I retired from work in April, 2024, I have kept myself busy. I love learning. During that time I have completed 5 certificate courses in philosophy, and read the summaries of 157 books; from Darwin’s On the Origin of Species to George Orwell’s 1984 to Buddhism Plain and Simple. 📚📚What have I discovered?📚📚 Read on.

Modern psychological happiness techniques
Draw from the wisdom of the ancient Romans and Greeks

Ancient philosophy is a lifelong discipline
An enduring therapy of the soul, it’s medicine

As Socrates is rumored to have stated: “I know that I know nothing”
I discovered that I agree with that more than anything

All models are wrong and some are useful
Not all that is presented is entirely truthful

Life is brief live purposefully and gracefully
Practice self-control and accept reality

Death or approaching death is not to be feared
Soon we will be forgotten, we just disappeared

Meditation is brilliance it leads to emotional resilience

Living a life of virtue we should –  it really is the only good
Participating in community – is the only way towards harmony

Seeking out pleasure is perfectly fine
Don’t overdo lusting, feasting and wine

Contemplation is the exercise of reason, human nature’s divinity in every season
Engaging in wisdom is pure creativity and a wonderful “God” like activity

Cold showers are in but boy are they rough
Voluntary discomfort it makes you tough

When it comes to choice, I’m not sure still
To what extent we have our free will

Moral statements don’t describe objective facts
They’re emotive attitudes, prescriptions, just acts

Language in philosophy is spinning my head
If it can be shown it can’t be said
Dynamic and complex and full of context
That it mirrors reality is purely pretext

Lastly I will leave you with this thought. In my early 40s I started to look for the meaning of life. I attended a retreat known as The Forum. After peeling back every layer, standing in a powerful place, with nothing with all rules gone, it was revealed…….well according to Werner at least….

Life is empty and meaningless, and it’s empty and meaningless that it’s empty and meaningless

Werner Erhard