meditations book 1: debts and lessons

Published on January 13, 2026

things to learn from m.a.'s dedications:

open-minded, multi-perspective, don't lock yourself to a single ideology. develop bipartisan perspective on all things in life. see the full picture.

"not to waste time on nonsense." increase signal to noise ratio to the maximum, as kevin o'leary calls it. focus on critical tasks (the signal) and minimize the distractions (the noise).

pursue clarity and honesty in interpersonal relationships and communications. no flattery or empty rhetoric. "to write straigtforward letters"
"to read attentively" "not to be satisfies with 'just getting the gist of it.'" this applies to me reading any written work: research papers or books in general. ai summary should be last resort or to aid in getting the "noise" out of my life's way.
don't fall for the smooth talkers.

seriousness, but don't aura farm to seek attention. no filler, just content. don't look like the smartest man in the room, just be the smartest man in the room.
high eq - have natural sympathy for friends.
get along with everyone (not necessarily conform to everyone and not take any stands, but to do one's best at respecting others in conversations, so that when people talk to you, you are are both warming and treat them seriously)
"to be free of passion" - passion, or pathē in greek, means negative emotions. strip that away at all times naturally.
"yet full of love" - aka sustain one's goodwill emotions
don't perform status or technicality, just be technical (similar to first bullet pt of sextus... "gravity without airs")

don't constantly correct ppl on the little things like grammar/syntax mistakes, or just anything that's not central to an issue or topic. focus on the issue/topic itself and not let the iego get the better of you to derail the conversation. make it about the content of the discussion, not the minute surface-level mistake that humiliates the other person. but still correct them in a natural, not-in-the-face way.

understand the internal bad within the exterior, prestiged and superficial goodness of any elite. because power tends to corrupt people. power incentives irresponsibility, which invites the ability to do harm without consequences.

don't overly rely on others unless you havae to; be more responsibel of steering your own tasks. and at the same time, take duties when your friends call upon you. interpersonal altruism.

be straightforward w/ your close ones. don't supress your true emotions and act out your false ones. "and that his friends never had to speculate about his attitude to anything: it was always clear"

self control and resistance to distractions (social media slop, distractive content in general, noise)
"optimism in adversity"
"doing your job without whining"
clarity in conversation/action. no ambiguity. no malicious intent.
don't be rash and not prolongingly paranoid either; make timely decisions and act accordingly with enough information.

"indifference to superficial honors" (no flattery distractions)
hard work, persistence (keep going!)
"listening to anyone who could contribute to the public good"
don't be content with your first impression of others; gauge deeply about their internals.
sustain a discussion until complete, don't leave prematurely without having all the necessary data points gathered.
self reliance. count on yourself! and when counting on others, prepare for the possibility of their failure so you can still count on yourself to finish the job!
plan in advance.
pay attention to the little things.
pay no attention or have any desire for acclamations.
take responsibility and blame of your own actions.
don't chase trends, be anchored and sober. eliminate vulgar speech/actions.
use your assets/resources to your greatest advantage.
put other ppl at their ease without being pushy (!!)
make yourself healthy. don't obsess over the extremes (looks, etc.). optimize for moderation.
be truly humble to ppl more technical than you (the experts)
don't always chase novelty that don't align with your main goals and core values. constancy. fulfill your duties (the core tasks) as your routine has structured you to do so.
do things that are actually necessary by your core values and not chase for the credit gained from doing things.
calm. control. emotional regulation.
no violence.
composure.
be indomitable.

even in power, not to indulge in dressing fancy or untidily. show respect to the ppl around you even if in some way they are beneath you. don't let the royalness/arrogance get the better of you.

all are good qualities to learn from. about to start book 2.