Talking With the Dead

Before Zeno founded Stoicism, he was told that to live a good life he needed to talk with the dead.

Books are our way of doing that. Among the best minds in every field of expertise and every school of thought are available to all of us in online bookstores for nominal fees.

When it comes to advancing our work, the question isn’t whether or not we can access the best wisdom. Only whether or not we will choose to access and apply it.

I have a funny relationship with books, though. My favorite subjects are marred with the ramblings of those merely trying to secure intellectual property or bask in their own majesty. It’s a skill to negotiate a bookstore without falling victim to such titles.

And if we want to do work that matters, it’s a skill we must all learn.

What dead people have you talked to lately?