Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World
Be picky about what you stick to. Persevere in the things that matter, that bring you happiness, and that move you toward your goals. Quit everything else, to free up those resources so you can pursue your goals and stop sticking to things that slow you down. – Annie Duke, Quit: The Power of Knowing
Last Friday my manager called me into his office and told me the company was putting me on a project for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). My political views are generally libertarian, so I believe that this government agency shouldn’t exist. This put me in a bit of an ethical bind, do I just
Each philosophy or religion that I’ve explored has placed a great emphasis on detachment from worldly pursuits. Stoicism, Catholicism, and Judaism all say that the pursuit of wealth and prestige is an unworthy (or at least lesser) endeavor for human beings. While it’s not bad to have those things, one should not pursue them for
When I was in NROTC in college, we were required to take a few courses in leadership and management. It taught us to think through about how we would address conflict, how to treat people with different personalities, how to gain creditability with subordinates, etc. What struck me as I read through the Tao Te
Today’s Mishnah from the Pirkei Avot reads: Rabbi says: Which is the proper path that a person should choose for himself? Whatever [path] is a credit to himself and earns him the esteem of fellow men. Be as scrupulous in performing a “minor” mitzvah as in a “major” one, for you do not know the rewards
It’s taken for granted that being a part of a community is a good thing, even if we don’t belong to one. However, we forget that being a part of community also implies you have obligations to the community as well. The Talmudic reading I studied yesterday focused on this passage: “Hillel says: Do not
“Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America The Trade: Freedom in exchange for clarity If you feel like you don’t know what to do with your life and feel that existential ambiguity that makes you
Over the past year my Facebook feed has been loaded with lots of partisan posts, and, because I disgaree with the political views of most of my Facebook friends, this generally irritated me. Now that the election is over, I’m hoping we can move past this animosity and get back to normal. But, I expect this is unrealistic
During this week’s spiritual exercises, my thoughts keep drifting back to my day job. It’s clear I need to put more effort into sorting this mess out. During my Stoicism month, I did my best to cultivate detachment from everyday work annoyances. That was mostly successful. However, there is this constant, nagging feeling that I’m
I chose to practice Judaism because I wanted to find out how the religion has managed to foster such a strong sense of identity and community. I wanted to find out what they were doing right, because I get the sense that modern life values the ability to be transient. If there is a great