This is the mark of perfection of character - to spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending.
- Marcus Aurelius, (121-180), Meditations
The Stoics didn’t think that anyone could be perfect. The idea of becoming a sage—the highest aspiration of a philosopher—wasn’t realistic. This was just their Platonic ideal.
Still, they started every day hoping to get a little closer to that mark. There was much to gain in the trying.
Can you actually live today like it is your last day?
Is it even possible to embody completeness or perfection in our ethos (character), effortlessly doing the right thing for a full twenty-four hours?
Is it possible for more than a minute?
Maybe not. But if trying was enough for the Stoics, it should be enough for us too.
Note: This article was published in "The Daily Stoic" by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman, available on Amazon.
Why Bother as the End Game is Undisputable?
Prychologist and author Nanea Hoffman truely nails it: none of us will get out of here alive. So, why not enjoy life and expecially make sure our life experience is a pleasant one.
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth you're carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There's no time for anything else.”
- Nanea Hoffman, Author "The Anxiety Blob"
I am aware this quote is assigned to numerous celebrities, e.g. actors Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves. Truth is: Nanea Hoffman owns it.
Quality of Life Starts with High Quality Water
With Nanea Hoffman's recommendation in mind, why not look at the basic element of life: water.
Without water there is no life. And without a high water quality there can't be a high quality in life. We looked into the subject thoroughly and came up with a solution that works for us and we urgently want to share.
Water is the essential element of life because without water there is no coffee.
- Unknown.
My water story is pretty simple: having lived in the Alps Mountains for a good part of my young life, I´m spoilt with high water quality. Water from pure underground wells is refreshing and tasty (while it actually has no taste at all).
Later, living in cities, water tasted differently. It needs to be treated with chemicals for health reasons. Fair enough. On the other hand, drinking tap water is a special experience, to say the least.
Solutions? Buy bottle waters is one of them for sure. However, with the downsides of generating piles of trash from the plastic bottles as well as the inevitable digestion of microplastics there is a high price to pay.
Microplastics are prone to generate severe health issues, affecting e.g. organs, bloodstream ad even fertility, as stated in numerous research results. Find a Summary Report here, compiled by Clean Water Action, a non profit organisation.
Looking at the above overview chart we can clearly see that microplastic is found in most of the bottle waters sold. A disturbing 93% of all investigated brands show contamination with microplastics.
The health effects of digesting microplastics are serious, affecting e.g. organs, bloodstream and even fertility. In Scientific American magazine, it's shown how microplastics find their way from fish to human bodies, literally in a microplastic invasion.
High Water Quality with the Berkey Purification System
We used simple water filters for a while which certainly improve water quality, especially removing particles.
However, in order to make clean and healthy water available we went a step further, looking into water purification systems and came across the Berkey Water Purification system.
Lisa form Farmhouse on Boone compiled a comprehensive overview on her YouTube channel we want to share here.
In summary, Berkey offer the best purification in the market at the lowest cost per gallon of water filtered.
We selected the 1.5 gal travel system. It´s large enough for us at the home kitchen and not too bulky to take with us while traveling.
Best Purification at the Lowest Cost
The key product properties are summarized here.
1.5 Gallon Capacity
The portable Travel Berkey Purification System effortlessly purifies water for about 1-3 people each day. The system is just 18” tall and 7.5” in diameter.
Powerful Purification
Berkey systems equipped with Black Berkey Purification Elements purify water—not just filter it—by removing greater than 99.999% of viruses and greater than 99.9999% of pathogenic bacteria, while also removing or dramatically reducing protozoa (such as giardia and cryptosporidium), trihalomethanes, inorganic minerals, heavy metals (including arsenic, lead, mercury, chromium), pharmaceutical drugs (including caffeine, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Progesterone, Triclosan).
Economical and Long Lasting
A pair of Black Berkey Purification Elements lasts for up to 6,000 gallons before needing replacement. Black Berkey Purification Elements average just 2 cents per gallon of purified water.
Independent Testing
Berkey by NMCL uses several independent third-party labs to test a broad range of potential contaminants and conducts Extreme Testing for lead and PFCs in order to show the effectiveness of our Black Berkey Purification Elements.
Drink Confidently Virtually Anywhere
No electricity, tools or plumbing required. Travel the world, prepare for emergencies, and take control of your family’s everyday drinking water with your Berkey gravity-fed water filtration system with Black Berkey purification elements. Enjoy delicious, nourishing water from the leader in gravity-fed water solutions.
Avoid Buying Bottled Water
Want to avoid bottle water wherever you go, as much as possible? There are two simple options:
- Berkey offers a "mobile system" with a filtering capacity of approx. 1 gallon per hour.
- Carry your own, home filtered water in insulated stainless steel bottles (1/4 and 1/2 gallon bottles are available at your local grocery store at ca $20 each).
With this, you not only help the environment and your own health. In addition you save a lot of money.
You see, it's doable with very little effort!
Want to Get Your Berkey?
Interested in a Berkey water purification system? Click on the image to purchase online.
