Time Is A River? Hmm...

It's day 206 of documenting 2025.

Happy Friday, my friend ☺️ 

I hope your week went well

Another week ends...

Week by week, we get closer to the end of this year.

Very soon, 2025 will be over.

Thinking about it gives me the chills right now

What to expect next year?

How things will change?

Resolutions?

Plans?

I know we don't have to worry about that till the time comes.

But sometimes...😪

Anyways, today went well... nothing out of the ordinary.

Except for the last teacher's meeting I had to attend today.

It was kinda like a family meeting...as we all laughed, munched on miniature biscuits and gave our suggestions.

And I was finally settled for the term.

Anyways....let's move on to Highlights and afterwards, we dive into some lessons from Marcus Aurelius.

PS. I'm highlighting the whole note for today.

365 Days With Self-discipline 

📌 On Vice Fasts

"Go on a “vice fast.” Pick one vice and abstain for thirty days. Proving to yourself that you’re still in charge."

Quote by Darren Hardy

30-day vice fasts can be a great way to kickstart your self-control after a period of decreased self-discipline. 

Since it’s just a 30-day challenge and not a lifetime change, you’ll feel less resistance to starting it.

Even though it’s such a short period, it can still serve as a great way to exercise your willpower.

Some ideas for 30-day vice fasts include:

- 30 days without alcohol;

- 30 days without sugar in any form (or without processed sugar alone);

- 30 days without the snooze button;

- 30 days without watching TV;

- 30 days without watching pornography;

- 30 days without using social media;

- 30 days without spending money on anything besides necessary expenses,

such as food, transportation costs, and bills.

I'm totally buying into this idea....because it's totally new to me.

A 'vice' fast? Splendid.

You should try it out as well...and if 30 days seems a bit long, just do it week by week.

Start with 7 days and keep a streak.

Then ask yourself if you can go another week...

No, challenge yourself.

If you win, then you know it's possible for you to abstain in the long term.

Just saying...

Let's get some wisdom from the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius.

Meditations 

📌 Book 4

38. Look into their minds, at what the wise do and what they don’t.

39. Nothing that goes on in anyone else’s mind can harm you. 

Nor can the shifts and changes in the world around you.

—Then where is harm to be found?

In your capacity to see it. Stop doing that and everything will be fine.

Let the part of you that makes that judgment keep quiet even if the body it’s attached to is stabbed or burnt, or stinking with pus, or consumed by cancer.

Or to put it another way: It needs to realize that what happens to everyone...bad and good alike—is neither good nor bad. 

That what happens in every life—lived naturally or not—is neither natural nor unnatural.

40. The world as a living being—one nature, one soul. Keep that in mind. And how everything feeds into that single experience, moves with a single motion. And how everything helps produce everything else. Spun and woven together.

41. “A little wisp of soul carrying a corpse.”—Epictetus.

42. There is nothing bad in undergoing change—or good in emerging from it.

43. Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is gone.

Some of them are pretty understandable...but I asked my AI assistant to help with the whole enchilada.

Here's the breakdown, as well as the key lessons:

38. "Look into their minds, at what the wise do and what they don’t."

He’s encouraging self-reflection by observing the inner workings of wise people; not just their actions, but what they 'choose' not to engage in. Wisdom is revealed in restraint as much as in expression.

39.This is a powerful reflection on 'inner freedom'. 

Marcus is saying that external things...including people’s opinions and even bodily suffering, cannot truly harm you. 

The only true harm is in your 'judgment' of things as harmful. 

If you stop interpreting experiences as negative, you become unshakable. It’s a call to train your mind to detach from reaction and interpretation.

40. He views the universe as 'one living organism'...interconnected, purposeful, and unified. Every event and being contributes to a shared existence. 

There is no separateness. This helps cultivate acceptance and humility.

41. "A little wisp of soul carrying a corpse."

A stark image from Epictetus reminding us that the body is temporary and decaying, while the soul...your consciousness, is the real essence. It's a reminder not to overly attach to physical form.

42. Change itself is neutral. 

Don’t glorify beginnings or dread endings. Things just 'are', part of the flow. This helps detach from the fear of transitions.

43. Time is likened to a river; a never-ending rush of fleeting moments. 

You catch a glimpse, and it’s gone. This metaphor reminds us to 'be present' and not grasp too tightly at what cannot stay.

Key Lessons

- True harm comes only from your own judgments.

- You are a small but meaningful part of a vast, interconnected whole.

- Change and time are inevitable; accept them with grace.

- Wisdom lies in restraint, clarity, and perspective.

There you have it!

Some indispensable reminders...or lessons we should remember as we sail on this river called Life.

There's nothing more to express, except my absolute gratitude to you...for stopping by my little corner of the Internet.

My blog is where I'm most active now in terms of content.

Well....not so active.

I just format, edit and publish.

And it appears on the main site.

In simple terms, thanks for reading 🎀 

I'm Duon Ada.

I'm documenting 2025,

And I'll see you tomorrow.

Ciao 💕