"All human beings seek the happy life, but many confuse the means—for example, wealth and status—with that life itself. This misguided focus on the means to a good life makes people get further from the happy life. The really worthwhile things are the virtuous activities that make up the happy life, not the external means that may seem to produce it."

Epictetus, Discourses.

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty

How Crates of Thabes Disposed of his Property:

"This Crates, who was a wealthy man, threw all his money into the sea to pursue philosophy, saying as he threw it, ‘Crates of Thebes sets Crates free!’"
- Codex Ottobonianus Graecus

"Abandoning his land to sheep-pasture, he climbed on to an altar and cried, ‘Crates frees Crates of Thebes from slavery!’"
- Suda s.v. Crates

"They say that he presented all his property to the people of Thebes, saying, ‘Crates on this day sets Crates free!’"
- Origen, Commentary on Matthew

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty. For, as Crates said, "destitution is the beginning of freedom" (Epiphanius, Against Heresies).

"the Although he had only a knapsack and a rough cloak, Crates spent his whole life laughing and joking as though he were at a festival."
- Plutarch, On Tranquillity of Mind

Bion of Borysthenes in Teles’ Discourse on Self-Sufficiency

"Just as a good actor must play to the best of his ability whatever role is assigned to him by the dramatist, so also must the man of worth play whatever role he is assigned by Fortune. For like a poetess, says Bion, she assigns now a leading role, now a secondary one, and sometimes the role of a king, and sometimes that of a beggar. So if you have a secondary role, do not aspire to a leading one; for otherwise you will be acting discordantly. You fulfil your role well as a ruler, and I as someone who is ruled, he says; you have many people to command, and I just one, having become a pedagogue; and you, being wealthy, can dispense liberally, while I for my part accept it from you with confidence, without grovelling, or abasing myself, or complaining of my lot. You make good use of a multitude of things, and I of just a few; for it would be wrong to suppose, he says, that what is expensive nourishes and can be used with benefit, whereas, on the other hand, one cannot make use of slight and inexpensive resources, if one is temperate and free of pretension. So if things could speak with a human voice like us, says Bion, and could plead their cause, would not Poverty, he says, be the first to say, ‘Why do you attack me, man?’, like a slave who pleads his cause with his master after having taken refuge at an altar, ‘Why are you attacking me? Have I stolen anything from you? Don’t I fulfil your every order? Don’t I regularly bring you my earnings?’ Could not Poverty say to her accuser, ‘Why are you attacking me? Have you ever been deprived of anything of value because of me? Such as moral wisdom? Justice? Courage? Surely you do not lack anything that you really need? Aren’t the roadsides full of wild vegetables, and the springs full of water? And don’t I offer you as many beds as there are places on earth? And leaves for your bedclothes? Is it impossible for you to live happily in my company? Don’t you see old women chattering merrily away as they eat a barley-cake? Don’t I provide you with hunger as a cheap and excellent seasoning for your food? Isn’t it the case that those who are hungry eat with the most pleasure and have the least need of appetizers? And those who are thirsty drink with most pleasure and yearn the least for drink that does not lie at hand? Who is it, then, who hungers for cakes or thirsts for fine Chian wine? Isn’t it true that people seek for such things through sheer self-indulgence? Don’t I provide you with housing at no expense, the baths in winter, the temples in summer? And what finer house could you have in summer, says Diogenes, than the Parthenon that I have, so well-aired and so magnificent? ‘If Poverty were to speak like this, what could you say in response? I think for my part that I would be left speechless. But we always blame anything other than our own perversity and bad nature, accusing old age, poverty, circumstances, the day, the hour, the place; and Diogenes thus claimed to have heard the voice of Vice accusing herself and saying, ‘No one other than I myself are to blame for all these ills.’ Most people, however, are lacking in sense and ascribe the blame not to themselves but to things outside. It is like the bite that one can get when one takes hold of a wild beast, says Bion; if you grasp a snake by its middle, you will get bitten, but if you seize it by the head, nothing bad will happen to you. And likewise, he says, the pain that you may suffer as a result of things outside yourself depends on how you apprehend them, and if you apprehend them in the same way as Socrates, you will feel no pain, but if you take them in any other way, you will suffer, not on account of the things themselves, but of your own character and false opinions."

Mostly just wanted to share that today, but to earn my worth, here's a couple other bits from Bion:

"Slaves who are of good character are free men, while free men who are of bad character are slaves to many a desire."

"As long as a person is insatiable, niggardly, slavish, and full of false pretences, he is bound to remain in want and need.—But how can people be in want of what they already have?—And how, says Bion, can money-changers be in want of riches which they already have beneath their hands? Plainly because what they have does not really belong to them; and likewise with those other people [the insatiable and miserly]."

"Bion used to say that just as shabby purses, even if they are of no value in themselves, are held to be of value in so far as they have money in them, so likewise, wealthy men who are of no worth are held to be of worth for what they possess."

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty

"Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions. Vigilantly practice indifference to external conditions. Your happiness can only be found within.

How easily dazzled and deceived we are by eloquence, job title, degrees, high honors, fancy possessions, expensive clothing, or a suave demeanor. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that celebrities, public figures, political leaders, the wealthy, or people with great intellectual or artistic gifts are necessarily happy. To do so is to be bewildered by appearances and will only make you doubt yourself.

Remember: The real essence of good is found only within things under your own control. If you keep this in mind, you won’t find yourself feeling falsely envious or forlorn, pitifully comparing yourself and your accomplishments to others."

Epictetus, Discourses

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty

Diogenes of Sinope on the glories of poverty:

"Diogenes said that poverty aids us to philosophy of its own accord, for what philosophy attempts to persuade us by means of arguments, poverty compels us to in very deed."
- Stobaeus

"During the night a thief attempted to pull his money-bag from under his head; and on becoming aware of this, he said, ‘Take it, you wretch, and allow me to get some sleep!’"
- Gnomologium Lindenbrogium

"When someone asked him, ‘Who are the noblest of men?’, he replied, ‘Those who despise riches, reputation, pleasure and concern for life, and are thus able to overmaster their opposites, poverty, ill-repute, suffering, and death.’"
- Stobaeus

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty. If anyone reproaches you for your wise choice, remark, following Diogenes' lead, that, "I’ve never seen anyone, you wretch, playing the tyrant because of poverty, but because of riches one and all."

"The flourishing life is not achieved by techniques. You can’t trick yourself into a life well-lived. Neither is it achieved by following five easy steps or some charismatic figure’s dogma. A flourishing life depends on our responding, as best we can, to those things uniquely incumbent on us.

To live an extraordinary life means we must elevate our moral stature by culturing our character. The untrained brood about the constituent elements of their lives. They waste precious time in regret or wishing their particulars were different (“If only I lived in a better house or town, had a different spouse, a more glamorous job, more time to myself…”). The morally trained, rather than resenting or dodging their current life situations and duties, give thanks for them and fully immerse themselves in their duties to their family, friends, neighbors, and job. When we succumb to whining, we diminish our possibilities.

The overvaluation of money, status, and competition poisons our personal relations. The flourishing life cannot be achieved until we moderate our desires and see how superficial and fleeting they are."

- Epictetus, Discourses

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty

"I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it."

- Robert E. Lee

A profound testament to the principles of self-restraint and moderation, both of which are cornerstones of simple living. It is not about rejecting what we enjoy, but about understanding our inclinations and choosing not to be governed by them. By admitting his fondness for whiskey, Lee acknowledges the potential for excess. However, his choice to abstain is an exercise of control, a testament to his understanding that unchecked indulgence can lead to an imbalance in life, which counters the simplicity he valued.

This philosophy is encapsulated in another of Lee's quotes: "I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself." This statement speaks to the necessity of self-mastery as a prerequisite to leading others. In the context of simple living, this control extends not just to personal habits and desires, but also to our consumption and material possessions. The discipline of controlling oneself to live with less, in moderation, and free from the relentless pursuit of material wealth, is a foundation of a simple and balanced life. This control and restraint free us from the trappings of excess, facilitating a life that values relationships, experiences, and personal growth over material possessions.

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty

A much appreciated reader pointed out that this is what we do. The Daily Poor endorses this sentiment.

"A brother was renouncing the world, and in giving his goods to the poor, he kept a little for his own support. And he came to Abba Antony. When the old man knew what he had done, he said: 'If you would be a monk, go to the village yonder and buy some meat, and hang it about your naked body, and come back here.' And when the brother did so, dogs and birds tore at his body. He came back to the old man, who asked him if he had done what he was told. He showed St Antony his torn body. Then said St Antony: 'People who renounce the world but want to keep their money, are attacked like that by demons and torn in pieces.'"

- The Library of Christian Classics, Vol. XII, Part VII

The above passage serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of true detachment from worldly possessions when seeking a spiritual path. It emphasizes that genuine renunciation involves letting go of all attachments, including the desire for wealth and material comforts. The story cautions against the deceptive nature of keeping money while claiming to renounce the world, as it ultimately leads to a fragmented and conflicted existence.

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty.

This channel has grown too big for its britches. 17 subscribe?! I don't even know that many people IRL. Do I delete the whole thing or ban people until we're back to a more reasonable count? 🤔

"The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting Yourself first--wanting to be the centre--wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race. Some people think the fall of man had something to do with sex, but that is a mistake. (The story in the Book of Genesis rather suggests that some corruption in our sexual nature followed the fall and was its result, not its cause.)

What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could "be like gods"--could set up on their own as if they had created themselves--be their own masters--invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.

The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

That is the key to history. Terrific energy is expended--civilisations are built up--excellent institutions devised; but each time something goes wrong. Some fatal flaw always brings the selfish and cruel people to the top and it all slides back into misery and ruin. In fact, the machine conks. It seems to start up all right and runs a Jew yards, and then it breaks down. They are trying to run it on the wrong juice. That is what Satan has done to us humans."
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The wisdom in C.S. Lewis's words is profound and unflinching. In our relentless pursuit of self-gratification, we've distanced ourselves from the real essence of life. Materialistic possessions, money, power - we've built entire societies on these transient elements, believing them to be the key to our happiness. Yet, as history testifies, such an approach only leads to temporary satisfaction, followed by lasting misery and ruin.

Echoing C.S. Lewis's wisdom, the quest for happiness outside of God proves to be a fruitless pursuit. It is not self-realization or the fulfilling of material desires that brings true joy and peace, as commonly perceived, but rather the realization of God's presence and grace in our lives. The fleeting pleasures of the world tether us to the chains of endless want and are no substitution for the enduring contentment offered by God.

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty.

Do not be deceived by the flattery of the Burger King

Made it back home... Who wants to come hang out?

Remember to stay humble. Like St. Francis, embrace Lady Poverty

It's tradition for sensitive channel admins to disable negative reacts. After much consideration, I've decided to ban all positive reacts. Feel free to use any react neutral or worse, as these are all that i have left on. Stay humble. Stay poor. Bless you all

I've Got the Simple Things i

"Wealth does not bring about excellence, but excellence makes wealth and everything else good for men."
- Socrates in Platon's Apology

Here, Socrates instructs us that money and wealth are not the fix for our problems as most think. Instead, money is only helpful if it is used properly. Someone excellent will bring about excellent results with money; but the vicious' use of money will only bring further harm to their lives.

Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty