🖼️ 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 and wisdom to live your highest good.
📌 Perennial Reminder(s)
The Greek philosopher Chrysippus (c. 279—206 BC) on playing your part in the cosmos:
Just as the foot is made for a certain role in the body, so each person has a part to play in the cosmos. What matters is not the outcome but how well we fulfill our role. Whether fortune places us in a palace or in chains, we remain free if we act with virtue. True freedom is obedience to reason and nature. […]
Source: Discourses (via Epictetus)
📜 Perennial Maxim(s)
In the classic text The Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains to Arjuna the perils of expectations. He says, “You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward.”
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💡 Perennial Insight(s)
The American philosopher Martha Nussbaum on being open to the world:
To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control. It is to be capable of being wounded. The emotions are not enemies of reason but sources of insight. A just society is one that cultivates the capabilities of every person to flourish. Human dignity requires more than rights—it requires empathy. […]
Source: Upheavals of Thought (2003)
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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. Can you spot any links between these three ideas?