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Welcome back to practical stoicism, my dear Procopton. I am glad you're here. Last week was a wild ride. I had a lot of things going on, and I am here to tell you that I was not that stoic about it. I lost my temper twice and actually broke my no alcohol streak just so I could unwind and get my thoughts together.

So before we start today, just take a minute to reflect on how every practicing Stoic,

even the one hosting this podcast that you tune into every day, can fall short of the sage even on their best days.

I'm not beating myself up, I'm taking my lumps,

and I'm trying again this week. And that's something you've got to learn to do yourself, until,

that is, you become a sage. For me, however, that is a while off. Today we are diving into

Meditation 5 from book one of Meditations, which remember is a book of thank

yous and gratitude from Marcus to the people in his life who had an impact on him. Today he thanks

Apollonius. Let's find out what for. From Apollonius, true liberty and unvariable steadfastness,

and not to regard anything at all, though never so little,

but right and reason, and always, whether in the sharpest pains or after the loss of a child or in

long disease, to be still the same man, who also was a present and visible example unto me, that it was possible

for the same man to be both vehement and remiss, a man not subject to be vexed and offended

with the incapacity of his scholars and auditors in his lectures and expositions.

And a true pattern of a man who, of all his good gifts and

faculties, least esteemed in himself, that his excellent skill and ability to teach and

persuade others the common theorems and maxims of the Stoic philosophy. Of him also I learned

how to receive favors and kindness as commonly as

...