Futurelawyer

It's Monday Morning. Do You Know Where You Are And Why?

Why I Go To Work On Monday Morning.

I admire Clint Eastwood. I don't have a lot of rules; but, I like his. It is pretty simple, really. Want to live a good life? 

The Law Of Unintended Consequences.

The Stoics teach that we should "Amor Fati", or love our Fate. Because, in life, events will happen to us that may seem problematic at first; but, sometimes, turn out to be blessings in disguise. There is no rational purpose in worrying about these things, as they are not in our control. Likewise, attempting to change the behavior of other people is a fool's errand. Isn't it enough that we control our own behavior? Why are we so concerned with how other people live or react. As a case in point, I show this photograph of some women who wanted other people to stop drinking alcohol. I don't know about you; but, this photo would only compel me to buy a drink. I want a drink right now, in fact.

There Is No Such Thing As Normal, Therefore There Can Be No "New Normal".

What Is Normal Anyway? I get it. We all have the urge to classify our Pandemic experience in terms of "when do we get back to normal?" or "I guess this is the new normal?" or some other statement about our everyday lives and experiences. But, consider that every new day brings challenges and joys. Every new day is another opportunity to find happiness, if we choose it. It really doesn't matter whether you are risking your health, or not, or wearing a mask, or not, or staying home more, or not. It really doesn't matter if you have to stand in line for hours to get a vaccine that may, or may not work. I can choose joy under any circumstances. That is my super power. And, it is a super power that each of us possesses. Whether we use it is up to us. That, in itself, makes me joyous to be alive today. I don't want normal. I don't want things to "go back to normal". I want to find ways to smile and enjoy this day. What will you choose?

So, Tell Me Why You Want To Live To A Ripe Old Age?

We are all taking more precautions these days. If you are over Seventy, you are said to be at risk from the COVID 19 virus, and might die if you get it. But, do we want to live in a tiny cocoon in our homes for the rest of our lives? Count me out. I will take reasonable precautions, but I will live my life. I won't regret anything when I die. I live each day in the best way I can. What's your plan?

Live Every Day As A Roman.

There is too much shirking of responsibility in our world. We are not responsible for others. We are responsible for ourselves and our own choices. Marcus Aurelius had more power than any man in the world. He recognized that his power was useless, however, and that it was transient. Why, then, do so many men seek power and influence? Why seek wealth, when it will be gone soon enough? In Book Two of Meditations, this paragraph is found:

"Every moment think steadily as a Roman and a man to do what thou hast in hand with perfect and simple dignity, and feeling of affection, and freedom, and justice; and to give thyself relief from all other thoughts. And thou wilt give thyself relief, if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last, laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason, and all hypocrisy, and self-love, and discontent with the portion which has been given to thee. Thou seest how few the things are, the which if a man lays hold of, he is able to live a life which flows in quiet, and is like the existence of the gods; for the gods on their part will require nothing more from him who observes these things."

Every moment should be spent in reason, as if it were the last moment. After that last moment, all the money, glory, power and stuff of this earth will disappear. Every moment, live as a Roman and a human, in simple dignity. Put away childish things.

I Am Shocked That Politicians And Media People Lie.

Are we really surprised that governments, politicians, and powerful people lie to us? Human beings are pretty predictable when they are given power over others. They want to keep the power. It is easy to be tempted by the excesses permitted by power. So, why do we wring our hands and act surprised? Accept your fate, and live your life the best you can. That is the only response necessary.

 

Never Be Afraid To Speak Your Truth.

Ray Visotski , a good friend, and publisher of Mitigating Chaos, posts this story this morning about a teacher giving her class a lesson on "Anne Frank" and the Nazi regime. When the Nazis began to discriminate against the Jews, it began with separating them from the rest of society. They were made to wear cloth badges identifying them as Jewish. Few objected. "It's just a piece of cloth", they said. But, this lesson shows how humans and societies can be lulled into a false sense of security, or cowed into failing to speak up to injustice. The fable of the king with no clothes is a good example. Those of us who gain a reputation of being loud or obnoxious about expressing ourselves risk embarrassment or attacks; but, in my view, the consequences of failing to speak truth to power can be much worse. Never be afraid to speak up. Never be afraid to defend your truth. Never allow someone else to tell you what to think. As lawyers, we have a special responsibility to support everyone's right to speak their mind. Free speech is not just a right. It is essential to a free society. We don't just defend pleasant, agreeable speech. We defend all speech, no matter how we feel about it. So, the next time someone tries to silence you because your speech upsets them, fight back. Otherwise, you might find yourself hiding in an attic.

The Perfect Xmas Gift.

Okay, I already have what I wanted for Xmas. A beautiful woman to love me, and another day on the planet. But, perhaps Dilbert has the right idea also. Have a happy and blessed day.

#TBT - A Lawyer's Meditation On Christmas Eve.

I first wrote and posted this a couple of years ago. Every Christmas season, I tend to take stock of what I have learned and experienced. In a year of challenges, 2020 has seen both sadness and joy in my life. I suspect that we all have. 

Christmas Eve Meditations.

Whatever your belief system; or, even if you don't have one, each of us is human, and we all come from the same gene pool. There is only one path to peace, harmony and happiness. Sadly, some of us won't walk that path. We can't do anything about that. But, we can resolve to be the best human being we can be. And, we each have the power to do that. So, lord and lady lawyers, are you an agent of change or are you not mindful of your place in the world? Here are my daily goals. I get to decide whether I live by them. They are thousands of years old, and they are just as relevant today. What will you do with today?

1 Cling tooth and nail to the following rule: Not to give in to adversity, never to trust prosperity, and always to take full note of fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do. Whatever you have been expecting for some time comes as less of a shock.—Seneca

2. Know, that many of the things you hold to be important are only relatively important. Know that you are only relatively important.

3. People seek retreats for themselves in the countryside by the seashore, in the hills, and you too have made it your habit to long for that above all else. But this is altogether unphilosophical, when it is possible for you to retreat into yourself whenever you please; for nowhere can one retreat into greater peace or freedom from care than within one’s own soul, especially when a person has such things within him that he merely has to look at them to recover from that moment perfect ease of mind (and by ease of mind I mean nothing other than having one’s mind in good order). So constantly grant yourself this retreat and so renew yourself; but keep within you concise and basic precepts that will be enough, at first encounter, to cleanse you from all distress and to send you back without discontent to the life to which you will return.—Marcus Aurelius

4. You are not disturbed by events, but by your opinion about events. Everything is constantly changing and there is nothing you can do about it. You will not live forever. Epictetus.

5. Ask yourself the following question: What would I do if money was not an issue? Then go and do just that.

6. At the end of each day, remind yourself that this day has finished and there is nothing you can now do to change it. Accept everything that has happened, whether good or bad.

7. Negative visualization is a simple exercise that can remind us how lucky we are. The premise is simple, just imagine that bad things have happened, or that good things have not. While you may think that this type of pessimism is not conducive to a happy and fulfilling life, it can actually turn your life into pure gold by making you realize that all these bad things have not happened to you. Seneca.

8. Train yourself not to desire things that are outside of your control. Remember that we can only control our thoughts and our actions. Remember that you should grasp everything in life loosely, just like sand. You don’t hold sand tightly, otherwise it escapes your grasp.