Day 946 - Bread & circuses - https://golifelog.com/posts/bread-and-circuses-1691118168045
We like to blame social media and junk food for our decline, but this quote from Cicero gave me pause for thought:
> "The evil was not in the bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease." – Cicero
Spot on.
Because blaming social media and junk food is just externalising the problem isn't it?
Don't like the toxicity of social media? Spending too much time doomscrolling? Just apply some mindfulness. Timebox your usage. Find something more interesting to do. Call someone close you've not spoken to for a long time.
Hate junk food but can't stop? Apply some mindfulness. Buy less so that you don't see it around the house. Replace it with healthier alternatives so that you can only eat those. Stop watching media that tries to convince you it's okay.
I know, there's a lot of money put into influencing and brianwashing us otherwise. Sometimes it's hard to stop from individual effort alone.
But that's exactly what having freedom means, isn't it? The exercise of it is not always easy. But the best things in life are hard-won, and savoured due to that.
> "The evil was not in the bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease." – Cicero
Spot on.
Because blaming social media and junk food is just externalising the problem isn't it?
Don't like the toxicity of social media? Spending too much time doomscrolling? Just apply some mindfulness. Timebox your usage. Find something more interesting to do. Call someone close you've not spoken to for a long time.
Hate junk food but can't stop? Apply some mindfulness. Buy less so that you don't see it around the house. Replace it with healthier alternatives so that you can only eat those. Stop watching media that tries to convince you it's okay.
I know, there's a lot of money put into influencing and brianwashing us otherwise. Sometimes it's hard to stop from individual effort alone.
But that's exactly what having freedom means, isn't it? The exercise of it is not always easy. But the best things in life are hard-won, and savoured due to that.