitable for every one of us – death.  Epictetus also encourages us to improve our characters and behaviour by advising us always to concentrate on our own conduct wherever we may find ourselves in daily life.

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