Can we just say, "What a chapter?!" Book 7 has many riveting themes, including... Simplicity!

Marcus says, "Always bear this in mind; and another thing too, that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life." To explore that we compare how much it would cost to live the life of an Instagram Influencer compared to a simple life. The happiest *recorded* capacity for happiness was found in a man who lived in absolute simplicity, the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.

We use the Catchy Quaker Classic, Simple Gifts, as inspiration on what simplicity should bring, freedom. Aside from its catchiness, the song gives some great insights on living a simple life and how that will make life more cohesive.

Elon Musk gives a practical formula for simplifying things in business which we extrapolate to simplifying life. Then Winston Churchill gives a great example of an "Autotelic" activity.

For the Stoic Reimagining we thought we would challenge ourselves to simplify this episode. It may have worked too well...

Book 7 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius focuses on Stoic themes like living in harmony with nature, accepting the impermanence of life, and the importance of rationality.

Marcus considers valuable things such as how little is necessary to living a happy life, what the perfection of moral character looks like, and how the more you dig for good within yourself the more it will bubble up.

The chapter is a reminder to align actions with reason and find peace within oneself through disciplined living.

Your favorite Stoic podcast is back, as we work our way through Meditations Book 6 which is all about the unself. Marcus makes quite the claim in this chapter that “The only rewards of our existence here are an unstained character and unselfish acts..."

But what does it mean to be unselfish? And why is it a reward?

To answer these questions we explore some Buddhist tenants and a surgical procedure that will make you question whether you exist at all.

Then we move through what Marcus suggest on how to live a happier more selfish existence.

Stick around for the Stoic Reimagining, it’s um, life changing…

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