The Ancient Guide to Modern Life

Author: Natalie Haynes
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1468300792
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 207

Book Description
“A wonderfully whimsical yet instructional view of Greco-Roman history.” —Kirkus Reviews In this thoroughly engaging book, Natalie Haynes brings her scholarship and wit to the most fascinating true stories of the ancient world. The Ancient Guide to Modern Life not only reveals the origins of our culture in areas including philosophy, politics, language, and art, it also draws illuminating connections between antiquity and our present time, to demonstrate that the Greeks and Romans were not so different from ourselves: Is Bart Simpson the successor to Aristophanes? Do the Beckhams have parallel lives with The Satiricon’s Trimalchio? Along the way Haynes debunks myths (gladiators didn’t salute the emperor before their deaths, and the last words of Julius Caesar weren’t “et tu, brute?”). From Athens to Zeno's paradox, this irresistible guide shows how the history and wisdom of the ancient world can inform and enrich our lives today. “A romp through some of the best-known, and some of the more obscure, writers, thought, and stories of Greece and Rome.” —Times Literary Supplement

How to Run a Country

Author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691156573
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
Collects the Roman statesman's thoughts on leadership, the balance of power, and other topical political issues that maintain relevance today, in a work featuring new translations and organized by subject.

Living Full Circle

Author: Dondeena Bradley
Publisher: Tiller Press
ISBN: 1982132965
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
Discover a new path to wellness with this illuminating collection of simple and ancient self-care rituals. In a hectic world filled with trendy products and expensive retreats designed to reduce stress and anxiety, it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed just trying to find ways to be well. However, as product innovation and well-being services expert Dondeena Bradley shows in this book, the key to sustained wellness has always been within reach with ancient, tried-and-true practices. In Living Full Circle, Bradley translates time-tested and proven healing remedies into practical tools for taking care of yourself. Guiding you through the vast landscape of health and wellness, Bradley focuses on traditional methods and applies them to today’s modern world. These classic and simple techniques will ultimately enable you to rejuvenate your daily rituals, ground and reconnect with all five of your senses, and improve your overall well-being. For anyone searching for ways to take back your health using natural, holistic methods, look no further than Living Full Circle—a modern guide to self-care rooted in ancient wisdom that is, today, more beneficial than ever.

How to Die

Author: Seneca
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400889480
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 253

Book Description
Timeless wisdom on death and dying from the celebrated Stoic philosopher Seneca "It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die," wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). He counseled readers to "study death always," and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca's remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James S. Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker and dazzling writer who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out. Seneca believed that life is only a journey toward death and that one must rehearse for death throughout life. Here, he tells us how to practice for death, how to die well, and how to understand the role of a good death in a good life. He stresses the universality of death, its importance as life's final rite of passage, and its ability to liberate us from pain, slavery, or political oppression. Featuring beautifully rendered new translations, How to Die also includes an enlightening introduction, notes, the original Latin texts, and an epilogue presenting Tacitus's description of Seneca's grim suicide.

Ruling Your World

Author: Rinpoche Sakyong Mipham
Publisher: Random House (NY)
ISBN: 0767920651
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
Sakyong Mipham, the leader of Shambhala, a global network of meditation and retreat centers, shows readers how to rule their own lives and live with confidence--even in their most frazzled moments.

How To Be Free

Author: Epictetus
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691177716
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 227

Book Description
"Born a slave, the Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus (c. 55-135 AD) taught that mental freedom is supreme, since it can liberate one anywhere, even in a prison ... Freedom, for Epictetus, is not a human right or a political prerogative but a psychological and ethical achievement, a gift that we alone can bestow on ourselves ... How to Be Free features splendid new translations and the original Greek on facing pages, a compelling introduction that sets Epictetus in context and describes the importance of Stoic freedom today, and an invaluable glossary of key words and concepts. The result is an unmatched introduction to this powerful method of managing emotions and handling life's situations, from the most ordinary to the most demanding."--Provided by the publisher.

How to Be a Leader

Author: Plutarch
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691192111
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 410

Book Description
Classicist Beneker translates three political essays written by the philosopher, statesman, and moralist Plutarch of Chaeronia. These essays are timeless reflections on the proper way to lead and serve, publicly, at least with respect to the European and American political traditions.

Simply Living

Author: Cecil Murphey
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN: 9780664222673
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
The book of Proverbs deals with making godly choices and living satisfying lives in the everyday world. Through familiar and unfamiliar proverbs, Cecil Murphey reacquaints you with these ancient insights, and helps you apply them to your daily life.

A Guide to the Good Life

Author: William B. Irvine
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199792623
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 330

Book Description
One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient Rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life. Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable first-hand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. Readers learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus our efforts on the things we can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune. We learn from Marcus Aurelius the importance of prizing only things of true value, and from Epictetus we learn how to be more content with what we have. Finally, A Guide to the Good Life shows readers how to become thoughtful observers of their own lives. If we watch ourselves as we go about our daily business and later reflect on what we saw, we can better identify the sources of distress and eventually avoid that pain in our life. By doing this, the Stoics thought, we can hope to attain a truly joyful life.

How to Grow Old

Author: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400880394
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Book Description
Timeless wisdom on growing old gracefully from one of ancient Rome's greatest philosophers Worried that old age will inevitably mean losing your libido, your health, and possibly your marbles too? Well, Cicero has some good news for you. In How to Grow Old, the great Roman orator and statesman eloquently describes how you can make the second half of life the best part of all—and why you might discover that reading and gardening are actually far more pleasurable than sex ever was. Filled with timeless wisdom and practical guidance, Cicero's brief, charming classic—written in 44 BC and originally titled On Old Age—has delighted and inspired readers, from Saint Augustine to Thomas Jefferson, for more than two thousand years. Presented here in a lively new translation with an informative new introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, the book directly addresses the greatest fears of growing older and persuasively argues why these worries are greatly exaggerated—or altogether mistaken. Montaigne said Cicero's book "gives one an appetite for growing old." The American founding father John Adams read it repeatedly in his later years. And today its lessons are more relevant than ever in a world obsessed with the futile pursuit of youth.