YouTube, Pinterest and bookstores (Fully Booked and NBS) are my little oases of mindful distraction. When things get unbearably boring and uninspired, I reach for a cup of peppermint tea and escape into the rabbit hole of cottage core lifestyle videos, dark academia music playlists, classical literature and aesthetic Japanese cakes and cookies on Pinterest. Sometimes, I go on a bookstore run to get intentionally star-struck by famous or popular books that I see online. I often wince at how expensive imported books could get. Books at Fully Booked are quite pricey but if you understand the economics behind having to buy a hard-to-find title at Amazon and paying for shipping fee that's more expensive than the book itself, you'd say buying from a brick and mortar store makes more financial sense. Books don't come cheap these days but inspiration is priceless. Anyway, I digress.
Last weekend, I was on the hunt for Lucius Seneca's Letters from a Stoic. It's a book club recommendation from this Youtube channel that I follow. Luckily, I did find the paperback version at a student-friendly price. I have a Kindle version of this book but like any bibliophile, I want the paper version in my hands. Seneca's Letters from a Stoic is a must-read book for a philosophy inclined soul or for a drifter lost in the limbo of life. If you find your moral compass weakening, this book will straighten you out and give you that much-needed whack in the ass.
Inspired by the works of ancient philosophers, Accepting the Universe is a vlog that explores philosophic ideals that resonate with the modern world. The person behind the vlog is handsome, nameless intellectual reputed to be a talented film maker. I am drawn towards his refined, soft spoken demeanor and sharp intellect. He has explored a myriad of topics of life changing implications. Devoid of any annoying life coach sensibilities, he simply speaks about wisdom distilled from the ages and shares them with viewers. He is heavily influenced by Seneca and Epictetus, ancient philosophers whose writings I need to get re-acquainted with. Somewhere in his talks, I was able to remember a couple of quotations on the meaning of life and how to remain simple in world awash with materialism and excess.
1. "The meaning of life is to give life meaning."- Viktor Frankl2. "Hunger is cheap, the palate is expensive." -Seneca
I have never been the type to ruminate over the profound sayings of dead, white men (especially those German dudes). However, in this age of anxiety and confusion, their wisdom and precepts reassuringly hold water than silly Internet rhetorics that poke fun at postmodernist ideals.
Accepting the universe is just what the doctor ordered. Take the good with the shitty. I've officially reached mid-life and whether I like it or not, I get hit with existential questions bouncing from all directions. It's reassuring to know that despite my erstwhile mid-life angst and existentialist whinings, there's something like Letters from a Stoic to provide perspective and guidance.
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