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1-Page Summary of A Guide to the Good Life
Overview
Breakfast with Socrates is a book that features the most influential thinkers of all time. It’s a day in the life, where you wake up and have breakfast with these great minds, who explain how their contributions to society impact your daily routine. You can argue with French feminists and then relax in a warm bath before going to work. Either submit to Marx’s wage slavery or embrace Weber’s work ethic. Afterward, end your day by drifting away into Jung’s collective unconsciousness.
Have you ever been in a grocery store checkout line that seems to take forever? You probably started feeling annoyed and frustrated. If so, it’s important to learn how to stay calm when waiting in lines like this.
In ancient Greece, there were philosophers who believed that people should be moderate and self-controlled in order to achieve peace of mind. That’s a difficult task, but it can be done by following these guidelines.
In this passage, you’ll learn that traffic jams are not such a bad thing; cold showers can improve your life; and how to deal with losing.
Big Idea #1: Stoicism, a philosophy that originated in ancient Greece, is all about living a good life.
If you were a child in ancient Greece and your parents wanted to make sure that you had the best education possible, they would send you to study philosophy. One of the most popular schools of philosophy was Stoicism.
Philosophy is a subject that teaches its students how to think and communicate effectively, as well as live their lives. But why would you need philosophy in ancient times or even today?
Having a philosophy of life helps you with your goals. For instance, if you want to be more caring and attentive, having a philosophy will help you figure out how to do that.
On the other hand, if you don’t set goals for yourself, then you may end up living a life that you’ll regret. This is because there are so many distractions in today’s world and it can be hard to focus on your goals when there are so many things competing for your attention.
Stoicism is one of the most important philosophies in Western civilization and teaches a moderate way of life. It preaches neither complete asceticism nor hedonism, but rather moderation. This philosophy would argue that we should not rely on material goods for happiness; instead, we can find it within ourselves.
Big Idea #2: The Stoics focused on two central goals: virtue and tranquility.
Setting goals is important. But what kind of life goals do modern philosophers pursue? They try to be both virtuous and tranquil, while considering those two qualities to be the crucial tenets for living a good life. First, let’s take a look at virtue. Being virtuous doesn’t mean being like Mother Theresa; rather it means leading the life we were created to live.
Because we are rational beings, we have certain responsibilities toward each other. We should recognize that our actions can help not only ourselves but others as well. Therefore, living a virtuous life may mean honoring our parents or being empathic to our friends and family members.
Second, Stoics want to be peaceful. They do not mean a state of being without feelings. Rather, they seek inner peace by eliminating negative emotions and letting positive ones shine through.
To be tranquil is to have virtue. To reach a state of tranquility, you must use your powers of reason. Virtue requires that you can control yourself and not let emotions run wild or take over your intellect.
For example, if a novice Stoic is stuck in traffic and getting more frustrated by the second, she shouldn’t try to control her anger. Instead she should remind herself that it’s futile to get angry about something as trivial as traffic. She might also think about what else makes her mad or how other people behave when they’re driving around town. That way she can stay calm and avoid getting upset over such a silly thing.
