When Rest & Relaxation Become Vice (Mediation 3.14)

Practical Stoicism

Evergreen Podcasts

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, I take a closer look at Meditations 3.14, where Marcus Aurelius encourages us not to “wander from our path any longer.” It’s a meditation you’ve probably heard before, and while some translations simplify it to “put away your books,” I find that framing a little misleading. Books, much like hobbies or relaxation activities, have their place. They support our well-being and our pursuit of Virtue—when used in the right way. In this episode, I unpack what Marcus really means. I talk about how there’s a responsible way to interpret the advice against distraction. It’s not about abandoning things that bring us joy or rest; it’s about being mindful of whether those things serve our ultimate goal of becoming better human beings. I use the example of video games to illustrate this balance. Rest is essential, and enjoyment isn’t the enemy, but when indulgence turns into avoidance, we drift away from our pursuit of Virtue. I also explore the differences in translation between Long and Fark, and why I prefer Fark’s version here. Fark highlights that it’s not the activity itself that’s the issue—it’s the pursuit of recognition, fame, or self-indulgent goals that pull us off course. The bottom line is this: hobbies and relaxation are fine, even necessary, but they must never contend with our pursuit of Virtue. When they do, they stop being harmless and become our greatest vices. Meditation referenced: “Do not wander from your path any longer, for you are not likely to read your note-books or your deeds of ancient Rome and Greece or your extracts from their writings, which you laid up against old age. Hasten then to the goal, lay idle hopes aside, and come to your own help, if you care at all for yourself, while still you may.” — Meditations 3.14 Join the Practical Stoicism community, the Society of Stoics, at https://community.stoicismpod.com. Members enjoy ad-free episodes, weekly journaling prompts, a membership medallion, and access to regular live calls and discussions. Join today at https://community.stoicismpod.com. Buy my book: https://stoicismpod.com/book Read source material: https://stoicismpod.com/far Subscribe on YouTube: https://stoicismpod.com/youtube Follow me on Bluesky: https://stoicismpod.com/bluesky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:31.0	Whoa, look! Is that Dragonite? Dragon-type Pokemon have arrived. Discover in Happy Meal now. Some fun, some food,
0:41.5	it's all inside this Happy Meal. Until 17th of June, from 11am includes one pre-selected book or toy.
0:47.8	Pokemon range comprises toys only, whilst talks last. Welcome back for Capton. I'm glad you were here. Last week, we saw a bunch of new things get launched. The closed beta of the journaling program, for example, the Stoicism Quote of the Day app for iOS, and many updates for the Society of Stoics. So quick note on the SOS, I'll begin sending
1:15.1	membership coins out today. And if you did not share your mailing address when you became a
1:21.5	member of the society, you're not going to get one. That's not because I don't want to give you
1:25.8	one. It's because you didn't give me your mailing address.
1:27.9	So go and fix that when you have a moment if you actually want one of these coins, which are
1:32.8	really cool.
1:33.5	I've made a big deal about them because they're really cool.
1:36.4	Community.stoicismpod.com to do that.
1:39.7	Any other housekeeping. My son is turning one year old, one years old, as some people say, one year old this week.
1:47.9	And I think my wife and I feel like we've just beaten World One's miniboss or something,
1:53.2	and we're kind of terrified about what World Two is going to bring.
1:57.4	I think that's when they, what, refused to let you put their clothes on or take their diaper off in the middle of wherever we might be in public and start weeing all over the place.
2:07.6	Who knows? Who knows what World II has in store for us? Hopefully we can handle it.
2:14.8	Well, you know, in the words of one of the best Disney characters ever,
2:18.6	while embodying the form of a llama, Emperor Kusko, bring it on. This week we are focusing on
2:25.3	meditation 3.14, which reads as follows. Read along with me on the screen. Here we go. Do not
2:33.1	wander from your path any longer, for you are
2:36.2	not likely to read your notebooks or your deeds of ancient Rome and Greece or your extracts
	...

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