End of Summer (with Stoicism!)

Summer is coming to an end (sigh!), and the changing of seasons is a great time to reflect upon some stoic philosophy.

Here is 2 hour lecture about a new book on stoicism (I will probably do a reading group on the book next spring!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPQhrnwhySs

So if are free Friday evening, and want to spend some time sitting in nature discussing philosophy with friends, then come along! Please be sure to watch the video in advance of the meeting, and come along with any questions or insights you wish to share with the group.

Please be sure to bring a lawn chair, we will be sitting under a tree just past the sheltered area where the bathrooms are located. Hope to see some of you there.

Cheers,
Colin

** UPDATE... some insights and questions from the video ****

Stoicism maintains that the best human life is one that takes seriously the kind of organism humans actually are (e.g. social animals). Question: What do you think human nature is?

We all have a philosophy of life, conscious or not. It is reflected in our goals and priorities**. Question: What is your philosophy of life?**

5 Stoic techniques: (1) Managing our emotions; (2) Preparing for difficult situations; (3) Finding peace in a chaotic world; (4) Making difficult decisions; (5) Becoming a better person.
Question: Thoughts on, or personal examples of, any of these?

I’ll briefly share one personal example. My experience of going through the pain of a divorce 12 years ago helped prepare me, years later, for dealing with the grief of losing both my parents. How? By the time my parents died I had learned, through the trial and error of grappling with the pain of divorce, that it is important to be present with painful/difficult emotions (versus trying to escape from them). I also knew that, in time, the pain of loss would subside (diminish, but never completely disappear). And I had also learned that there would be times when a rush of emotions would return, even years after the loss. This is all normal and to be expected, they are integral parts of the grieving process (so cannot be rushed/avoided). “Acceptance” of the different stages of grieve and loss proved critical to helping me deal with these challenging life events. Dealing with adverse life events can create a “one step forward, two steps backwards” feeling. I believe Stoic techniques can help one remain optimistic and patient during such challenging life events.

On becoming a better person. We are social animals, and thus thrive in social groups and depend on others. The ancient Stoic Hierocles argued that we should bring all people closer to us- to think of our family as we do ourselves, think of friends as family, think of acquaintances as friends, think of humanity as acquaintances. Question: Thoughts on this?

Living a "stoic life" means living in a reason-based, prosocial fashion. Where does pleasure fit in? Stoicism is a virtue ethic (character-oriented) versus hedonism ethic. Wealth, fame and even health are thus considered "preferred indifferents", meaning they do not make a difference to your character. None of those things make you a better person. This doesn't mean we can't care about those things, but they don't define us. Question: Thoughts on this?

Cheers,
Colin