1. Morning Contemplation
🎧 Prefer to listen? The audio version is below.
Good morning.
In one of his many lessons, the ancient Stoic teacher Epictetus counselled his students on the art of talking.
He essentially encouraged them to be more discerning, to say only what’s necessary and in a few words.
We can learn from this too. The more we talk, the more diluted our point of view becomes. The less we listen, the less we learn. Better to take a more balanced, attentive approach.
Above all, Epictetus said, don’t talk too much about other people in blame, compliment, or comparison.
In other words, limit your gossip. Limit all those precarious judgments we form and then scatter gun out into the world where we don’t know what consequences they might cause.
Massimo Pigliucci comments on this advice in Live Like a Stoic:
Most of the time we simply don’t know enough about others to arrive at judgments about their character or actions. And even if we did, what others do is their business, not ours. We should be focused on improving ourselves, because that’s the locus of our control.
Gossip is often formed in haste. It’s a quick conclusion about a person’s character that’s then passed on to the nearest ear. That momentum continues until someone is inclined to examine the evidence.
Do we need to spread blame around? Comparisons? Even compliments?
There will be occasions when each of these could be justified, yes. But if a person gets a reputation for gossiping, how seriously is their blame, comparison, or compliment then taken?
What’s more, we don’t know other people’s motives. We can only judge actions based on what we think a person’s intentions were. It’s easy to get this mixed up: bad outcomes might have had good aims, and vice versa.
As Pigliucci puts it, our locus of control encompasses only ourselves. That’s where our focus should lie. Our intentions, our actions, what we say.
Because every time we open our mouths, we reveal a little more about our own character.
2. Meditation
Find a comfortable and safe spot. Sit or lie down. Let yourself breathe.
🎧 Play the audio below for a short, guided meditation based on today’s contemplation.
