Inspirational quote

I bought a 365-day inspirational calendar at the King’s Birthday weekend market. It is timeless because there is no day associated with the date, so the inspirational quotes can be used year after year.

Each day, one can turn the page to find something new. I liked yesterday’s June 29th quote. If you wish for happiness, do not multiply possessions, but reduce wants. It is not the one who has too little, but the one who craves more, that is poor. This is credited to Seneca The Younger 4BC – AD 65.

I Googled this man to find out more about him and discovered he was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome. I also had to look up the word Stoic and found that Stoicism is a school of philosophy that emerged during ancient Greek and Roman times. It was a wise and practical school of thought that focused on living in the moment and accepting what life has to throw at one, without judgement or fear.

Seneca The Younger was also a statesman and dramatist with his main interest being ethics. He was born in Spain and raised in Rome before being exiled to Corsica, after being accused of adultery with the emperor’s niece. He later returned to Rome and became a tutor to Nero who was one of Rome’s infamous rulers known for his cruelty and debauchery.

I found this interesting. I didn’t take history past the fourth form at school, but I had no idea that these ancient leaders thought along these lines. And also interesting that Seneca The Younger’s main interest was ethics, yet adultery obviously didn’t come into that category. But that is another story.

So much of our current new age thinking, living in the now, for example, is obviously not new at all. Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power of Now was a best seller. Its core message is that people should be aware of their present moment instead of worrying about their past or future.

So really, when we look at it, our answers have been there all along. I loved yesterday’s quote and I believe whole heartedly in its message. I know too many people who think that the next big thing will make them happy – the next new car, house alteration, trip away, only to attain each thing and the happiness is still lurking just out of reach.

I saw one of my own former lives who had realised this concept. He was a slave without freedoms or choices in his life yet he had reached that place of acceptance with his lot and was thus able to find his happiness. Even in yesterday’s blog I touched on this same theme with our friend who has found himself in the nursing home. To find his happiness, he has to let go of what was and what he thought would be and instead find the joys in those things around him. As the quote says, not to multiply possessions, but to reduce wants.

I am looking forward to discovering more gems as I turn the pages on my little booklet.