Happy Sunday Friends! Here is 1 quote I’m musing, 2 Ideas, 3 of my favorite things from the week, and 1 question. If you find it useful or interesting, please feel free to forward this along to some friends or others!

One Quote I’m Musing

“Remember, you’re not talking to a bad man.”

-Cleanthes

This is a very small passage in Diogenes Laertius' “Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Cleanthes was walking down a street and noticed a man talking negatively to himself he stopped the man and told him “Remember, you’re not talking to a bad man”.

To improve, we have to hold a mirror of truth up and examine ourselves, our flaws, our shortcomings, in addition to our strengths. That’s a part of self-discipline.

But you cannot turn critical evaluation so far as to become self-flagellation, driving down your own self-esteem. It’s not self-punishment, it’s self-improvement.

Be your own friend, when you’ve done that; you will be a better friend to others by nature.

-e

Two Ideas From Me

No one who’s done anything new or unconventional did so without criticisms and haters. The alternative is to just do nothing, and that’s no alternative at all.
Chasing external validation undermines self-approval. By ignoring the dichotomy of control, we make our self-worth fragile and dependent on others instead of rooted in our own values.

Three Favorite Things From Others

Air Force Secretary, Frank Kendall, recently flew in an AI-controlled F-16, noting that it was on par with a senior pilot (2-3,000 flight hours) in a dog fight. One of my more favorite quotes: “We'll have uncrewed aircraft that are carrying weapons in the force by about 2030.” | More
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." | Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It never ceases to amaze me; we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own” | Marcus Aurelius

One Question

Are you your own friend?

Have a wonderful week,

I’ll see you Sunday.
-e