{"id":433,"date":"2023-08-31T02:12:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T09:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meditationsbybilly.com\/?p=433"},"modified":"2023-08-31T02:12:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T09:12:44","slug":"whats-behind-a-begrudging-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meditationsbybilly.com\/the-daily-stoic\/08\/31\/whats-behind-a-begrudging-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s Behind a Begrudging Spirit?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
“Anything that must yet be done, virtue can do with courage and promptness. For anyone would call it a sign of foolishness for one to undertake a task with a lazy and begrudging spirit, or to push the body in one direction and the mind in another, to be torn apart by wildly divergent impulses.”<\/p>SENECA, MORAL LETTERS<\/em>, 74.31b-32<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Author Ryan Holiday seems to key in on the word “lazy” from the quote above, in today’s entry in The Daily Stoic book. However, I think the more important and more apt word is “begrudging”, because that’s more closely connected to the malaise of spirit which Seneca is speaking about here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we notice ourselves having a begrudging feeling or just an absolute reluctance to do something at the beginning of a task, we have to ask ourselves what’s driving that. We have to examine and respect those feelings that are hidden below the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obviously there’s something in us that really, really just doesn’t want<\/em> to do the thing. But what is truly behind our begrudging spirit<\/strong>? What negative emotion or fear is bubbling underneath our grumpy facade and causing us to feel & act this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s the answer: doing one thing with your body when your mind wants to do something else breeds resentment, because your soul is not aligned with your actions<\/a>. Being required to do a thing that you really wish you weren’t doing essentially “tears [you] apart by wildly divergent impulses”, to use Seneca’s words. And that doesn’t feel so great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what’s the solution?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n