🖌️ Monday Muse
The Monday Muse is a weekly collection of reminders, insights, and maxims on the art of living. The term “muse” has two meanings: (1) a state of deep thought; and (2) a source of inspiration. May the following (in a small way) be a source of contemplation, insight, and wisdom to live your highest good.
You can listen to the Monday Muse on In Search of Wisdom each; the audio version includes a short clip from a previous episode:
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
📌 Perennial Reminder(s)
The author and philosopher Catherine Wilson (a previous podcast guest) on what makes life meaningful:
The most satisfying activities in life are those that substitute knowledge for ignorance and that bring order and beauty into the world, repairing damage and overcoming disorder. A life can be good in Epicurean terms, even if it does not involve achievements validated and rewarded by mainstream society or great sacrifices and struggles against worldly temptations. It is not necessary to conquer a country or to rise to the top of an organization. …
What makes life feel meaningful is doing what you are able to do to a certain standard that you set yourself, caring for those whom you like and love and being cared for by them. You can enjoy a gratifying sense of accomplishment that takes little or nothing away from other people. […]
Source: How to Be an Epicurean
📜 Perennial Maxim(s)
The Dutch philosopher Baruch de Spinoza on happiness:
The French writer Voltaire made a similar point: “The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood.” Strangely, we don’t always think about happiness (or moods) as a choice, but we should.
How can you remember to choose your mood wisely?
💡 Perennial Insight(s)
The author and philosopher Kieran Setiya (a previous podcast guest) on the virtue and art of hope:
What is hope, anyway? Philosophers have spilled some ink on this in recent years, and amid dissent, a broad consensus has emerged. Hope has elements of both desire and belief. To hope for something is, in part, to wish for it, in part, to see it as possible, though not inevitable. You don’t hope for what you don’t want. Nor do you hope for what is out of the question or what you’re sure is bound to happen. … Hope is a precondition of what matters: the pursuit of meaningful change. But that doesn’t make hope worthy in itself. […]
Source: Life is Hard (Listen to the audio version of this week’s Muse for a short clip from my conversation with Kieran Setiya.)
🎧 Latest Podcast(s)
***Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
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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
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