“From Rusticus… I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too quickly with those who have a lot to say about something.”
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 1.7.3
Pop culture magazines and gossip rags are easy to read. Pulp fiction and romance books are simple to read as well. What’s hard to read? Philosophy books. No shock there! But it’s important reading, because investing in yourself via the study of stoicism will pay dividends down the road.
Why is philosophy hard to read? Because you can’t just skim it casually. Or rather, I should say there’s no point in reading it casually. Philosophy requires you to read for deep understanding if you want to get anything out of it. You have to challenge the thoughts that are presented to you, and challenge your old way of thinking to see if it stands up to the new truths you’ve learned. And this can hurt, sometimes! But again, it’s time well-spent and hugely valuable to your personal growth.
We have to seek clarity from the words that are presented to us. It’s not worth your time if you’re just going to read it and say “gosh, that’s confusing, I give up”. Why even bother in that case? But if you’ve determined that you’re going to set yourself free via self-education, then you owe it to yourself to push hard for deeper understanding. That’s where the payoff is. And that’s why The Daily Stoic is just one page per day — to make sure that you have time to dig deep on each entry.
