Life is hard; then we die. 

Life is good, but not easy. The Stoics remind us “the obstacle is the way.”

So what is the best way to live a meaningful and fulfilling life? If we are too focused on ourselves and satisfying our own needs, we are just animals trying to survive. If we are too focused on helping others, we may eventually burn out. 

Similarly, if we fail to recognize how hard and at times sad life is, we have no heart, but if we focus too much of our attention on the inequities and the global problems we face every day, we run the risk of being paralyzed with fear and sadness.

In light of the above, we posit that the best strategy to live a good life, extracted from ancient wisdom, is to Know Thyself; realize we have met the enemy and the enemy is us, and strive to joyfully participate in the sorrows of the world.