My husband forwarded an email to me called “The New Stoics” by David Galland for Casey Daily Dispatch.
David Galland researched the philosophy of stoicism following encounters with a golfer who retired but with less income than hoped, and with a 14 year old genius, Laura Deming, who graduated at 17 from MIT. Her father, John, shared with David that he studied the stoic philosophers and now lives a considerably more contented life. How can this be? The retiree would benefit from a more contented, less struggling life due to his current means. Most of us could; too many of us are likely to struggle for years to come with the economic disasters of our world today.
Simply Stoic: Stoicism, in very simple terms, is that people instinctively react to outside forces even when facing disgrace or social humiliation. Stoics are of the belief that we cannot be disgraced by that which is beyond our control. Per the dictionary, they repress emotion and are oblivious to pleasure or pain. Wow! Not me. I like responding to pleasure and it took years to not be shy; why would I want to repress my emotions? Admittedly I do rely on logic for decision making a great deal of the time, rather than reaction, but I do not want to be a clone of Star Trek’s robotic Data character.
Emotions and Obama: Forbes contributor Kare Anderson wrote recently that Bill Clinton purposely pointed out in a speech to tell, yes tell, the public that President Obama may seem calm on the outside but he is passionate about America on the inside. Hum. Could he be a stoic? I seriously doubt it, but he does come across arrogant and standoffish and as a stronghold of self-control, and these are some of the impressions that people have of stoics. Obviously since Clinton had to tell us, the people, there was concern in the White House about Obama’s facade. Obama’s extreme control is contrary to the social world and the social network world we live in where “Thank you for Sharing” is a good thing. Do I want my emotions diluted even?
Interpreting Stoic Emotions: So if President Obama could be perceived as stoic, what does David Galland relay in his article about stoics? Namely, that a stoic ” believes that the interpretation of right or wrong, good or evil, is entirely an internal affair” and to accept things as they are that we cannot change and to go “with the flow.” David adds that stoics live in the moment and not in an uncontrollable future. I tend to live in the moment so perhaps I have that part covered. Interesting. Stoics enjoy their loved ones and their possessions while they have them and they want for less while enjoying a contentment of the now. A stoic worries less about things beyond their control. For most of us, who tend to be control freaks at least to some extent, this is a pipe dream. Or is it?
Galland suggests that we quit chasing the material goods that are fluff and stick more to the necessary. My husband and I lived in a large home in NC and had to downsize dramatically when we moved to FL. Let me assure you, we had a lot of unnecessary fluff. After having sold, given away, and packed possessions, we still have excess fluff, but it is more manageable and we are more contented about this. Our philosophy now as we live in a 1900 square foot home, is “if something comes in, something needs to go out the door.” We shop a lot less, still spend a fortune on food it seems, and have less cleaning to do. Less cleaning; more contentment for me. Am I stoic? Perhaps, but then again, I believe in free will, fate and destiny, and displaying emotions.
Getting a driver’s license in Florida was a exercise in stoic attitudes. We had to return 5 times with varying documentation before we finally became official Florida drivers. Some people were nice, others less so, but none of them, not one, had the power to do anything other than read and re-read the same rules. No reason to get really frustrated, angry, or loud. We got a tad fussy while still being friendly, but we also knew we would get our licenses, and that was our solitary goal, once we let ourselves be led down the red-tape path that was quite out of our control. Perhaps we were stoic about the path and the goal somewhat, because we did make fun of the mess, as we flowed along the process path. We expected people to help guide us, and they did. What would have happened had we not reached our goal? I would not maintain any familiarity with stoicism; I would be assertively, perhaps aggressively, seeking new solutions to reach the required goal, with a lot less patience no doubt. Any brick walls at this point would have had me against the world, rather than accepting society’s ways and things beyond my control. I would have lost my stoic calm.
Philosophy of Stoicism: In ancient times stoicism was a philosophy; to some likely a religious one. In today’s world, being a stoic suggests immunity or indifference to emotional displays such as joy and sadness, even pain. A stoic today represses outward emotions and centers on extreme patience; a stoic today demonstrates a certain strength of character, even of courage. Most people today do not seem to have all consuming philosophies of life and of their place in the world, as the educated ancients did in Hellenistic times. Without a strict philosophy of life to help frame our thoughts, we are subject to the doings of others more than we should be.
So, in an economy spiraling downward all too fast, stoicism may become more of a lifestyle as we do accept less and have less. Stoicism could help us to find happiness in chaos and loss. Perhaps this philosophy will have merit, to some at least.
