Relationship with self

If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it. —Meditations 12.17

the self is no longer a subject but a project . The self is something to be optimised, to be maximised, to be made efficient, cultivated for its capacity for productive output. The worry is that all life activities become viewed as lines on a résumé. Knowingly or otherwise, we risk being constantly governed by the question How is what I’m doing

“That was all a man needed: hope. It was a lack of hope that discouraged a man.” — Charles Bukowski, “Factotum”

You may leave this life at any moment: have this possibility in your mind in all that you do or say or think. —Meditations 2.11

Sowohl Rituale als auch Herzensdinge sind Ruhepole des Lebens, die dieses stabilisieren. Wiederholungen zeichnen sie aus. Der Zwang der Produktion und des Konsums schafft Wiederholungen ab. Er entwickelt den Zwang zum Neuen. Auch Informationen sind nicht wiederholbar. Schon wegen ihrer schmalen Aktualitätsspanne bauen sie die Dauer ab. Sie

The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. —Meditations 5.16