First Post: Thursday, May 16, 2013

Mark’s Daily Apple. Ever heard of it? In a world of noise, Mark’s signal stands out. He wants us to take care of our bodies. We don’t have to buy everything he’s selling, but it’s probably beneficial for us to consume his larger message: don’t forget that there’s more to your existence than just the space between your ears!

He’s a good blogger. Dr. Mercola is good, too, but a little paranoid at times. Josh Brown at thereformedbroker, also good. Maria Popova at Brain Pickings, excellent. Leo Babuata at zenhabits, OK if — what else? — a little open-ended. All of them focus on the ideas rather than just the stories. You’ve heard the old saying about “Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas”, right? Well, all these people discuss ideas, big-time. They’re always enlightening. In an age where we are paying too much attention to talentless famewhores and other irredeemable attention-seekers, these esteemed aforementioned contributors will help us get back to where we should be, one soul at a time.

So, back to Dr. Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple. He had this piece (or, listicle, to use the dreaded current parlance) yesterday on the “7 Characteristics Associated with Long Life (and How to Cultivate Them)”. One of those characteristics was “Don’t Worry Too Much”. One of the recommended practical applications toward less worry was “Look into Stoicism”.

Of course, the Interwebsz is nothing if not a rabbit hole, so down we went. We clicked on the link, and this led to a site called ideonautics.com and an article called “The Manual” by Mr. Stephen Walton. This manual was subtitled “How to Control Everything You Can”, a modern rendering of the Enchiridion of Epictetus. OK.

It’s a long read, but a good meditation on how the ancient, eternal truths and observations on human nature remain quite valid even in the 21st century. Highlights (as translated by Mr. Walton):

Don’t take pride in any merit that isn’t your own…if you get excited and say “I have a great-looking car”, then you’re getting puffed up over merit that belongs only to the car.

When an expert renders bad news, don’t let the sense of doom foreseen run away with you, but make the essential distinction and tell yourself: “This has nothing to do with ME. It may be the worse for my measly body, or my measly property or my measly family. But any news is good, if I decide it is, because I can make good use of it, whatever it is.“

Don’t party with the unenlightened. If you do find yourself in such a situation, be alert that you don’t slip in the manners of the uninformed. Hang out with dogs, and you’re likely to get fleas.

And, the best of all…

If you hear that someone has criticized you, don’t try to defend yourself, but say instead: “He doesn’t know all my faults, or he would have had more to say”.

marksdailyapple.com
brainpickings.org
thereformedbroker.com
zenhabits.net
ideonautics.com

Thanks to all these for adding to our neverending development.

Free ones: Rundown…

Belmont 7, 9
Calder 4, 7
BFHollyPark 7, 8

Pay-side: Today…

Churchill 2, 7, 9
Pimlico 9
Louisiana 2
Golden Gate 4, 7
Lone Star 1, 2, 4, 8

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: One today at Belmont, and the top two morning-line choices dominate, along with co-third-choice. Ugh.

Yesterday’s Activity: OK for the free page, Belmont 7, wide-open on the Betting Line. Top-touted was Adirondack Dancer, 8-1 on the morning line and 11-1 at the off. Two Bonkersmates, including the Second Bonkersmate, The Thinker, 8-1 on the morning line but bet-down to 5-1. A dingdong stretch battle, a turf race all the way down the lane, and The Thinker outfinished the ’Dancer. The winner returned a $12.20 mutuel, and the exacta paid $110-even. The 11½-20 fave ran third, qualified on LifeLine and completed the $196 trifecta. Boo on the faves bringing down the trifecta price! Or maybe not, since the fourth-place finisher was not high on the calculations. Stoics!

WMF Report:

Early
Belmont 6f
Chas. Town 4½f, 6½f
PennNat 6f

Nocturnal Submission: Might not stay on the turf, but EvD 5 (8:20 p.m. EDT / 5:20 p.m. PDT) has #5 Midnight Rules ready to upset. …Later there, a main-track race in the eighth (9:35 / 6:35), and #4 Drop Off the Kidz is a play on spelling alone. …Early at PennNat, Race 2 (6:27 / 3:27) has #7 Las Mercedes looking to win it for Daimler-Benz. …

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Take care now.