70 Comments

You're distracting me. I subscribed to your substack so you could do so. It was a goal that I be increasingly more distracted by Gurwinder, and less distracted by others, until there is no one but Gurwinders populating my social media feed. I am making progress. Stoicism feels within reach. I'll keep polishing.

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So good

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That figures! Behold the product of your thinking:

From the Earth to the Moon to “WUT”

https://onevoicebecametwo.life/2024/04/24/from-the-earth-to-the-moon-to-wut/

“Substack Is a Scam in the Same Way That All Media Is”

https://onevoicebecametwo.life/2023/12/02/substack-is-a-scam-in-the-same-way-that-all-media-is/

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I’ve been a pupil of Stoicism for years now, and this is the best introduction I’ve come across. Now whenever someone asks me what Stoicism’s all about, I’ll point them here. Thank you.

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This is the first time it actually hit me that Marcus Aurelius was making decisions and taking actions that affected the entire known world, at the same time that he was working on his character. He was cultivating detachment, but his daily life was as engaged as one can get. So he actually wrote a guide to sane activism. Thank you.

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Thanks Gurwinder. I appreciate this. As a Christian I have long recognized points of agreement with Stoicism. There is wisdom to be gleaned. You quote Marcus Aurelius', Meditations 5.16: "Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions". My George Long version says: "Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts". Bearing this in mind, consider Phil 4:8: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things". The Christian faith strongly encourages us to direct and compel our minds recognizing that our character and souls are shaped by what we give concentration to, by what we focus on, by what we contemplate, by what we allow to run through our minds. There is synergy here with Stoicism. Thanks again for the article and pointing us to this content.

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Agree with Steve Cardoso's earlier assessment as the best intro to Stoicism I've ever seen. Excellent presentation! I found it interesting to see the parallel between Stoicism's regard for anger/desire/anxiety and the three poisons of Buddhist lore: hate/greed/delusion. That kind of resonance and continuity between cultures and schools of thought is always encouraging in our evolution toward a Whole humanity!

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Gurwinder! Quit it! I’m married! You’ve always engaged my mind but now you’re stealing my heart too! This is just so excellent. Seriously! Quit it! ☺️ But don’t. We all need more of this, more of you, more of minds like you today more than ever.

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Well done. My favorite from Meditations, which could help many in this hyper-depressed world: “I am unhappy, because this has happened to me.” Not so: say, “I am happy, though this has happened to me, because I continue free from pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future.”

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Saved! Keep writing Gur.

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So many good references in here. Your reading cadence is great, it inspires me to record my own. Thanks for these.

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I just read it. Thanks for it, very informative.

Desire. Is it about possession of tangible things? What if one desire to aquire skills and knowledge? 🤔

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Human life is gradually turning from a struggle against starvation into a struggle against addiction

Jesus Christ this is so succinct of everything I have been saying to my partner lately. masterful.

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Great read, but I feel stoicism won’t help the majority of the population who are easily distracted as they won’t be able to read this entire article. But definitely think it should be the goal that everyone should aspire to.

Became a paid subscriber last week too as your work is super important and deserves support. Keep it up.

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Excellent! I’ve been trying to live my life this way and never knew there was a name for it. My oldest daughter and I enjoy sharing ideas and principles we read about that we choose to shape our lives by and your article is now among them. Thank you! Next is reading Marcus Aurelius.

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Wow! I’m blown away! Thank you for this! I have always known about stoicism but have never read such a succinct and practical explanation of how it can be applied to modern life . As I’ve gotten older, I have been searching for ways to grow in my soul, to live a more meaningful and productive life, and to be a positive influence on those around me. This has given me so much to think about! Thanks again.

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Just found this Substack and I’m absolutely blown away. Thanks

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I’m a recent convert interested in Stoicism - great intro.

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