Altruism, Solitude, and the Happiest Man in the World
Finding Space and Doing Good in the Art of Living Beautifully [Newsletter #44]
Hello wonderful people,
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and welcome back to the Good Life News Letter, with quotes and links for a life worth examining.
This is issue #44, on doing good for others and finding time for ourselves with some help from the happiest man in the world. I hope it finds you well, and look forward to hearing from you — especially if you’re one of our new subscribers.
Inspired and supported by members of the first creative innovation workshop 🧙♂️
💎 5 Quotes I’m Considering on Solitude and Goodness
“One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.”
― Goethe, 18-19th century German poet and playwright
“In a world of constant distractions and demands, solitude is particularly critical. The artist must insist upon carving out the psychic space in which to connect with the wellspring of thoughts, dreams, and memories within.”
―Scott Barry Kaufman, American psychologist and writer
“In the solitude of immaculate nature, each moment is worth its weight in gold [and] brings us closer to the ultimate nature of things. The outside silence opens the doors of the inner silence. Then, the freshness of the present moment nurtures our heart with good qualities. When silence reigns, our mind can easily stretch over the space around us and melt into it. The outside peace and the inner peace are as one.”
―Matthieu Ricard, French Buddhist monk and very happy person
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone."
―Blaise Pascal, 17th century French philosopher, quoted by Oliver Burkeman
“Your vocation in life is where your greatest joy meets the world’s greatest need.”
―Frederick Buechner, American writer and theologian
🔗 3 Inquiries on Goodness and Solitude
A helpful frame for daily journal-writing: Benjamin Franklin started each day asking himself, in his journal, how can I do some good today? And he ended each day asking himself, in his journal, what good have I done today?
If the good we plan for sometimes pales in comparison to the good we’re able to unexpectedly do in situations we could not foresee, part of the art of goodness might be carving time to reflecting on how and where we might position ourselves.
✍ What good can I do today? Where might I go, and how might I show up there?
“Five Ways to Be Happy from the Happiest Man in the World.” For Matthieu Ricard (and Buddhist philosophy in general), happiness comes from altruistic love… wishing for the real good for real people. “At some point we have to ask ourselves,” he says, “what really matters?” And he quotes Aristophones: “Education is not the filling of a vase, but the lighting of a flame.” Find the flame that makes sense, and “do what’s neccesary.” His final tip? Be of service.
“Wherever I go in the world, including New York, is to see if I can be of little service. Otherwise, why should I move? I’m perfectly fine in my hermitage facing the Himilayas. So why I come down? To be of service. Otherwise, waste of time.”
✍ What really matters? What lights me up to cultivate the best qualities of myself? How can I be of service today?
“Why You Should Quit Social Media” from Cal Newport. Registration his course (with Scott Young), called a Life of Focus, closes tonight (March 17th, 2023). I haven’t taken it, but it looks promising. With or without the course, we might be able to benefit from the commitment to “establish deep work hours, conduct a digital declutter, and take on a deep project.”
✍ What are the best hours for me to engage in my own “deep work”? What social media distractions can I quit?
📚 For Further Reading :
📚 Chapter 4 on “Doing Good” in the The Art of Self-Improvement : Ten Timeless Truths by Anna Katharina Schaffner (2021) offers a comparison of Confucian, Buddhist, Christian, and contemporary approaches to altruism.
She begins the chapter with Disney’s Aladdin, who uses his third wish to free the imprisoned genie. Altruism at its finest.
📚 Chapter 4 on “Solitude” in Wired To Create : Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind by Scott Barry Kaufman (2016) provides some nice psychological and neuroscientific evidence that solitude is a kind of muscle that we can strengthen with practice. The first three quotes above are from this chapter.
📚 Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism : Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.
✌ Thank You
I hope this email was fun and helpful and encouraging.
As a curious Epicurean, I’m always wondering if what I’m doing is helping anyone else (besides me). But today more than normal.
Did you find any of this any good?
How can I help? Can I do any good for where you are right now?
Do you have some service or offer that might be good for me?
Do you see something good that we might we be able to do together?
I’m open to inquiries and random synchronistic connections especially. I appreciate your correspondence, shares, and subscriptions a lot…. so THANK YOU!
Until next time, yours in reimagining education for flourishing and music,
Sean
🏛 Upcoming Real-Life Wisdom Workshops
🧝♂️ Want to join the wait-list for the Wisdom Workshop in Writing the Good Life?
Are you a life-long learner who wants to cultivate mindful attention, inner peace, inner freedom and loving kindness? Are you looking for practical ways to connect with yourself and others, or to better design work and play so that you can flourish in a life that you love? We’d love to have you . Capped at 8 people. Start date/times to be determined. Information and testimonials. Or respond to this email to set up a call — I’m a geek for the andragogy and philosophy behind this workshop.
🧙♂️ Want to join the wait-list for the Art of Living Beautifully?
If you want to nourish a creative lifestyle, deepen your aesthetic attention, or kick start a worthy pursuit in artistic becoming, we’d love to have you. Capped at 8 people. Start date/times to be determined. Information and a testimonial worth sharing: “this group has turned something that was a source of depression into a source of joy.” Or respond to this email to set up a call if you have any questions per your situation.
🎙 Upcoming Music
🎵 Saturday, March 25 : Sean Waters and Friends at the Forge Publick House in Fort Collins, Colorado | 21+ | 8-10pm
🎵 Saturday, April 22 : Sean Waters and Friends at the Forge Publick House in Fort Collins, Colorado | 21+ | 8-10pm
🎵 Friday, April 28 : Sean Waters and Friends at Wolverine Farm as a part of FoCoMX 2023 : Fort Collins, Colorado | All Ages | 9:30-10:30 pm / / / Tickets here.
New music coming out this spring, follow along on Spotify or Apple Music.
🏛 Brought to you by the Wisdom Workshop. Thank you for being here.