Bet On It! Food For Thought- 2: Meaning, Self-Mastery & Freedom, Strength

There Is Ultimately Only One Thing That Makes Human Beings Deeply And Profoundly Bitter, And That Is To Have Thrust Upon Them A Life Without Meaning. There Is Nothing Wrong In Searching For Happiness. But Of Far More Comfort To The Soul Is Something Greater Than Happiness Or Unhappiness, And That Is Meaning. Because Meaning Transfigures All. Once What You Are Doing Has For You Meaning, It Is Irrelevant Whether You're Happy Or Unhappy. You Are Content -- You Are Not Alone In Your Spirit -- You Belong.”
---- Laurens van der Post

“No Man Is Free Who Is Not Master Of Himself”
---- Epictetus
Epictetus (50 – 135 BCE) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present-day Pamukkale, in western Turkey) & lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece for the rest of his life

Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life & not simply a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly & dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine & control through rigorous self-discipline.

Your Struggles Develop Your Strengths. When You Go Through Hardships And Decide Not To Surrender, That Is Strength.
---- Mahatma Gandhi