Futurelawyer

The Rich Aren't Any Different Than The Rest Of Us.

The Daily Stoic highlights today a quote from Hemingway on Fitzgerald.

"The rich were dull and they drank too much, or they played too much backgammon. They were dull and they were repetitious. He remembered poor Scott Fitzgerald and his romantic awe of them and how he had started a story once that began, “The very rich are different from you and me.” And how someone had said to Scott, “Yes, they have more money.” But that was not humorous to Scott. He thought they were a special glamorous race and when he found they weren't it wrecked him as much as any other thing that wrecked him."

Money doesn't change people. It only reveals their true nature. Chasing money is a journey to the same place you are occupying at this moment. Always remember, everything can disappear in an instant. The only thing you possess is your self, and your actions. Choose carefully.

 

Pandemic Blues? Hey, You Could Be Hanging On A Cross!

I am growing weary of the doom and gloom peddlers on the news. I have stopped watching it. I am, instead, going to dig out my copy of the entire set of episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus. My pick for the greatest song of all time? Eric Idle singing while being crucified. I use it for my ring tone to remind me that I will die. Until then, I am going to laugh my a** off.

 

Grow A Spine, Or Not. Your Call.

When Cassius is advising Brutus about his dilemma in deciding whether to remain friends with Julius Caesar, or to support those in opposition to a Monarchy in Rome, he highlights the dilemma of all those who submit to the control of another. If you want to determine fault, look in the mirror.

Cassius:
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140-141)

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

And people ask me why I am apolitical. Jeez.

You Are Unable To Travel? Why Are You Complaining?

Seneca On Traveling. There is a lot of whining and complaining going on these days, because the ability to travel has been curtailed; except for "essential" activities, whatever that means. But, in this time of forced isolation, perhaps we could examine the reasons we travel in the first place. Vacations are intended as a respite from work or other stresses; but, we all know that travel itself carries a whole list of stresses. Long hours in tiny seats, missed connections, auto breakdowns, bad weather, and all the stuff that rivals anything we experience at home. Perhaps the worst reason to travel is to escape from ourselves, which is impossible. Wherever you travel, you will still be there. A portion of one of Seneca's letters is instructive:

“What good has travel of itself ever been able to do anyone? It has never acted as a check on pleasure or a restraining influence on desires; it has never controlled the temper of an angry man or quelled the reckless impulses of a lover; never in fact has it rid the personality of a fault. It has not granted us the gift of judgment, it has not put an end to mistaken attitudes. All it has ever done is distract us for a little while, through the novelty of our surroundings, like children fascinated by something they haven’t come across before. The instability, moreover, of a mind which is seriously unwell, is aggravated by it, the motion itself increasing the fitfulness and restlessness. This explains why people, after setting out for a place with the greatest of enthusiasm, are often more enthusiastic about getting away from it; like migrant birds, they fly on, away even quicker than they came."

So, pilgrim. Spend this time thinking about how to quiet your mind in place. Think about what is in front of you. Every moment spent dreaming of another place is a moment wasted that could be spent living in the here and now.

Deal With Stress By Reminding Yourself That You Are The Cause

Law practice, like some other professions are naturally stressful. Even more stressful are jobs that are now deemed essential, such as first responders, and caregivers. The Pandemic is raising the temperature of many life situations, and we all need to remind ourselves that we are in control of our reactions to whatever faces us. I keep this sign in front of me every day. We don't need more drama, do we?

Enlightenment? Meditation? Count Me In.

Life Doesn't Happen To You...You Happen To Life.

Active Mindset. This excellent piece is an interesting take on the Stoic principle of Amor Fati (Love Your Fate). It contemplates active participation in accepting fault for those things that we control; primarily our reaction to what happens. The story about the two men traveling in a car is instructive. When they narrowly avoid an accident, one man says: "Why do these things always happen to me?" This "passive"  mindset implies that we are not in control, and that negative stuff always happens to us. In fact, we need to be "active" in our mindset, accept what happens, and act accordingly. If you wake up late, and miss an appointment, the solution is not to whine and cry and passively accept the theory that we are somehow a victim. We need to wake up earlier. If that sounds obvious to you, why do you spend much of your life complaining about the vagaries of fate. My boss hates me. My wife doesn't understand me. My children are brats. My clients won't pay me. The traffic is terrible. That Judge always rules against me. My partner doesn't work hard enough. I hope you get the picture. Deal with what happens to you. Act on what is in front of you. Enjoy the ride. It will be over soon.

The End Of A Liberal Arts Education System

A recent tweet by friend, Michael Wade, of Execupundit fame, called my attention to a University planning to phase out History and Philosophy and Religion from the curriculum. New suggested programs include Sports and Recreation Managment, and Performing and Cinematic Arts. They also want to add Law, which is my profession; but, I have a hard time believing I could have become an effective lawyer without a background in Philosophy, History and Comparative Religions. It could be a blessing that sending a kid across the country to a private University becomes the exception and not the rule; and, if this is what Universities are teaching, along with how to avoid inconvenient or disagreeable speech on campus, I applaud the coming education apocalypse. Add Missouri Western to the list of colleges I wouldn't pay a dime to educate my kids. Jeez.

Stoic Indifference - It Comes In Handy During A Pandemic

Stoic Indifference. The modern definition of stoic has been perverted from its original meaning. When we call someone stoic, with a small c, we tend to describe someone who has no emotion. Like the most famous TV Stoic, Spock, however, Stoics feel emotions the same as we all. They merely recognize that those emotions are better controlled, and subdued, in order to live a better life. As an example, if we say, without context, that he was "indifferent" to his spouse's death, it could be assumed that he was somehow deficient in character or personality. However, in the Stoic sense, indifference applies to every event in life, whether good or bad. Stoics hate death as much as anyone, and the death of a spouse would qualify as a "preferred indifferent". It is a tragedy on another level altogether. However, the recognition that fate will bring wealth and abundance, as well as poverty and disease, helps us to handle both with equal skill. So, pandemic? Horrible thing. But, we must be indifferent to it, and live our lives well regardless. Death? The same. Just as the Vulcans suppressed their emotions in order to make rational decisions about their lives, so also we must control the emotions, realizing that they are human and normal; but, we will be happier if we realize that living happy is all we have. Be happy, no matter your situation. There is no other rational response.