Sharing what I have learned from what I have read: A blog by Joe Abittan
In Letters From a Stoic Seneca encourages us to avoid living a life that is motivated by material possessions. He encourages us to recognize times when we desire more and more comforts and pleasures in our lives and to remember that we will never be satisfied with our things, and will always desire more. An … Continue reading Roughing It
"Nature's wants are slight; the demands of opinion are boundless," writes Seneca in Letters From a Stoic. Nature is indifferent to humans. The world exists and life exists upon it, but the world doesn't seem worried about what life flourishes, how it flourishes, and what life does. It simply carries on and life must react … Continue reading The Bounds of Opinion
Just Bacon nominated me for a Sunshine Blogger Award. This is a fun little informal award between WordPress bloggers. Go check out her blog! The Rules for Sunshine Blogger Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to him/her. Answer the 11 questions provided by the blogger who nominated you. Nominate 11 … Continue reading Sunshine Blogger Award – Thanks to Just Bacon
I was reading an political science paper in an academic journal last night and came across a sentence that really stood out to me. The paper focused on the staffers who work for members of congress and whether they held accurate views of the constituents represented by the member of congress that they worked for. … Continue reading Egocentric Bias
A frustrating thing about humanity is that we get tired of what we have pretty quickly. A new house, a new job, a new car all become part of our normal and fade to the background just a short time after we have them. The newness of the thing and the excitement it makes us … Continue reading Desires
Fernando Pessoa was a Portugese writer in the 1930's. I'm not sure if he was really involved with politics at all, but in The Book of Disquiet he had a short passage that I think describes politicians well. He writes, "The government of the world begins in ourselves. It is not the sincere who govern … Continue reading Pessoa on Politicians
In Letters From a Stoic a passage from Seneca reads, "How noble it is to be contented and not to be dependent upon fortune." Something I find myself returning to all the time is the idea that I am fine and complete on my own, without needing external validation from someone else to tell me … Continue reading Being Content Without a Great Fortune
I think we need to do a lot more coaching with young people, starting early in high school, to discuss careers, ambitions, goals, and what the world is going to expect from young people once they leave high school or college and begin to enter the work force. In the United States, once we complete … Continue reading Blind Desires
Do you actually enjoy the things that you have? Have you become accustomed to the things in your life and do you even notice them? Does your stuff frustrate you and do you worry over your stuff? Are you living in a way where the things that you have are an aid to your life … Continue reading Seneca on Riches
Our society is all about disruption. I am writing this from Reno, Nevada, a city heavily influenced by San Francisco and Silicon Valley tech culture. Today number of Silicon Valley firms are spilling into Northern Nevada to take advantage of our great weather, beautiful outdoors, and minimal traffic. Along with theses firms comes the mindset … Continue reading The Disruptiveness of Political Amateurs