Stoic Joy

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Be content, face challenges, bounce back from adversity, be a source of strength when times are rough. This is stoic joy. It’s something I’ve started moving towards since starting this book. I’ve made good progress and there’s still a ways to go. I am catching myself when I’m angry or frustrated. Also, when I’m excited. The goal is to be even keel. I’ve talked a lot about golf and how it applies. It’s a really good fit and opportunity to practice these things. I was frustrated yesterday at the end of my golf round and realize that is something to work on.

Daily Stoic(s)

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Yesterday - Check Your Privilege

We all have our own experiences. These experiences shape how we view ourselves and others. Getting upset over someone who we have no idea about their experiences is a waste of energy. Some of us are more privileged in those experiences. It’s easy to forget that.

Today - A Cure For The Self

Philosophy is a cure to become a better more indestructible person. Practicing it feeds our soul and makes us better. One of the things I’m working on in golf is the mental game. How to keep balanced on the good and bad shots. I’ve had a lot of bad. At first I was fine to just be out there. Now I’m getting more and more frustrated by it. I need to keep things in perspective and take it as an opportunity to practice philosophy and stoicism.

Where Is Anything Better?

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Virtue is the thing worth striving for. I’ve been struggling with that lately. Doing things because I want to do them, instead of doing the things I feel I need to do., I have discipline and will do it well for extended period of time. Then I’ll go through a streak where I lose my discipline. I’m trying to figure out why. One of the things I’ve noticed is that I have a lot of different interests and tend to get bored of things quickly. I like randomness. I don’t like the day being the same thing over and over. Often that’s how it can feel and I think I get bored with it and try to mix it up.

It could also be diet. When I’m eating all the good food I’m supposed to things seem to go well. When the diet is not ideal it can make me lazy. At least that’s the running thing at the moment.

When Good Men Do Nothing

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

It’s not enough to just not do evil. I think of the black lives matter movement and how it was said that if you’re not speaking up you’re part of the problem. Silence is not acceptable. A buddy of mine discussed this one night. I was being challenged to go do something. “Do what?” was my response. Do I need to go protest? Do I need to go to social media or write a post on this blog? I don’t really know what I need to be doing. I believe black people and other minorities deal with things I’ve never had to experience. I know this because we’ve had some discussion at work about a black man being afraid to wear a mask at work. He’s already been asked to remove it at a retail store during this time.

This is where I see contradiction in the stoics. There was just one about how someone is dying somewhere. How I can’t account for all the suffering and tragedies in the world. I can only control and account for what’s in my area of influence. I thanked the person I heard the story from about the mask. It was an enlightening moment for me. I hope that’s what it means to speak up and be hear. If I’m to do more, I’m falling short.

Daily Stoic(s)

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Yesterday - Somewhere Someone’s Dying

This is something that I feel puts me at odds with other people. I can influence and help those who are within my circle. I can not help those across the country or world. This is why I tend to ignore the news of this or that tragedy. If there is a tragedy in my town or even state and I have the means to help I will. The pandemic is a good example of this. I can’t get people their jobs back. When their job is back though I can leave a bigger tip than I normally would. I’ve pointed to the data for the pandemic as a reason for why I don’t see it as big of a deal as it’s made out to be. The response I often get during these discussions is that people are dying. There’s always people dying from this and other things. That usually doesn’t go over well.

Today - What’s On Your Tombstone

I think of does the end justify the means for today’s stoic. Does sacrificing family time for a career make sense. Are there things I’m missing out on by pursuing something that I want. I like to achieve and learn new things. That’s helped me advance my career. I’m at a point now though that going upward isn’t something I desire. I want to do other things and enjoy life. To me that’s okay and today’s stoic encourages that.