"life is a warfare and a stranger's sojourn"
~Marcus Aurelius~
Arthur began his email with the above quote.
"Life is a warfare." Each of us is constantly being confronted with choices. No matter which way we turn we have choices of things to do, including the choice of doing nothing. Make the "right" choice, and we are victorious. Make the "wrong" choice and we taste defeat. We are, simply by dint of being alive, in the midst of a battle.
Now, any strategist worth his salt has maps, books, intelligence reports, etc. etc. with him to help him arrive at the right tactics for the situation he's in. He consults with others before acting. Each of has to be the king/general of our lives. Our most trusty advisor is ourselves, although we must also be on-guard, since even we can betray ourselves. Don't believe in oneself until the day of death. Everything else till then is illusory.
Since we live in a war zone, we have to find a refuge where we can withdraw and find peace for a moment to assess our progress. Where are we? What are our resources? What is the right thing to do next? What is the wrong thing? Which are we going to do? Like a businessman keeps a ledger of what is coming in and what is going out, so our notebook allows us to tally up our lives.
"and a strangers sojourn." We like to think we've always been here and always will be here. But our parents opened the door for us into the world, and we are only here to prepare ourselves for what comes next, as we straighten our clothing in the corridor, before entering the main event. We are needy strangers, dependent on air and water and food and everything else that we did not fashion, and which we can only form to our requirements within narrow limits.
Our needs are great and our patience thin. How will we get what we want?
Arthur writes:
"The very first concept of getting what you want is knowing exactly what it is. Ideas are broad but Writing Makes Us Exact. Having an idea of what you want is not good enough. It must be exact so you will know it when you see it, can more fully engage with it and become inspired by it. Writing moves things from a virtual world into the real world where things are real and not just thoughts and ideas. Writing and being exact gives us something to move toward rather than escape from. If we are moving away from something without an exact idea of what we are moving toward, we are going nowhere. Writing will give you the exact thing you are wanting to move toward."
The source of that quote is Arthur's Email : 5774.03.26 which will be the subject of Post No. 005
Our needs are great and our patience thin. How will we get what we want?
Arthur writes:
"The very first concept of getting what you want is knowing exactly what it is. Ideas are broad but Writing Makes Us Exact. Having an idea of what you want is not good enough. It must be exact so you will know it when you see it, can more fully engage with it and become inspired by it. Writing moves things from a virtual world into the real world where things are real and not just thoughts and ideas. Writing and being exact gives us something to move toward rather than escape from. If we are moving away from something without an exact idea of what we are moving toward, we are going nowhere. Writing will give you the exact thing you are wanting to move toward."
The source of that quote is Arthur's Email : 5774.03.26 which will be the subject of Post No. 005
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