Meditations on Self-Discipline and Failure William Ferraiolo Philosophy Professor at San Joaquin Delta College Lodi, California May 2018 The introduction and first five chapters... click here. If you like what you find, you can get the whole book here: “Do not be overawed by wealth, power, influence, fame, or the like. None of these is indicative of good character or nobility. Revere wisdom wherever, and in whomever, you may find it. Respect excellence in any person, in any act, in any element of the natural world in which it may appear. Diogenes was homeless and impoverished. Jesus disdained wealth and worldly power. The Buddha went to and fro with an alms bowl. Socrates had contempt for the marketplace and its trinkets. Mohammed was unlettered. Gandhi wore homespun, simple clothing. Epictetus was a cripple. Who are the wealthy and powerful by comparison with these? Of course, Marcus Aurelius was an emperor. Seneca was a man of riches and political influence. Confucius was a government factotum. Outward appearances are not to be dismissed out of hand, but neither are they to be taken as irrefutable evidence of character. Watch closely. Listen carefully. Do not be fooled by mere appearances.” Wisdom and excellence are not expected in some of the world’s most powerful leaders: liberal – conservative, elected president – dictator, professors – business leaders. The world could resolve many major problems if there were better leadership. Book I You can control nothing other than your own attitudes, values, and efforts directed at mental discipline. The rest of the world is as it is, will be as it will be, and unfolds as it does with or without your consent. This is as it should be. Indeed, this is as it must be. Book III All politics is largely theater. It is a Kabuki dance, and those engaged in the dance wear masks or painted faces. They are personae – not persons. Are you enraged by their corruption and dissimulation?
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