October 25th, 2021
What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self-determining? For wealth doesn't, neither does high-office, state or kingdom—rather, something else must be found … in the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live.
This is a question I have been examining in the last few years both religiously and philosophically. What is the best use of my time in this world?
Epictetus asks what gives a person the power or freedom to control their own life (living). Wealth? High position in life? Government? Nope!
Epictetus tells us it is knowledge of how to live that allows the freedom of living.
The authors of "The Daily Stoic" point out that Stoicism teaches we have two essential tasks in life.
Two tasks should be easy, but life is never easy (for me anyways). The problem is distraction. It is difficult for me to focus on one task for long periods of time as I am easily distracted. This distraction is more often a waste of my time and "a squandering of my potential".
For myself, I need to learn to be a good steward of my time. One tool that has helped, but has not become a habit, is journaling. When I actively journal, I list my tasks and try complete as many during that day as possible. The tasks left are either moved to another day or removed completely.
Regrettably, my current season of life is full of distractions. We live in an era that provides us current world news as it occurs. An era where we have almost unlimited streaming content available. Today, we can occupy our hours with puzzles and first person shooters on our handheld devices. While these are all fantastic life amenities, these can all be huge life distractions.
Again I ask "What is the best way to make the most of my life in this world?"
Start by just being a good person. Follow the Golden Rule. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you …" Matthew 7:12.
Build on the Golden Rule by learning to make the most of the opportunities provided to us. Master your time wisely. Comprehend when to serve and when the correct response to serve is the answer "no".
Once we learn to best manage our daily lives efficiently, we begin to master how to live.