One of the things I love to do is reading. I have been that way since I was a small child.
Life is so full of wonder and fascination that I am always open to the thoughts and interpretations of our world held by other people. I read the books others have written to gain insight and understanding of the fundamental questions of life, our existence, our sense of being, and how it all comes together in such a remarkable and nuanced way. There have been so many gifted and exceptional people throughout human history that it would be a shame to not spare some time to take in what they have to say.
I read on the train, in coffee shops, and in bars. I read on my phone (not social media!) when I am in an elevator. I read slouched across my bean bag in my backyard at home.
I look for any time during my day when I can steal some moments from my day-to-day work where I can open a book and read in peace and quiet. When most people my age are heading back to university for that next undergraduate degree or an MBA or slogging in the race to be some sort of senior executive manager, I refuse to follow this herd. I don't let any of them tell me that I ought to be going back, yet again, to university (I've got two degrees, surely no more?) as well or that I should be advancing myself towards a senior executive managerial role come my next employee performance assessment time.
Sorry, it's not for me. I simply can't live anyone else's life other than my own.
My spare time these days is limited. Between working, reading books, writing, and movies, learning Tantra, Reiki, mindfulness, self-improvement, spending time with family and friends, and focusing on what matters to me, I have to protect what little free time I have left.
The long and short of it is I don't have the time to do anything that I don't want to do or I don't enjoy doing. And I don't think I am the only one in that position. Like you, I want to spend my time doing what is meaningful to me.
There is this great line from the novel "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk (also made into a great movie in 1999 starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton): "This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time."
There is such an exquisite and limitless enigmatic world out there that we are all a part of. I cannot stress enough for all of us to stop, put down our phones and tablets and switch off the TV and social media, and take in our world, your world.
One of the books that helped me refocus my view on my life and the world was "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius.
Who was Marcus Aurelius?
Marcus Aurelius was emperor of ancient Rome from 161AD to 180AD. He is commonly regarded as one of the five "good" emperors of ancient Rome. As emperor, he faced almost constant warfare with barbarians on the empire's borders, internal civil war, a troubled marriage, and his ailing health. In the final decade of his life, he wrote a series of personal philosophies on self-improvement and how to be strong in the face of great adversity.
The Philosophy of Stoicism
Marcus Aurelius was a student of stoic philosophy. Stoicism deals with emotional intelligence, mind over matter, being tied to nature, and exercising philosophy through actions over words.
These are just a few of his many quotations:
"Say nothing untrue and do nothing unjust."
Meaning: This means exactly what he says. This is simple advice for life from a man who lived nearly 2000 years ago.
"Nowhere you can go is more peaceful, more free of interruptions, than your own soul."
Meaning: Imagine yourself as being like a deep lake. Whatever happens on the surface of your life, there will be many layers beneath. At the very bottom of the deep lake, there is nothing but silence, tranquillity, and serenity.
"At some point, you have to recognise what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don't use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return."
Meaning: Life is short and you don't have time to waste. People postpone their happiness to this elusive "future" that never arrives and never actually eventuates. You can't afford to waste time with people who don't value you. You can't afford to waste time working at a job you hate. You can't afford to waste time full stop.
"Is it your reputation that is bothering you? But look at how soon we are all forgotten. The abyss of endless time that swallows all. The emptiness of all those applauding hands."
Meaning: Who is going to care whether you made millions in business, had 20,000+ Twitter followers, or whether you dedicated your entire life to creating something of value and substantial? I can suggest which path I believe to be more meaningful, but my view of what you do means absolutely nothing compared to your own opinion of what you do.
Marcus Aurelius has much more to say in "Meditations". Do yourself a favour, pick up a copy, and read it often.
How to Apply These Lessons in Your Life
I will leave you with these thoughts…
The best way I can describe what reading has done for me is to recall the blue pill / red pill scene from "The Matrix".
You can choose to take the blue pill, not read anything, and live the same life you have always lived and believe whatever you want to believe.
Or you can take the red pill, and read everything you can get your hands on, and you will see an entirely new world materialise before your very eyes.
You will start to learn a few things, one of which is that nobody really knows anything about what is going on in the grand scheme of life and the universe, and we are all just kind of making things up that we feel are a good fit as we go along. At the end of the day, though, no one living or dead can lay any sort of claim to knowing the ultimate truth.
Life is full of contradictions, such as the fact that simultaneously, you are the single most important thing in the entire universe, and at the same time, no more significant than a single grain of sand on a beach.
Though our society and peer groups will try effortlessly to hammer each of us into some type of pre-made mould of what we are "meant to" be, the ultimate satisfaction is to be had by simply doing the best you can and having fun.
There is nothing any of us need to achieve or attain to please others…unless we want to.
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The information contained above is provided for entertainment purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice on your personal situation and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. The Writer and Shoshin Therapies disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
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