Self-reliance

[sharonrosecappella]

I was personally confounded by the interpretations of self-reliance in your soliloquy. It seems that the definition of self-reliance is the self-contained dependence on oneself as the conduit to wholeness, fulfillment, and happiness. This, to me, does not mean that we, as beings alone, would be whole, fulfilled, or happy if we were to live our lives alone without the relationships and interactions of others, even helping others; but, rather, it simply means that it is up to each of us individually to make our own personal interpretation of the experiences in our lives. To that end, happiness is not an achievement or pinnacle or dependent state; but it is a state of being we personally CHOOSE to reach when we are ready to change our perspective to one that sees through the superficialities in life to the true nature of existence of ourselves and being alive, just as each of us interprets this. Happiness, much the same as emotional interpretations and their subsequent actions, if not the emotions themselves, are a choice. We choose how we react to our experience. We choose the actions we take. We may not have full choice of our emotions (i.e., mental illness, grief, etc.); but we have a choice in how we handle these to our betterment, the preservation of ourselves and our experiences with others. Also, in agreement with your mention of physical possessions, riches, as the bible says, "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil, " with the emphasis on the fact that it is not the money itself which makes a person good/evil, successful/failure; but rather it is the purpose we assign to that money and our pursuit of it. Money is a tool, not a destination or conquest. It is a means to an end. It could never be a virtue like happiness. But what confounded me most, as someone who prays, was the thought of, "What should we pray?" I have always been nagged by the notion of praying for things like "success, " "happiness, " "achievement of goals, " "an easier road, " because, as you mentioned, it has felt to me a blasphemy, that it contradicts the purpose of life, why we are here, also demeaning the lives of millions throughout history who did not achieve, who had arduous lives without success, got sick, suffered, died. What of them? The answer is that the suffering itself brings meaning, as Victor Frankl wrote in his Man's Search for Meaning. It is the existential quest to BRING meaning to what we encounter and experience. It is our INTERPRETATION, REACTION, AND STATE OF BEING in the face of what we experience that makes us self-reliant. And not in a way that leaves us living in a bubble alone, but in a way that makes each of us responsible for our own happiness, our own awareness of ourselves, others, our experience, and our place in the universe. I have always believed that life is a strange dichotomy of apparent opposites that only seem "apparently" so. For example, I believe that the purpose of life is twofold: to give/experience love (and, in many interpretations of this, to help others) and to achieve enlightenment, which is another way of saying to discover for ourselves how to reach that state of being we would personally determine to be "happiness, " and in many cases this is tied to the gift and experience of love. Happiness is not the point, but rather a side effect of being true to ourselves and our inner purpose. This brings me to the dichotomy of happiness, which is a choice, because while we make the conscious choice to be happy or not, simultaneous to this is the fact that only by not focusing on happiness as a goal can we actually achieve it, but as a state of being, not an accomplishment. This is the realization of what life is about: truth to self, the ultimate self-reliance. Truth to ourselves facilitates the other two life goals: (1) love and (2) happiness. So, then, to ask the question, what do we pray? My personal answer would be that we pray to become aware of the integrity of ourselves, no longer to separate thought from deed, and with insight to the path to our purpose, the one that feels as true as we must be to ourselves in order to be whole. And in my field, counseling, I believe that "other-care" can only be done once the person has mastered "self-care." To love others begins with treating oneself with love, the ultimate self-reliance. And treating oneself with love fulfills both goals: (1) love, (2) happiness. Thank you for indulging my soliloquy. I so appreciate the depth and knowledge of your insights, interpreted from the ancients. This channel reminds me to stay close to my center, the truth of who I am and who I envision that I should become with the interpretation of myself against the stage of my life. Thank you for sharing this with so many people. The truth you share because you feel it, not just learn it, is evident throughout your posts.

[cathyphillips]

I consider myself so fortunate to have had the parents that I had. They taught me right ftom the earliest age, that my happiness was my choice. It didn't matter what mood everyone was in, or what circumstances were... my being happy would always be a choice that I made. Consequently, I have lived 68 years being a positive and happy person. Since my being happy is in my own head, no one can take that from me.

[AJ-kffc]

I am so glad to have found your channel.. I love your monologue.. I lost my mom and have spent the last year questioning everything I believed in.. life, reality, God, world, ppl and your channel has become a partner for my inner thoughts.. thank you

[lowiseowl]

One of my life lessons- you can only truly rely on yourself. So it makes sense that what you call happiness must be in you not around you.

[JonnyBGood-mbmg]

I’ve been in therapy going on 18 months and still haven’t had the breakthroughs with it that I’ve had with this channel’s interpretation of stoic philosophies.
The impact of my internal monologue regarding happiness and anxiety has been improved significantly with these messages.

[Peace]

The biggest wealth is our health, please every one reading this take care of your health, then everything come after it .

[Steingassm]

I've lived under a cloud of desire, fear of loss rejection inadequacy shame and avoidance for most of my life. I feel if watch and rewatch your videos daily along with 12 step program participation I can turn my life, thoughts and beliefs around at 39. ❤

[Sugarplumglitter]

I wondered about this for several months! Never shares his name and always starts and ends his vlogs with no beginning or end!
Luv this about him💖😀✨

[esthergebel]

I have started to read several of your recommended books. One of the first of Seneca's letters has prompted me to clean out one of my book shelves in order to make room for more of this kind of reading. Your teachings have also encouraged me to schedule more reading time into my day. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

[carolinafernandez-quintani]

Thanks a million for every single one of your videos. You're an excellent communicator and you communicate excellently useful ideas. Thank you!!!

[thegirlEbisu]

Watching your videos several times has helped to have a deeper grasp of your thoughts. Thank you.

[opal-rh]

I have always felt that it's wrong to ask for something in prayer. There are times i will desperately be in need, but I will just say thank you instead and every time i have done that I have felt better.

Thank you for giving clarity with your words.

[CynSwn]

From your journal entry:

"They seek without what they are neglecting within and make themselves undeserving of it."

Those words made me put down my phone and ponder them. I love it

[Lauren_bex]

My parents lost everything in a fire years ago, when that happened I realized that all the souvenirs we collect in life can be wiped away in an instant! So I've leant having less is a better way to live overall.
As for happiness, my happiness wavers I will mention the quote from Hegel - "Happiness is a dull contentment". Somehow this quote gives me comfort in the very fact that I know happiness is not a constant and that it's ok if happiness wavers.
I also know that people come and go in our lives, that we cannot rely on another human to make us happy. In some cases people make ones life worse, but I think it's important for us to have bad experience because it's the bad that makes us grow ultimately.

[FastTrackFitnessNow]

I call you Mr. Universe as you have not shared your name. ✨

[kabilanbaskaran]

You’re a modern day Seneca man!! Great video on pursuing preferred indifferents without compromising virtue!!

[DemLE]

I've found your channel recently, and I would like to say that your videos have come at just the right time. Sometimes happiness can seem like something so simple, but it's quite difficult to find once we grow up and place it in everyone else's hands instead of our own. Thank you for reminding me of this just when I needed it.

[MintyHues]

I really resonated with your comment that we have more to lose, when we gain more from a material perspective… Happiness is just a fantasy when you live in constant anxiety about what you could potentially lose. Inner peace can only come about when you get rid of your “desires for more” and let God take the reigns on the direction of your life. The belief in “self-reliance” is so fallible, because we can never truly understand our “self”. This whole life is literally a journey in discovering what purpose the Creator has made for us individually. Thinking we know best, is definitely blasphemous and will just lead to disappointment…

[liviasilva]

Just wrote my seconde letter, and it has become one of the fulfilling moments on my week. Thank you for letting us see your view of the letters, witch for me not only complement Senecas letters, but have become part of my experience and apreciation for philosophy.
Really, thank you!

[LoveStar]

Thank you for this brave topic. It’s so true that if you seek external happiness then you’re also seeking the fear of losing it.