The Smart Read

The Daily Stoic

Stoicism is a philosophy that dates back thousands of years. It asserts that happiness is defined by virtue (self-control, courage, justice, and wisdom). To achieve virtue and thus live happily, the three Stoic disciplines of perceptions (how you see and understand the world), actions (how you act based on what you see), and will must be mastered (how you feel when events are outside your control).

The Daily Stoic is an exercise manual, not a Stoic history. Its goal is to help you understand the three disciplines - perception, action, and will - and apply what you've learned to your own life. Every day, you'll be given a Stoic lesson, explained in modern language, and advice on how to apply it in everyday life.

When studying Stoicism in the past, I’ve encountered two problems. The original sources can difficult to read. Simply put, we spoke differently 2,000 years ago. Stoicism is full of important lessons, but they can be lost when struggling with the language in Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Letters from a Stoic by Seneca. Books like The Obstacle is the Way and a Guide to the Good Life help by interpreting and summarizing the lessons for a modern audience. But Stoicism contains hundreds lessons about how to live well, and modern summaries can be difficult to remember and apply them all.

This is where The Daily Stoic shines. Not only does it make Stoic lessons easy to understand and apply, it focuses you on just one lesson per day. I find this format - a daily practice guide - the most effective way of reading, understanding, and applying Stoicism.

Link to the book -> https://amzn.to/3SCQ25R

Sapiens

I believe I am fairly familiar with history in general, and I am usually uninterested in learning more about it. But this book was different.

This book, which was beautifully written and easy to read, made me want to know more and more about how the author believes the world evolved to what it is today. Things were simplified while still maintaining valid points, revolution by revolution, religion by religion, conception by conception - and it was never boring.

The best part was that it actually made me think.

The author does not treat you as an ignorant person; instead, he assumes you know a lot and understand a lot, and he does not lecture about anything.

A great book that we advise you to read -> https://amzn.to/3TPyogq

And There Was Light
This book is like a warm, cozy blanket for those who admire Abraham Lincoln. It can be enjoyed as a reassuring "Great Man of History" Dad book, and it is bound to appear under many a Christmas tree this year.

But Meacham's goal here is more than just telling a reassuring civic bedtime story. While the book's veneration of Lincoln is a throwback in some ways, it is, in many ways, the Lincoln book that our current times demand - a corrective that aims to restore Lincoln to his exalted status, quietly rebuking those on the far left who explicitly reject him, as well as those on the far right who more implicitly reject him.

Much of the book is an argument against the recently popular notion that Lincoln was a racist who cared far more about the Union than abolition, and that his name and likeness should be removed from places of public prominence as a result. Meacham encourages these critics to understand Lincoln rather than dismiss him by emphasizing his morality and emphasizing how much he was able to accomplish and how much better off we are today as a result.

"To chart Lincoln's lifelong moral and political course on slavery and equality is not to sing his praises as if he were the hero of an epic poem, but to chart his lifelong moral and political course on slavery and equality, "Meacham admits it. Lincoln did not exist "not otherworldly, saintly, or savior-like, but an imperfect man seeking to bring a more perfect Union into being.

According to the book's introduction, Lincoln "has much to teach us in a twenty-first-century moment of polarization, passionate disagreement, and diverging understandings of reality." I suppose connecting historical narratives to modern times is de rigueur for a work of popular history in order to appeal to a broad audience who might otherwise be turned off by stories about a bunch of old dead guys from dusty old history books. However, Meacham avoids making too many then-and-now comparisons or offering platitudes like "don't worry, we've been through tough times before, and we can do it again."

In his conclusion, he does return to modern times, warning against "politics divorced from conscience." We live in very different times than Lincoln did.

Link to the book -> https://amzn.to/3Ff60jL

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

I have hundreds of books on my Kindle; most are "average," and quite a few are terrible, but every now and then a diamond appears out of the rough; this is one of those books for me.

I'm not usually drawn to self-help books, but this one spoke to me: "The desire for more positive experiences is a negative experience in and of itself. And, paradoxically, accepting one's negative experience is a positive experience in and of itself."

I don't know how to review this book without typing out the entire thing, so I'll try something new: I'll be brief. This book is for anyone who wants to live in reality and not buy into our national capitalist mindset that life is about chasing one high after another. This book encourages you to embrace conflict, to be at ease with feeling uncomfortable, and to be confident in discovering and advocating for what you truly believe in. Screw being likeable.

My one criticism of this book turned out to be a plus. My interest began to wane around Chapter Six because Manson provided me with very little that I didn't already know. In addition, he tells his own story about entering adulthood at "rock bottom." His lowest points in life include being caught with ma*****na in school, his parents' divorce, and not finding work right after college.

My first thought was, "Are you fu***ng kidding me?" If that's rock bottom, then my life takes place in a subterranean cavern. Mark Manson's life, on the other hand, is not mine. Everyone's experiences are unique. And, in some ways, our differences make me admire him even more.

I don't often read books that make me want to thank the author, but — Thank you, Mark.

Link to the book https://amzn.to/3TInEAM