The origins of intentionality

My first introduction to intentionality was through Stoicism. When someone mentions Stoicism you probably picture the lonely figure standing in the rain with a blank expression, unbothered by the weather.

In this instance the person is probably practicing their "reasoned choice" and choosing not to be upset about some thing which is completely out of their control: the weather.

There is however an aspect of intentionality to this as well…

Ryan Holiday quotes Seneca in The Daily Stoic, which is worth picking up a copy of:

The best way to get there is by focusing on what is here right now, on the task you have at hand—big or small. As he says, by pouring ourselves fully and intentionally into the present, it "gentle[s] the passing of time's precipitous flight."

What he's saying is that if we're not intentional with the limited time that we have, it's going to slip through our hands before we know it.

Photo by Brad Hostetler on Flickr