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📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 143. Why is it that we can fully grasp the dichotomy of control—know exactly where the line lies and what belongs to us and what doesn't—and still find ourselves reaching across it?  Today, we’re revisiting one of Stoicism's most essential ideas, this time with Epictetus as our guide and a little help from Buddhist philosophy, to hopefully answer that question once and for all. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 142. “The longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.14 Take a moment to reflect on today’s passage. Let the logic of it settle before you try to follow it. Marcus Aurelius is making a claim that sounds almost too simple to be worth saying: the person who lives ninety years and the person who lives thirty lose exactly the same thing when they die.  Not less. Not more. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 141. “And so I commanded myself to live. For sometimes it is an act of bravery even to live.” — Seneca, Moral Letters, 78.2Sit with that. Not die bravely. Not endure bravely. Live bravely. Seneca writes these words to his friend Lucilius from the middle of an illness. Not from recovered health, looking back with the perspective of someone who has already overcome it. From within it—sleepless and worn down by something as mundane as chronic congestion. The kind of suffering that has no grandeur, no battlefield glory, no clear narrative arc.  Just a body that keeps failing, in small and draining ways, day after day. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 140. Happy Easter to everyone celebrating this weekend! Today's meditation sits inside this season deliberately. We are going to spend some time with two men who refused to look away from death: a Roman emperor writing alone in his journal, and a sixth-century monk writing rules for living. Both believed that keeping death close was not pessimism but rather the beginning of wisdom. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 139. The alarm goes off. You reach for your phone. Not because you need to—just because it’s there.  Nothing urgent. Nothing necessary. And when you finally get up, the pull remains. Not toward stillness—but toward more stimulation. More noise. More distraction. This is the quiet pattern of most days: not crisis, not collapse—just a gradual movement away from what matters. It usually happens in two directions. Idleness and indulgence. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 138. Most conflicts begin with a story we tell ourselves. “They meant to insult me.” “They knew this would hurt.” “They’re trying to undermine me.” The mind fills in motives. In seconds, the event feels personal, intentional, and almost malicious. Once that story takes hold, anger seems justified. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius interrupts that story with a different question. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 137. The boxes are packed. The room echoes. The keys are handed over.  Something stable disappears, and suddenly the life that made sense yesterday no longer exists today. And the question appears, quietly but insistently: Where do I belong now? This is the problem Musonius Rufus addresses when he speaks about exile. And unlike many philosophers, he knew the subject firsthand. A first-century Stoic teacher—and mentor to Epictetus—Musonius was exiled more than once by Roman emperors who distrusted his influence.  He lost position, stability, and home. Yet he insisted: exile is not evil. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 136. You don’t need a skull on your desk or a Latin motto in your bio to practice memento mori. Montaigne, a sixteenth-century philosopher influenced by the Stoics, treats mortality as a human issue rather than a rare or dramatic event. He removes death from the category of “special occasions” and places it where it truly belongs: within everyday life. Montaigne famously relies on the old saying that “to philosophize is to learn to die.” But his goal isn’t to make you morbid—it’s to make you less influenced by fear. He argues (again and again) that much of what we call “living” is really just avoidance: constant busyness, constant delay, constant mental bargaining. We postpone the hard conversation. We postpone the creative work. We postpone courage. We postpone rest. We even postpone joy. Remembering death is a way of interrupting the postponement. [...] ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 135. Most people build happiness like a house on sand—on approval, outcomes, comfort, and conditions. It looks solid when the weather is calm. But when circumstances change—as they always do—the foundation gives way. Seneca insists the mistake is not bad luck, but bad architecture. “You ask me what is the foundation of a happy life?” he writes. And his answer is not comfort, success, or favorable fortune. It is internal: “a soul that is strong, upright, under control.” Not a life without trouble—but a soul that can meet trouble without being diminished by it. Happiness, in this Stoic sense, isn't a mood you just fall into when things go well. It's a foundation—a way of constructing a life that doesn't fall apart when circumstances change. ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 134. We've all been there, someone interrupts you mid-sentence. The moment is small, almost forgettable—yet something tightens inside. A warmth in the chest. A quiet bracing in the jaw. The urge to correct, to defend, to be seen as right. It all happens before a single clear thought forms. And already, a choice is waiting to be made. This is the moment Seneca is speaking about. Anger enters the body before it reaches the mind. The breath shortens. The muscles tense up. A story starts to form rapidly: “They disrespected me. This is unfair. I must respond.” Before we fully realize it, the moment feels charged with necessity. Action feels urgent. Silence feels like surrender. ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Dying Every Day, I’m joined by my good friend Brandon Tumblin (The Strong Stoic Newsletter) for a casual chat on the fundamentals of Stoicism. We explore practical ways to apply Stoic philosophy in daily life and reflect on life's greater purpose and the Stoic commitment to building a just society. Key Takeaways Virtue is the only true goodThe dichotomy of controlBuilding a just societyPractical tools for life’s challenges---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Dying Every Day, we explore the ancient wisdom behind money, prosperity, and the search for a good life. Drawing on Seneca’s teaching that 'the proper limit to a person’s wealth is first having what is essential, and second, having what is enough,' we examine why chasing more never brings contentment—and why living according to nature frees us from endless craving. With insights from Boethius, who reminds us that fortune’s gifts are always temporary, this meditation invites you to rethink your relationship with money, success, and security. Rather than fearing its loss or worshiping its presence, the Stoics show us how to hold prosperity lightly, use it wisely, and root our peace in the one form of wealth no one can steal: our character, our choices, and our inner clarity. If you’re looking for a deeper, saner way to think about money and happiness—this meditation is for you. ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Dying Every Day, we explore the Stoic idea that virtue is a skill—something practiced, not merely understood. Drawing especially on the teachings of Musonius Rufus, the “Roman Socrates,” we look at why the Stoics believed that philosophy must be lived like an athlete trains: through repetition, effort, and real-world tests. With insights from Aristotle, Epictetus, and William James, this meditation shows how character is shaped not by what we admire or read, but by the choices we make every day—especially when they are difficult. You’ll learn why theory without practice does nothing to change us, and how small, daily actions form the habits that define who we become. If you want to train your character, not just think about it—this is your guide. ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this meditation, we explore Seneca’s powerful teaching on emotional freedom and the art of holding your self-worth within—not in the shifting opinions of others. Seneca writes: “The wise man is invulnerable to insult… He stands above both the applause and the condemnation of the crowd, for he has placed his esteem within his own soul, where honor is incorruptible and peace undisturbed.” Most of us rise and fall with praise and criticism. A compliment lifts us, an insult wounds us, and other people’s opinions quietly dictate our mood. Seneca offers a different path—one rooted in inner stability, clarity, and self-governance. Drawing on a well-known Buddhist teaching about refusing an insult as one would an unwanted gift, and insights from modern psychology on developing an internal source of self-worth, this meditation explores how to become less reactive and more grounded in one's own principles. ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts

📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this meditation, we explore one of Seneca’s most profound teachings on wealth, desire, and freedom: “You ask what is the proper limit to a person’s wealth? First, having what is essential; second, having what is enough. If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor. If you shape it according to opinion, you will never be rich.”Seneca reminds us that poverty is not measured by what we lack, but by what we crave. True wealth, he says, is found not in accumulation, but in sufficiency — in the quiet realization that we already have what is needed to live well. Drawing on both Stoic and Epicurean wisdom, this reflection explores how simplicity leads to serenity, and how reducing our desires brings more peace than satisfying them ever could. As Epicurus wrote, “If you wish to make someone rich, do not add to his money, but subtract from his desires.” Expect to learn: How to distinguish nature’s needs from opinion’s endless wantsWhy craving more leads to dependence, not freedomHow ancient philosophy offers a timeless cure for modern restlessnessPractical ways to practice the art of enough in everyday lifeThe Stoics and Epicureans both understood this truth: wealth is not the possession of many things, but the mastery of desire. When we stop measuring life by what’s missing, we discover that the cup is already full. ---   🖇️ Stay Connected:  Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations---  🦉 Additional Resources:  Explore the Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archiveListen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts