I regularly "borrow" books from my dad's library, often ones I have bought him as presents. At Thanksgiving, I borrowed Making the Good Life Last, Four Keys to Sustainable Living, by Michael Schuler, a Unitarian Universalist minister in Madison, Wisconsin. My dad has been interested in Stoicism and living the good life for a while, so this book seemed a good choice for him. Having read similar books from my dad's library, I also had to read this one.
Making the Good Life Last focuses on four premises:
- pay attention,
- stay put,
- exercise patience, and
- practice prudence.
Schuler delves into each of these premises for sustainable living, providing context and examples. Pay attention involves such things as meditation and being in the present moment, along with just noticing your life and your community. Staying put argues for staying in one place instead of being as mobile as modern Americans are now. Exercising patience and practicing prudence each apply to so many parts of our lives. They involve such things as being patient with our careers, families, levels of satisfaction with life, material wants and needs, etc. While reading the book, I found that over the years I have learned similar lessons and am in agreement with him.
In the coming weeks, I plan to post on each of the four premises separately. Stay tuned...
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