Perennial Meditations

Are you on the path to becoming who you truly are? The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson believed, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”  If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium or check out our YouTube Channel . Follow P...

How do we know virtue is the only good?  Although the Stoics and Epicureans agreed on finding tranquility in life, they differed drastically on the topic of virtue. In Letter 76 , titled Only the honorable is good , Seneca wrote, This is called virtue; this is the honorable and the sole good of the human being. Since only reason perfects a human, only reason makes him perfectly happy. But that by...

Is there any greater wisdom than the ability to adapt? The poet Goethe said, “Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” The greatest thinkers throughout history have all stressed the wisdom of change. In his Meditations , Marcus Aurelius wrote, "Is someone afraid of change? Well, what can ever come to be without change?" [...] If you're interested i...

What if regrets are inevitable? According to the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, regret is entirely unavoidable. In Either/Or: A Fragment of Life , Kierkegaard explained, "I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations — one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it — you will regret both." [...] If you're intereste...

"All I know is that I know nothing, and I’m not even sure about that, said the philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592). Montaigne was said to have adopted these words as a mantra for life. In his more than one hundred Essays , Montaigne covered topics connected mainly to the question of — How to Live . [...] If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient less...

In his classic On Becoming a Person , the psychologist Carl Rogers wrote, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Why are we so prone to see self-improvement as the path instead of self-acceptance? [...] If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium or check out...

To the question, what's the most important decision we make?  Kierkegaard explained, "The thing is to understand myself: the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die. That is what I now recognize as the most important thing." Similarly, in Letters from a Stoic , Seneca urged Lucilius, “Adopt once and for all a single rule to live b...

Are you truly thinking for yourself? According to the philosopher Montaigne, “Each man is a good education to himself, provided he can spy on himself from close up.” [...] If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the PERENNIAL publication on Medium or check out our YouTube Channel . Follow Perennial Leader Project: Twitter: twitter.com...

What if finding happiness is more accessible than we realize? What if the path to a happy life isn’t a path at all? According to Leo Tolstoy, “The most important advice I could give, that which I considered to be the most useful to the men of our century, I should simply say: in the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you.” [...] If you're interested in a deeper dive, you...

What comes to mind when you hear the word virtue? For some, it can feel outdated or old-fashioned. Virtue (or arete ) translates to excellence or moral virtue. The notion of excellence connects with living up to one’s full potential or the highest good ( summum bonum ). Plato identified the four cardinal virtues with the character of a good city as described in The Republic. According to Plato, “C...

How does the realization of the speed of change (or impermanence) influence our daily lives? In Meditations , Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Reflect often on the speed with which all things in being, or coming into being, are carried past and swept away.” The fundamental truth of impermanence exists in nearly every wisdom tradition. In Fragments , the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus wrote, "The...

Where is your path of self-improvement leading you? Are you confident you're heading towards the highest good? In a letter to Lucilius, known today as Our mind’s godlike potential , Seneca wrote, “There is but one good, and that is both the cause and the mainstay of happiness: trust in oneself.” According to Seneca, "Complete virtue consists of the evenness and steadiness of a life in ha...

Where do you go to find inner peace? The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius suggested people often seek retreat in the country, by sea, and in the hills, and even he is prone to this yearning. What if we don’t need to go anywhere to find peace? In Book IV of Meditations , Marcus wrote, "But all this is quite unphilosophic, when it is open to you, at any time you want, to retreat into yourself. No...

In this episode, I share a short reflection on How to Be Free - According to Epictetus What does it mean to be free? According to the slave-turned Stoic philosopher Epictetus, if you make peace with all things that are beyond your power, refusing to fight them, you will be invincible. [...] If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read articles on ancient lessons for modern life at the...

In this episode, I share a short reflection on The Wisdom of Solitude. How might your life change if you adopted the practice of solitude? According to the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, learning to be alone is a path to peace and connection (one of life's many paradoxes). Merton wrote, "The person who fears to be alone will never be anything but lonely." [...] If you're interes...

In this episode, I share a short reflection on The Wisdom of Experience. How does one become wise? How does wisdom differ from knowledge? Leonardo Da Vinci says, “wisdom is the daughter of experience.” The philosopher Lao Tzu suggested, “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.” But, does wisdom only come by way of experience and age? If you're int...

In today’s episode, I’m sharing a short reading from Meditations 2.1 by Marcus Aurelius. We’ve been putting together some selected readings for our new YouTube channel , and I thought I would share one here. These readings are in the spirit of Lectio Divina (or divine reading) which is a way to read, reflect, respond, and rest with a particular passage. As always, I thank you for listening and I h...

A consistent theme across philosophical and spiritual traditions is the ancient practice known as memento mori (Latin for remember you will die). The philosopher Montaigne called it a way to practice freedom. “We die every day, for every day some part of life is taken from us,” wrote Seneca in a letter to Lucilius. In a letter known today as An Epicurean on his deathbed , Seneca stressed: “Philoso...

The philosopher Aristotle called “contemplation the highest form of activity and the most continuous” since we are more capable of continuous contemplation than other practical activities. Similarly, the theologian Thomas Aquinas said it was necessary for the perfection of human society that there should be people who devote their lives to contemplation. But, what is contemplation? [...] If you&ap...

We turn to Seneca for wisdom in this reflection. Specifically, the letter to Lucilius titled Daily Study and Practice . “No one can live a truly happy life, or even a bearable life, without philosophy,” wrote Seneca. Seneca explained, "While it is complete wisdom that renders a life happy, even to begin that study makes life bearable. But this realization must be confirmed and fixed more deep...

In today's episode, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend Kai Whiting (a familiar voice to some; he came on In Search of Wisdom Ep. #33 ). Kai is the co-author of the great book Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In . In the conversation, we primarily discuss the question: How do we know virtue is the only good? You can learn more about Kai and his work at StoicKai.com . If y...

In the letter known today as, On the Tranquility of Mind , Serenus explained, "I am neither sick nor well. My condition is not life-threatening and brings no real disruption. “I am not distressed by the storm but by the seasickness; so take me from whatever evil this is and come to my aid."   Seneca responded,  "For what you are longing for is a great thing and the highest achieveme...

Welcome back to The PERENNIAL podcast, today I’m sharing a conversation with my friend Simon Drew ( In Search of Wisdom Ep. #42 ). Simon is a poet, musician, photographer, and philosophical mentor. He’s the host of The Walled Garden podcast and the author of the new book The Poet & The Sage. In the conversation, we primarily discuss the wisdom of Seneca. You can learn more about Simon at thewa...

In this reflection, we explore Seneca's letter to Lucilius, known today as A Beneficial Reading Program . Seneca explained, “In my view, the first sign of a settled mind is that it can stay in one place and spend time with itself.”  Although Seneca applauds Lucilius, “I am becoming quite hopeful about you.” He warns against focusing on reading widely and makes a case for reading well. [...] I...

In this reflection, we turn to a letter to Lucilius titled — Taking Charge of Your Time . The letter begins with Seneca urging: “assert your own freedom.” According to Seneca, if we do not gather and guard our time, it will be taken away. He asks Lucilius to look closely and notice that life slips away from us when we are not attentive. If you're interested in a deeper dive, you can read arti...