A Guided Exploration of Stoicism, Part 2
A Guided Exploration of Stoicism, Part 2
A collaboration With A Stoic for Any Season
The following is a collaboration between Kunga’s Written Radio and Frank Ó'hÁinle from A Stoic for Any Season (the first part can be found here . I heavily recommend checking out his work (which can be found here, I have also recommended his page so it is easier to find),hopefully it serves to be as insightful for you as it is for me.
KWR: Does your interpretation of Stoicism vary much from the description you gave?
Frank Ó'hÁinle: My interpretation of Stoicism falls into the bracket which is commonly referred to as Modern Stoicism. I make use of the tenets of Stoicism which I believe to be useful including the locus of control, living life in accordance with nature etc. However, I am not dogmatic in my approach to Stoicism, points which I find less useful or less in keeping with the better version of myself that I am aiming to become, I restrict in my practice. I take what works for me and incorporate it into my every day life. However it is worth remembering that the Stoics were not dogmatic in their practice either and would not look down on me for not fully embracing every single tenet of Stoicism.
Rather the likes of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus would be happy to see me striving to lead a virtuous life. Applying elements of the philosophy which guided them throughout their lives and working to make the world better in the process. There is no gatekeeping in Stoicism and I would urge anyone who is interested in the philosophy to start right now, where you are and with what you have available to you. Everyone has the chance to turn over a new leaf and begin the process of attaining Arete through their thoughts, decisions and actions.
Stoicism is a practical philosophy and so I would say my interpretation varies as I believe everyone interested in it, should begin practicing in the way they feel best adapting the philosophy to their own lives and circumstances. In this manner I differ from Traditional Stoics who would prefer that a Stoic engage in every element of the overarching banner of Stoicism.
KWR: What encouraged you to embrace stoicism?
Frank Ó’hÁinle: I was nineteen years old and completely lost in my life. This led me to take a full summer of working on myself and attempting to figure out just what it was I wanted from my life alongside the manner in which I was to achieve it. In this Summer I accidentally stumbled across a podcast on the Art of Manliness which discussed Stoicism and the benefits it could have on the modern day man/woman.
From here my interest was piqued and I ordered a copy of the Meditations within minutes of finishing the podcast. I devoured this manual on living over the space of a week and have revisited the book on a regular basis ever since. To this day it still sits in a drawer at my desk in the law firm I work in and guides me in my life every day since.
If I was to disseminate this into one reason as to why I embraced Stoicism, I would say it provides the perfect opportunity for us to lead lives which make the world better day in day out. What more can I ask for than to make my little corner of the world better for having come through this way. As I quoted above from Kingdom of Heaven, it is up to all of us to strive to make our little corner better day by day, if not what are we really doing with our lives.
KWR: Has Stoicism changed your life more than just your mindset?
Frank Ó'hÁinle: Stoicism has changed every aspect of my life in a manner that I find difficult to truly describe. My way of thinking has evolved to the extent that the time in my life prior to my discovery of the Meditations seems so alien and distant, that I could not fathom returning to this thought process ever again.
My actions, thoughts and decisions are all decided upon in keeping with Stoic precepts and teachings, through mental muscle memory at this stage. The way I interact with others and with myself has also been fundamentally altered as a result. Each and every day is a step in the right direction, as long as I hold true to the path Stoicism has now set me on. To embrace Stoicism is to alter not just your mindset but your life and the lives of those around you.
It’s a journey I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking to make themselves better and in the process improve the lives of others.
KWR: For someone looking to embrace Stoicism, what would you recommend that process would look like? You have stated that over time is has become muscle memory, but initially how did it look like for you? I imagine that it could be relatively easy to maintain a process of trying to implement Stoicism for a couple weeks, but how would you ensure that you maintain the regimen in the longer term? Further more, some important decisions, which change the direction of your life, require serious and effort to sit down and weigh out all the options- a task which naturally seems to suit Stoicism. However for those near split-second decisions, which may or may not be as important, where one has very little time to choose, is Stoicism still flexible enough as an approach to be applied in such scenarios?
Frank Ó'hÁinle: This is a very interesting question and one which I could devote reams and reams of paper to. Yet I would say that unintentionally I became a Stoic in the most effective manner, by simply going back to the classic texts. I started with the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and pored my time and effort into absorbing as much of the wisdom I could discern from it as a nineteen year old new to philosophy. I will caveat that in stating a lot of it will go over your head on the first read.
I have spoken at length on this point with friends who I have attempted to introduce to the Stoics. Some believe that a repackaging of the thoughts and ideas presented in the classic texts is needed for the modern audience. I would wholeheartedly disagree, while further analysis and thought as to how Stoicism can be implemented into modern day life is important, it is no substitute for what is freely on offer in the original texts.
Having begun to read through the Meditations I would then begin to implement individual practices which the Stoics of old practiced daily.
Reframing your thought process to utilise the locus of control effectively, separating out issues into what lies within our control and what firmly does not. Amor Fati, to embrace wholeheartedly what fate binds to you. Not only to endure what is sent your way but to truly love and enjoy the journey. Premeditatio Maliorum, to imagine the worst possible outcome in a situation and realise that no matter what comes your way you will face it all the same. For it has often been said that we suffer more in imagination than in reality, therefore it is of the utmost import to realise this fact and gain the strength to face whatever lies on the horizon, good or ill.
In terms of split second decisions Stoicism also retains the element of flexibility you indicate, as long as one continues to practice its core tenets. The focus on doing what is required of you irrespective of circumstance, combined with the razor sharp focus on what we can truly exert a modicum of control over, makes it the most practical philosophy I have come across. One which anyone can benefit from in situations which require an individual to make a split second decision.
This ends the second episode of our collaboration, I hope you have enjoyed, and stayed tune more episodes coming in the future! In the next episode we dive deeper into the idea of the ‘lotus of control’.
That’s all from us for now, but stay tuned for future broadcasts,
This has been Kunga’s Written Radio and A Stoic for Any Season,
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