Reading & the Good Life
Join the conversation! Reading & the Good Life is a space for connection, contemplation, and conversations on the art of living. We are taking a Summer break from our weekly meetups for June and July this year.
Below is a short Summer Reading List, along with a few selected passages from the Reading & the Good Life archive.
Summer Reading List
There are only two books on the list, and both are biographies, a genre we have yet to explore. Although we won’t meet weekly to discuss, I encourage you to join me; we’ll chat about these books (and reconnect) in August!
1. The Seven Story Mountain (June)
The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton (1915—1968) is a unique spiritual autobiography recognized as one of our time's most influential religious works. It tells of the growing restlessness of a brilliant and passionate young man who, at the age of twenty-six, takes vows in one of the most demanding Catholic orders—the Trappist monks. As some might remember, Merton’s classic work, New Seeds of Contemplation, was the first book we explored for Reading & the Good Life.
2. Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor (July)
Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor by Donald J. Robertson (a previous podcast guest) is a new biography on the life and philosophy of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE). In his latest book, Donald draws extensively on Marcus’s own Meditations and explores the role of Stoicism in shaping his response to the threat of civil war, the treatment of Christians under his rule, and much more.
Selected Passages
The following passages are from previous books we’ve explored: (1) New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton and (2) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. As you read the passages below, consider reflecting on the following questions:
(1) How can you begin to embody these lessons in daily life?
(2) What might stand in the way of implementing these ideas?
(3) How can the following insights help you to live the good life?
Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish, or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude of the contemplative experience awakens a tragic anguish and opens many questions in the depths of the heart, like wounds that cannot stop bleeding. For every gain in deep certitude, there is a corresponding growth of superficial “doubt.” This doubt is by no means opposed to genuine faith, but it mercilessly examines and questions the spurious “faith” of everyday life, the human faith, which is nothing but the passive acceptance of conventional opinion. […]
— Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
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Do external things distract you? Then make time for yourself to learn something worthwhile; stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions. But make sure you guard against the other kind of confusion. People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are wasting their time—even when hard at work. […]
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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There is actually no more dangerous solitude than that of the man who is lost in a crowd, who does not know he is alone, and who does not function as a person in a community either. He does not face the risks of true solitude or its responsibilities, and at the same time, the multitude has taken all other responsibilities off his shoulders. Yet he is by no means free of care; he is burdened by the diffuse, anonymous anxiety, the nameless fears, the petty itching lusts, and the all-pervading hostilities that fill mass society the way water fills the ocean. […]
— Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
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You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think. If the gods exist, then to abandon human beings is not frightening; the gods would never subject you to harm. And if they don’t exist or don’t care what happens to us, what would be the point of living in a world without gods or Providence? But they do exist, and they do care what happens to us and everything a person needs to avoid real harm they have placed within him. If there was anything harmful on the other side of death, they would have made sure that the ability to avoid it was within you. If it doesn’t harm your character, how can it harm your life? […]
— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
J.W. Bertolotti
P.S. As always, feel free to comment, ask questions, or suggest future reads!