Happy Islands

Fix yourself in possession of a few names:
rational, equanimity, magnanimity

Abide by them as if you are living in islands of happy
If you are unable to - then
take ships of - Simplicity, Freedom, Modesty
to pursue these Islands
This is the work of Man !!!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

         Names

When you have assumed these names -
Good,modest, true, rational, a man of equanimity
magnanimous - take care that you don't change these names

Rational - discriminating attention to everything and freedom from negligence

Equanimity - Voluntary acceptance of things which are assigned to you by common nature

Magnanimity - Elevation of the intelligent part above pleasure or pain and above that poor thing called Fame

If then you maintain thyself in possession of these names
without deserving to be called those name by others
you will be another person and
will enter another Life!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

         Pure Spring

If a man stands by a pure spring
the spring that never ceases sending potable water

If he should cast clay into it - or filth
it will speedily disperse them or wash them out
and will not be at all polluted

How then shall you possess a perpetual fountain
by forming yourself hourly to
freedom, conjoined with contentment, simplicity, and modesty

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

Nature!

 

Nature has circumscribed herself

where everything that appears to decay, grows old - useless-
changes into herself
and again makes other new things from the very same
so that she requires neither substance nor space

Nature is content then with her own space, own matter, own art
so be You!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

First appearence report

 

First appearance report

Say nothing more to yourself than your first appearance report -(FAR😄)
suppose that it is reported that, a certain person speaks ill of you
this has been reported;
but that you have been injured - that has not been reported;

I hear a person spoke well of me;
but that I am elated - I do not report;
Thus always abide by first appearances -
and add nothing yourself from within!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

Posthumous fame

See that you secure this present time to yourself
for those who rather pursue posthumous fame
do consider that
people of after time will exactly be
such as these whom you cannot bear now

And what is it in any way to you
if these men of after time
utter this or that sound,
or have this or that opinion about you

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

What am I composed of?

I am composed of :
a little body
a little breath
and a little rational faculty (Chitta)

Body: I need to take care every day: at least 30 minutes of - walk/jog/Run
Breathe: 30 minutes of Meditation/ Pranayama
rational faculty: Take care of my Faculty of thought - Chitta in Yoga Philosophy

Body/Breathe: is not in within my will
Intelligence: is within my will: let me cultivate it

Authors

Mukund

Marcus Aurelius       

 

Call it whatever!

pg.72 : Meditations : Book 12 : Marcus Aurelius

Either its a fatal necessity or an Invincible order
or a kind of providence
or confusion without a purpose and without a director

If its invincible order, why do you resist?
If its kind providence, make yourself worthy of the help of the divinity
if there is a confusion without a governor,
Be content that in such a tempest,
you have in yourself - a specific ruling intelligence
and even if the storm can carry you away
Let it take the - Poor flesh and Poor breath!
but let it not carry away the ruling faculty!

My notes:
Who am I?
A little breath
A little Body
A little ruling faculty!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

Opinion of Others

pg.71 : Marcus Aurelius: Book 12: Meditations

I have often wondered how it is every man
loves himself more than the rest of all
But yet sets lesser value on his own opinion
than on the idea of others

If then a God or a wise teacher should present
himself to a man,
and bid him think or design nothing
which he would not express as soon as he conceived it
He could not endure it even for a single day!

So much respect have we to what our neighbors shall think
rather than to what we shall think of ourselves!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

What is yours?

pg.71: Book 12 : Meditations: Marcus Aurelius

You are composed of
A little Body
A little Breath
A little Intelligence

Body, Breathe - Take care of them - Its your duty
But the third alone is appropriately yours - Intelligence!

therefore if you shall separate from yourself
Whatever others do or say-
Whatever in future - Things that may happen or trouble you
Whatever in the body or breathe envelopes you
remember that they are independent of your will!
(Your body is given to You! - you are a tenant!)

Whatever the external circumfluent vortex may whirl around
Ensure that the intellectual power is exempt from things of fate by :

Doing what is Just
Accepting what happens
Telling the Truth

( i need to read the meditations again and again - for deeper meaning of life - as I may miss with superficial reading!)

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

Impressions of the sense

 

         

Impressions of the sense
book 12: Pg.71: Mediations

If
you will separate from this ruling faculty (Chitta in Yoga)
-> Things which are attached to it by the impressions of the senses
-> Things of time to come and Time that is past
-> Use the ruling faculty to make yourself all round - (without sharp edges)

Then
you will be able to pass that portion of life that remains
free from pertubrations
Living nobly and obedient to thy own spirit (the god within you - Advaita Philiosphy)

(My notes)
Impressions of the senses: I need to practice on this :
prints that result in the generation of chemicals in the brain
Eyes - Objects
Ears -Music
Nose -Aroma
Touch- Feel
Tongue -Taste

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

         Contemplate

pg.72: Book 12: Marcus Aurelius

Contemplate the formative principles of things
bare of their coverings
-Purpose of Actions
-What Pain is
-What Pleasure is
-Death and Fame
-Who is to himself the cause of uneasiness
-How no man is hindered by another
-That everything is Opinion!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

What nobody told you about financial freedom

 

What nobody told you about financial freedom
Matt Hasig : Reasons to stay alone

The world is increasingly designed to depress us.
Happiness is not very good for the economy!
"If we were happy with what we have
Why would we need more?
If we don't need more,
Who will buy the anti-aging cream?
Who will buy the new watch model?
Who will watch the new TV soap opera?
Who shall buy the new smartphone?

The trick the marketeer plays is on happiness- or precisely the lack of it
They all stuff to make us happy!
Fraudsters!
As if our lives depended on them
And if we don't buy we would end in despair

We are led to make financial plans for 20-30 years ahead
But are not made aware of simple truths
Simplicity, frugality, and patience
Life is exactly this - everything outside of stuff and advertising
Focus on enough- Money, Food and Possessions
That itself is financial freedom!

Authors

Matt Hasig       

 

How to avoid miscognition

Charlie Munger

Have a system, follow the system, REfine the system

Communication :
Who has to do what, When, Where, and Why?

Decision Making:
Use the decision trees approach for decision making

Problem Solving:
Use the inversion approach heavily!

Create Checklists:

Authors

Charlie Munger       

How to be alive?

Maria Popova Blog

It's not familiarity, but the comparison that breeds contempt;
So don't compare!

You think that I have a right to receive;
No - don't feel that
Be grateful - and wonder about
Becoming worthy to receive them!

Be Alive! -
In this life -
A brief interlude of consciousness
Between Chaos and Chaos
A life gifted by exquisite precision and punctuated by Chance

The recognition of this unbidden miracle of chance is the
Fundamental matter of meaning
And to awaken this miraculousness - and
Constantly reminding us of the meaning -

This Is the great creative challenge of Life!

Authors

Maria Popova       

 

         Mindset @ Work

“Your work is to Sit and Think” .. .Warren Buffet!

Start with Symptoms:
For every project:

Start/Identify symptoms that create Pain / PLeasure
Identify possible causes / of the Gap/Gain through the Thinking Time
What is happening that should not happen?
What is not happening that should happen?
Identify the most probable causes of the symptom - Pleasure /Pain
Write the assumptions
Find the solution
Write the second order consequence of implementing the solution
Create plan
Execute Plan
Measure the outcomes

As I do this, I am taking out emotion out of the equation and am able to focus on resolution through reasoning!

Authors

Keith J Cunningham       

process for creating concept visual

 

Keane Angel - LinkedIn

Understand what it is you are visualizing
Sketch it out on paper with basic shapes first
get your basic design down
Edit for beautiful, simple, scannable and directional

Authors

Keane Angel       

 

A man superior in character!

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations - pg.42

How do you know if Telagues was not superior in character to Socrates?

For its not enough if Socrates died a more noble death
or if he debated more skillfully
or passed the cold night with more endurance
or he refused the King's orders deeming it nobler
or he walked with a swagger on the streets!
None of them make Socrates Superior!

rather we ought to enquire
what kind of soul that Socrates possessed
if he was able to be content
with Just towards others
and pious towards Gods
not feeling idle or vexed
not making him a slave to others' ignorance!
refusing a strange anything that fell to his share
out of the universal
nor enduring it as intolerable
nor falling into effects of miserable flesh!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

Wipe out your imaginations

Marcus Aurelius: pg.46: Book 8

Wipe out your imaginations
by often saying to thyself,

 it is in my power to let no badness be in this soul!
neitherr desire 

nor perturbation at all!

but look at all the things I see
what is their Nature
and I use each according to the value
remember this power which you have from Nature!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

Order your life

 

Marcus Aurelius : pg.46 : Book 8 : Meditations

It is your duty to order your life
in every single act
and if every act does its duty,
as far as possible
Be Content
and nobody shall hinder you so that each act
shall not do its Duty

but something external will stand in the way
nothing will stand in the way of you
acting justly, soberly, and considerately

but perhaps some other power may hinder you
but by acquiescing the hindrance - 

and by being content  to transfer the efforts to that which is allowed

another opportunity is put before you in place
of that which was hindered!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

Do not disturb your life!

Marcus Aurelius - Book 8: pg.47

Do not disturb yourself
by thinking the whole of your life
let not your thoughts embrace all the troubles
that you may expect to befall you

But on every occasion - ask yourself-
what is there in this - which is intolerable?

for you will be ashamed to confess!
next,        remember that neither past nor the future - pains you
but only the present

but this is reduced to very little if you circumscribe it
and chide your mind, if it's unable to hold out against this!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

On Pain

pg.47: meditations: Book 8 : Stoic 6 Pack

If you take away thy opinion
that which appears to give you pain
you will stand in perfect security

Do it through the power of Reason

But you are saying -"I am not reason"
Hmmm...
Let then the reason itself not trouble itself

but if any other part of you - suffers-
let it not have an opinion about itself!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

Impressions:

Label them:

This is smell - good / bad
This is Taste : good / bad
This is Sound : melody /noise
This is vision : good / bad
This is Touch  : good / bad

analyze the impressions
and then label them
Then Judge/Opine
Then Act

Authors

mukund       

 

         Dont be surprised!

pg.45 : stoic 6 pack : Marcus Aurelius

Whomsoever you meet - immediately ask yourself
what opinions has this person about good and bad
- with respect to pleasure and pain and causes of each
- with respect to fame and ignominy
-and with respect to life and death

SHE HAS SUCH AND SUCH OPINIONS
then it will be neither wonderful or strange to you
if they do such and such things
and I shall bear in mind that she is compelled to do so!

remember that - it is a shame to be surprised!
if the fig tree produces figs
Universe produces wonder
or physician to be surprised if a man has a fever
or helmsman to be surprised if the wind is unfavorable!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

On Impressions

 

pg.45 : stoic 6 pack

Marcus Aurelius

Constantly and if possible,
on the occasion of every impression on the soul
apply to it - the principles of Physic, of Ethic , Dialectic
and Stoic, Yogic, Vedic and Upanishadic Principles

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

Wants

@coldwriter

"if you don't know what you want
you'll end with a lot you don't"

My notes:
Use the principle of inversion :
if you don't know what you want
start eliminating - what you don't want

Make some room!

Authors

@coldwriter

Moral Character

pg.42 : Book seven : marcus Aurelius

the perfection of moral character consists in this:
In passing everyday as the last
in being neither violently excited
nor lethargic
nor playing the hypocrite

when you have done a good act and
another received it
why do you look for a third thing

 besides these - as fools do-
either to have reputation of having done a good act
or to obtain a return?

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

Dealing with Pain

pg.42 Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

In every pain, let this thought be present
there is no dishonor in it;
nor does it make the governing intelligence worse!
for it does not damage rational intelligence!

As Epicurus said: Pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting
Pain has its limits
as long as you add nothing to it
by your own imagination!

pain is something you can compare to:
excessive drowsiness, scorching heat, or having no appetite!

Remember the above: as you are about to yield to Pain!

Authors

Epicurus

Marcus Aurelius

 

Be not perturbed!

pg.44 Stoic 6 pack - Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

be not perturbed!
for all things are according to Nature - of Universe
and in a bit of time - you will be nobody and nowhere!
Like Hadrian and Augustus

Next time around
having fixed eyes steadily on your business
also remember that its your duty to be a good man
which is to be
Just, temperate, courageous, and Free!
and speak as it seems to you!
with good disposition, modesty, and without hypocrisy

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

Common Nature

pg.44 Book Eight - meditations

We are all part of Nature
just as the Nature of the leaf is part of the Nature of the Plant

The nature of Man is part of the whole nature of Intelligence
and like a leaf of the plant
we are given portions -according to to-
Worth, times, substance, cause, Activity

So examine not to compare anything with any other
but by taking all parts together of one thing
and comparing all parts together of another!

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

 

No time to read!

Book 8 : Marcus Aurelius : Meditations

you may not have leisure or ability to read
but you have leisure or ability to check arrogance
you have leisure to be superior to pleasure or pain
you have leisure to be superior to love of fame
and not be vexed at people
let no man any longer - find fault with life -

 Others or their own!     

 

The Thing and Pleasure

Stoic 6 Pack - pg,44 - Book 8

No such man would repent having refused
any sensual pleasure
Pleasure is neither good nor useful

Ask then yourself !
this thing that raises the sensual pleasure in me
what is it in itself? in its own constitution
what is its substance and material?
and what is its causal nature?
and what is it doing in the World?
and how long does it subsist?

Authors

Marcus Aurelius       

you're just a tiny speck

 

@Tim Urban

the last stars will die out 120 trillion years from now
followed by 10^106 years of just black-holes

condense that - its like universe - life - 1 secs of stars
and then followed by
a billion, billion, billion, billion, billion,billion years
of just black holes

stars are basically immediate after-effects of Big-bang
1 second of the sizzle of brightness
before settling into eternal darkness
we live in that one bright second!

@KunalShah:

After repeated attempts by NASA to make us believe we are insignificant, most people retain the ability to think they’re the centre of the universe.

Authors

Tim Urban @waitbutwhy       

@kunalshah

Jeff Bezos Letters Summary

1. focus on customers - obsess
2. be afraid of your customers
3. plant seeds and wait
4. Think long-term
5. Think exponential
6. Work Long, Hard, Smart
7. Hire the best
8. Pay to Quit
9. Make the right decisions -
1-way door - be deliberate
2-way door - be quick
10. failure is feedback
11. Problem over results
12. Cash is King
13. be Day 1 company!

Authors

Jeff Bezos