A new self-help book shows how Stoic philosophy can be the key to navigating our modern world

An eye for an eye

Question/comment from a seeker:
They say revenge is sweet.

Response from Marcus Aurelius (VI–VI):
The best way to defend yourself from people who offend you is to not be like them.

Psychological reflection

If you take an approach of “tit for tat”, will you be any different from the person who harmed you in the first place? As stated by Gandhi, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. According to The Book of Mirdad, we live in order to learn to love and we love in order to learn to live.

So, the best defence will be to learn to love and forgive. But that does not mean we should allow ourselves to be mistreated or put up with abusive behaviour. We can have compassion but we must take care of our well-being.

It is not personal

Question/comment from a seeker:
What can I think or do so that I don’t take everything so seriously?

Response from Marcus Aurelius (IX–IV):
He who commits a fault, commits it against himself. He who commits an injustice, harms himself.

Psychological reflection

Often, when we are criticised or insulted, we take it personally. When someone hurts us or when we believe we are not being treated fairly, we usually take it to heart. We feel the injustice...

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