Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic

"Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company."

Turnaround Artist :-)

Surprise: we are living in the most peaceful times in human history

"The world we live in is, first of all, at peace — profoundly at peace. The richest countries of the world are not in geopolitical competition with one another, fighting wars, proxy wars, or even engaging in arms races or “cold wars.” This is a historical rarity. You would have to go back hundreds of years to find a similar period of great power peace. I know that you watch a bomb going off in Afghanistan or hear of a terror plot in this country and think we live in dangerous times. But here is the data. The number of people who have died as a result of war, civil war, and, yes, terrorism, is down 50 percent this decade from the 1990s. It is down 75 percent from the preceding five decades, the decades of the Cold War, and it is, of course, down 99 percent from the decade before that, which is World War II. Harvard professor Steven Pinker says that we are living in the most peaceful times in human history." Fareed Zakaria

An Old Russian Joke

A wife is sitting near her dying husband. "Masha, do you remember how I was fired and couldn't find a job for 3 years? You stayed with me then." "Yes, darling, I remember." "Masha, do you remember how I was drunk and got my car smashed up in an accident? You were visiting me in the hospital for 5 years." "Yes, honey, I remember." "And now when I'm dying you are sitting here with me." "(Crying) Yes, my treasure!" "Masha, I'm starting to believe you bring me bad luck..."