Mastery: Hunger Is The Best Relish

Issue No. 54 | January 8th, 2024 | Read Time: 3 Minutes

For those of you who don't know, I deleted every social media app about a month ago.

I'm not gonna lie, the first couple of days sucked.

I always scoffed at people when they'd say "Social media is a drug," but I legit turned into a sober junkie.

Luckily, the twitching phase only lasted a few days. After that, I had an epiphany.

Why haven't I done this sooner?

I started to enjoy the fact that I no longer had Instagram or Facebook. It wasn't just about the time I was saving, but that I was able to prove to myself I could do it.

Now granted, I'll still log into my account once a week or so to catch up on DMs, but I'll never look at my feed or what everyone else is posting.

It's not that I don't care. It's just that I no longer feel the need to fall into that trap.

Because we all know one minute of scrolling can easily turn into two hours. 

And if you've been reading my newsletters long enough, you should know that Stoicism is all about moderation. Hell, it's one of the Stoics' four virtues—temperance.

But I think there's been some misconception about the Stoics and their rules on discipline.

Surprisingly, the Stoics actually preferred pleasure over discomfort from time to time. They weren't necessarily an ancient version of David Goggins. 

But what made them different from the average person was their ability to

moderate

how much pleasure they fell into.

So the Stoics didn't necessarily miss out on life's pleasures. Nor did they recommend you do so either. They believed that someone who exercises moderation will live a more pleasant life than someone who lacks self-control.

Because if you practice self-control, you'll actually gain more pleasure in the long run.

What does that mean exactly?

If you're someone who takes a cold shower every day, how do you think it'll feel when you take a hot shower for once?

Absolute bliss.

If you're someone who never eats out to dinner but spontaneously decides to treat yourself at a nice restaurant one day, how do you think that experience will feel?

Amazing.

In other words, the less you do something, the more you'll appreciate it when you do.

As Socrates says,

"Hunger is the best relish, whereas if we overeat we spoil our appetites."

For me, social media was my vice. 

But the real question is, what's yours? 

It's never too late to practice moderation. And remember, you don't have to starve yourself, just make yourself a little hungry.

Because when it comes time to eat, it'll be the best food you ever have.

Until next time,

Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I'm Currently Reading -

Right now I'm still reading

Think Like A Monk

by Jay Shetty but I'm also re-reading

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius for the third time. This time I'm reading Robin Waterfield's translation.

• If you'd like to see my book notes pertaining to this book or any others I have previously read, then check out my websiteisaiahctaylor.comto view my entire library of notes and summaries.

Quote Of The Week

• "Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything." — Imam Ali