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

"You can gain an idea of the nature of the things that pass for good amongst the mass of people from the following observations. If a person were to conceive the existence of genuine goods, like wisdom, temperance, justice, and courage, he would not be able, with the idea of these in his mind, to listen any longer to the old verses about the man who is ‘so well endowed with good things’; for it would be quite inappropriate. But if, on the contrary, he first pictures in his mind the things that appear good to the mass of people, he will lend a willing ear to the saying from the comic poets and readily accept it as a fitting remark. In this way we see that even the average person feels the difference, otherwise the joke would not cause offence and be repudiated in the first case, and yet, when applied to wealth and the blessings associated with luxury and fame, be accepted as a telling and witty observation. Go on, then, and ask whether we should prize and accept as good those things with regard to which, when we have formed an idea of them in our mind, we could fittingly remark of their possessor that because he is so richly endowed with them, ‘he has nowhere left to him where he can shit.'"
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book V

Marcus Aurelius, in his poignant observations, confronts us with a stark critique of our societal norms. He calls into question our constant pursuit of what is conventionally perceived as 'good', such as wealth and fame, highlighting their potential to crowd and complicate our lives to the point of absurdity, as depicted by his provocative metaphor.

This insightful commentary from one of the most revered Stoic philosophers implores us to recalibrate our value systems. When we accumulate wealth and status, we often realize that these so-called 'goods' don't necessarily bring us the fulfillment or happiness we initially anticipated. It's a sobering realization that what we've strived for might not be what we truly need or even want.

Instead, Aurelius urges us to value virtues like wisdom, temperance, justice, and courage. These are the true goods that don't crowd our lives but enrich them, offering no space for regret, only growth.

In essence, we are called to reorient our focus. We should not strive for wealth and the illusory 'goods' that could leave us metaphorically with "nowhere left to...shit", but instead seek to cultivate and embody virtues. Keep your lives simple, your hearts rich, and your values intact. This is a gentle reminder to embrace a less materialistic existence and to seek true wealth in wisdom and virtue.

For centuries, people have assumed that wealth would be a wonderful cure-all for their unhappiness or problems. Why else would they have worked so hard for it? But when people actually acquired the money and status they craved, they discovered it wasn’t quite what they had hoped. The same is true of so many things we covet without really thinking.

On the other hand, the “good” that the Stoics advocate is simpler and more straightforward: wisdom, self-control, justice, courage. No one who achieves these quiet virtues experiences buyer’s remorse.

Fill your life not with ill-conceived goods like wealth that won't leave you with a place to shit, but with the virtues. Stay poor, friends. This has been your daily reminder to embrace poverty.

Today's post reminds me of one of my favorite Diogenes of Sinope Anecdotes:

"While being received in the house of a man who had devoted considerable care to his many possessions, while leaving only himself in utter neglect, Diogenes cleared his throat and looked around him, but instead of choosing any nearby spot, spat directly at the master of the house. And when the man grew angry and asked why he had done that, he said that he could see nothing in the house that had been so neglected as its owner. For every wall was adorned with wonderful paintings, and there were images of the gods on the floor portrayed in magnificent mosaics, and all the furniture was bright and clean, and the coverings and couches were beautifully adorned, leaving their owner as the sole thing there that could be seen to have been neglected; and it is the universal custom in human society to spit in the worst available place."
- Galen, Protreptic 8

Stay poor, friends. Make sure you don't grow deserving of such an occurrence.

As a nice reprieve from the toxic modern world here is a nice painting of a wholesome heterosexual duck family.

Notice how the drake (male duck) stands tall and proud as a watchful sentry over his family, ever alert for danger, whilst the mother duck tends to her ducklings, confident that their father will neither became lazy in his duties or abandon his post.