This Is The Key To The Good Life

<p>Why did Marcus Aurelius study philosophy? What were Seneca or Confucius or Buddha trying to achieve as they pored over their books or sat deeply in thought? What have archery masters and Olympic boxing instructors and generals tried to instill in their students and soldiers?</p><p>Their aim was, and always has been, <em>stillness.</em> </p><p>These thinkers and doers and leaders and achievers, they all needed peace and clarity. They need their charges to be centered. They needed them to be in control of themselves. Because what they were doing was really hard! Just as what you do is really hard! It’s not easy to hit a target or wage a battle or lead a country or write a play. Stillness is the way you get there—internally, mostly—because the world in which we attempt to do these things is often incredibly <em>un-</em>still.</p><p>Nearly all the schools and disciplines of the ancient world had their own word for stillness. The Buddhists called it <em>upekkha.</em> The Stoics called it <em>apatheia.</em> The Muslims spoke of <em>aslama</em>. The Hebrews, <em>hishtavut</em>. The second book of the Bhagavad Gita, the epic poem of the warrior Arjuna, speaks of <em>samatvam</em>, an “evenness of mind—a peace that is ever the same.” The Greeks had <em>euthymia</em> and <em>hesychia</em>. The Epicureans, <em>ataraxia</em>. The Christians and Romans, <em>aequanimitas</em>. In fact, the last word Marcus Aurelius heard from his dying stepfather, Antoninus, was <em>aequanimitas.</em> Equanimity. <em>Stillness.</em></p><p>Picking up where <a href='https://geni.us/fjSJJ'><em>The Obstacle is the Way</em></a> and <a href='https://geni.us/R0rS'><em>Ego is the Enemy</em></a> leave off, Ryan Holiday’s new book, <a href='https://geni.us/CWTAhB'><em>Stillness is the Key</em></a><em>,</em> endeavors to bring this ancient ideal into our modern-day lives. A collection of stories drawn from all walks of life, and all schools of thought, Ryan’s book illustrates practical ways to bring some essential stillness into your life. </p><p>It’s