Yesterday we taled about the five schools of Hellenism: The Cynics, The Stoics, The Epicureans, Neoplatonism and Mysticism. The one I found I could relate to the most was The Cynics. From what I understood in class, The Cynics learned to apprecriate the little things. If a king walked up to one and asked if they wanted anyhting they would say for you to move because the king is blocking the sunlight.
I am stating to learn to appreciate some of the small things in life. I have learned to save my money for important things. Over the summer I made $2,000 working on various projects. I put $1,400 in my savings account and was left with $600. 2 years ago I would have blown the money off on lunch and movies everyday. This year I have only spent $100 in 4 months. Money mangement will be vital for me in collge and on my own. I don't need to buy the newest electronics. I would be happy with a hockey stick and a ball. I would spend hours playing hockey and be happy with it.
This method of thought can be such an important thing for people who wish to live a happy and full life. The Cynics seemed to also have the whole non-attachment to material objects thing down to a science as well. Buddhists also live by a similar principle. Sometimes we can get so caught up in work and money that we forget to realize that we're living on a pale blue dot in the middle of a seemingly infinite and expanding universe. When looked at like that, the things that get us down are really quite unimportant. We have to make our own meaning for life, and the best way to do that is to be happy and appreciative of our circumstances.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I definitely agree with the idea of appreciating the little things in life. I feel that there are so many small things that we take for granted and we don't realize how important they were until we lose them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like that you were able to only spend $100 in 4 months. I will definitely make that one of my goals to spend less money per month on things like non homemade food or just some material things that I want and not need. I think we should all stop wasting money on material things so often and step back and realize what we have and appreciate that.
Because the cynics believed in having little, they also had a greater appreciation for the little they had. I did a thought experiment with one of my friends where we imagined not having something that is simple, but we use a lot. I chose my left hand, since I hardly ever use it, and probably about 90% of the things I do regularly would take some serious acrobatics to perform (other things like playing piano and guitar would just have to stop entirely).
ReplyDeleteI think it's really cool that you were also able to appreciate the smaller things in life so you could more effectively manage money and have fun with what you already have.