Happy Halloween! What a perfect time to discuss death! On this spooky holiday we open with Data asking Picard to grant him a gift... mortality. We discuss how we deal with mortality and why it is such a gift to be alive and that we all die.

We go into how we can prepare for our own inevitable death. Part of that is destigmatizing death to not let it be a looming fear, but instead of provider of beauty and meaning. Can it be destigmatized too much? Possibly, but we think the pendulum is swung towards a fear of "tempting fate" by talking about it. How does Marcus respond to people thinking speaking about death is tempting fate? Find out in this episode!

Special for Halloween, we combined the outro and Stoic reimagining with a longer story of "Death's Messengers" by Brothers Grimm, with a symphony playing Danse Macabre to set the tone.

Death’s Messengers Fairy tale (original) - Story by Brothers Grimm
(61) Danse macabre, Op. 40 - YouTube

Can we just say, "What a chapter?!" Book 7 has many riveting themes, including... Simplicity!

Marcus says, "Always bear this in mind; and another thing too, that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life." To explore that we compare how much it would cost to live the life of an Instagram Influencer compared to a simple life. The happiest *recorded* capacity for happiness was found in a man who lived in absolute simplicity, the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk.

We use the Catchy Quaker Classic, Simple Gifts, as inspiration on what simplicity should bring, freedom. Aside from its catchiness, the song gives some great insights on living a simple life and how that will make life more cohesive.

Elon Musk gives a practical formula for simplifying things in business which we extrapolate to simplifying life. Then Winston Churchill gives a great example of an "Autotelic" activity.

For the Stoic Reimagining we thought we would challenge ourselves to simplify this episode. It may have worked too well...

Book 7 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius focuses on Stoic themes like living in harmony with nature, accepting the impermanence of life, and the importance of rationality.

Marcus considers valuable things such as how little is necessary to living a happy life, what the perfection of moral character looks like, and how the more you dig for good within yourself the more it will bubble up.

The chapter is a reminder to align actions with reason and find peace within oneself through disciplined living.

Your favorite Stoic podcast is back, as we work our way through Meditations Book 6 which is all about the unself. Marcus makes quite the claim in this chapter that “The only rewards of our existence here are an unstained character and unselfish acts..."

But what does it mean to be unselfish? And why is it a reward?

To answer these questions we explore some Buddhist tenants and a surgical procedure that will make you question whether you exist at all.

Then we move through what Marcus suggest on how to live a happier more selfish existence.

Stick around for the Stoic Reimagining, it’s um, life changing…

Email us: Modernmeditationspodcast@gmail.com

Book 6 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius focuses on Stoic themes like living in harmony with nature, accepting the impermanence of life, and the importance of rationality.

Marcus emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things, urging a life of virtue and inner tranquility despite external circumstances. He advocates for focusing on the present moment, maintaining humility, and valuing personal wisdom over fame or wealth.

The chapter is a reminder to align actions with reason and find peace within oneself through disciplined living.

In Book 5 Marcus deals wrestles with the ideas of failure, imperfection and the love of a craft. To helps us deepen our understanding of how to view mistakes not as problems but as information and what it means to harmonize with nature we brought on Composer and friend of the podcast Matt Lees.

In this episode we bring back the Lightening round, deeply go through the troubled yet amazing history of Ulysses S. Grant. We explore the tenacity that made Thomas Edison tick. Then go through what it means to slow practice, how to attack the 25% of our lives we don't want to change, and what it might sound like to be out of harmony with nature.

And much more!

In Book 5 of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius reflects on themes of duty, self-discipline, and the transience of life. He emphasizes the importance of rising each day with purpose, fulfilling one's responsibilities with a sense of duty, and aligning actions with nature and reason. The book encourages focusing on the present moment, controlling impulses, and finding contentment in simple, virtuous living. Marcus also discusses the inevitability of death and the need to accept it as a natural part of life, urging readers to live with integrity and humility.

Woah. This is quite the episode exploring themes from the Meditations Book 4. We deep dive into both Marcus's advice to be like a blazing fire, and Bruce Lee's advice to be water my friend. And a big part of both is working with the experiences that we're given to become, new vocab alert "Anti Fragile."

We also have a brief therapy session with Justin about a person that stole his winter coat who he had revenge fantasy's about until he decided to take a more Stoic path.

We of course wrote a new song about one of the verses from this chapter about being harmonious with the universe.

And as if that wasn't enough we also invited our friends Joe Biden and Donald Trump onto the podcast for a Stoic coaching section. (Because we all know the biggest part of any election is getting the Stoic Vote.