Ronald W. Pies, MD is a psychiatrist, ethicist, and writer who has authored several works on Stoic philosophy and related spiritual traditions, including Everything Has Two Handles; The Three-Petalled Rose; and a more light-hearted work, Don’t Worry—Nothing Will Turn Out All Right! Dr. Pies is also a published poet (The Doctor’s Poems) and novelist (The Director of Minor Tragedies). He teaches at Tufts University and SUNY Upstate Medical University, where he holds faculty positions.
I wrote...
The Three-Petalled Rose: How the Synthesis of Judaism, Buddhism, and Stoicism Can Create a Healthy, Fulfilled and Flourishing Life
This is a book for anyone who wants to live "the good life," but who has not yet found a clear path to that goal. By examining the common threads that unite three, great spiritual traditions--Judaism, Buddhism, and Stoicism--the author provides a framework for achieving a fulfilled and ethically responsible life. The author helps the reader take the spiritual "nutrients" from these three ancient traditions and transform them into a life of beauty, order, and purpose. No scholarly expertise or special knowledge of religion is required to understand this book, nor need the reader believe in a "supreme being" or owe allegiance to a particular religion. All that's needed is an open mind and a sincere desire to create an awakened and flourishing life.
There have been many fine translations of the classic Stoic handbook (the Meditations) by the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. But the one that captures the vigor and spirit of this great philosopher-ruler is the new translation by David and Scot Hicks. In bold, declarative sentences like, “The best revenge is not to do as they do,” Hicks and Hicks bring Stoicism to life and show its relevance to our very troubled age.
MEASURE OF A MAN IS THE WORTH OF THE THINGS HE CARES ABOUT.
IF IT IS GOOD TO SAY OR DO
SOMETHING, THEN IT IS
EVEN BETTER TO BE CRITICIZED FOR
HAVING SAID OR DONE IT.
ARE MY GUIDING PRINCIPLES
HEALTHY AND ROBUST? ON THIS HANGS EVERYTHING.
Essayist Matthew Arnold described the man who wrote these words as "the most beautiful figure in history." Possibly so, but he was certainly more than that. Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire at its height, yet he remained untainted by the incalculable wealth and absolute power that had…
The Roman statesman, philosopher, and man of Letters, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, lived a tumultuous and storied life in a time of political turmoil in Rome. His brilliant and heartfelt letters to his friend, Lucilius, are at once chatty and personal, and yet meant “for the ages.” Seneca conveys many of the chief ideals of Roman Stoicism, and has sage advice on how to live “the good life” that still resonates with us today.
'It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us ... without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry'
For several years of his turbulent life, in which he was dogged by ill health, exile and danger, Seneca was the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the ideals of Stoicism - the wisdom of the self-possessed person immune to life's setbacks - while valuing friendship and courage, and criticizing the harsh treatment of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena. The humanity and wit revealed in…
Does your happiness depend on the opinion and good will of others? Or can you live a happy and fulfilled life even if others disapprove of you? Do events make you happy or sad, or do your emotions arise because of your thinking—whether rational or irrational? These are the central questions that psychologists Albert Ellis and Robert Harper address in this timeless classic of self-growth and self-care. The authors explicitly draw on the Stoic philosophers, including Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, as forerunners of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy. Of all the books on the subject of living happily, creatively, and meaningfully, this one is near the top of my list.
Direct, get-to-the-heart-of-the-problem methods to teach you what you do to needless upset yourself and make yourself emotionally stronger by the creators of the most popular forms of therapy in the world.
From the foreword by publisher Melvin Powers: Years ago, after two decades of burning the midnight oil, reading manuscripts which professed to have all the virtues this one actually possesses, I found the original New Guide to Rational Living—a gem that has become a classic in the field of psychology.
Since then, I am delighted to say, I have sold 1.5 million copies of this book in previous editions.…
How many people would adopt as their motto, “What do I know?” Yet it is this humility that characterizes the wisdom and humanism of the French philosopher, Michel do Montaigne. His essays are at once deeply (sometimes embarrassingly) personal, yet also universal in their concerns. Though raised a Catholic, Montaigne’s philosophy draws heavily upon Stoic and other classical sources, and he is best regarded as a Renaissance humanist. His wide-ranging essays are gems of condensed wisdom on what matters most in life.
Ancius Boethius (c. A.D.480-524) was a Roman philosopher whose life straddled the classical and medieval worlds. Thrown in prison by the emperor Theodoric on what were almost certainly false charges, Boethius wrote his moving dialogue between the ailing prisoner and his “nurse”, Philosophy. Drawing on many Stoic teachings, Boethius deals with topics like the nature of happiness; fate vs. free will, and how we can cope with events that we cannot control. His cardinal principle is that the only true joy is self-possession in the face of adversity.
Boethius was an eminent public figure under the Gothic emperor Theodoric, and an exceptional Greek scholar. When he became involved in a conspiracy and was imprisoned in Pavia, it was to the Greek philosophers that he turned. THE CONSOLATION was written in the period leading up to his brutal execution. It is a dialogue of alternating prose and verse between the ailing prisoner and his 'nurse' Philosophy. Her instruction on the nature of fortune and happiness, good and evil, fate and free will, restore his health and bring him to enlightenment. THE CONSOLATION was extremely popular throughout medieval Europe and…
My life and work have been profoundly affected by the central circumstance of my existence: I was born into a very large military Catholic family in the United States of America. As a child surrounded by many others in the 60s, I wrote, performed, and directed family plays with my numerous brothers and sisters. Although I fell in love with a Canadian and moved to Canada, my family of origin still exerts considerable personal influence. My central struggle, coming from that place of chaos, order, and conformity, is to have the courage to live an authentic life based on my own experience of connectedness and individuality, to speak and be heard.
Trapped in her enormous, devout Catholic family in 1963, Annie creates a hilarious campaign of lies when the pope dies and their family friend, Cardinal Stefanucci, is unexpectedly on the shortlist to be elected the first American pope.
Driven to elevate her family to the holiest of holy rollers in the parish, Annie is tortured by her own dishonesty. But when “The Hands” visits her in her bed and when her sister finds herself facing a scandal, Annie discovers her parents will do almost anything to uphold their reputation and keep their secrets safe.
Questioning all she has believed and torn between her own gut instinct and years of Catholic guilt, Annie takes courageous risks to wrest salvation from the tragic sequence of events set in motion by her parents’ betrayal.
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