Bill Buppert of zerogov.com is back to conclude our discussion of the philosophy of Stoicism.
Covered:
1. Deciding what kind of person you want to be
2. The choice between a quest for status and the search for achievement
3. The vital need to resist the corrosive influence of bureaucratization on the Stoic spirit
4. Avoiding "neutrality" in a moral crisis
5. Deciding how to make the best of adversity
6. Recognizing the price we may have to pay when we choose an act out of conscience or principle
7. Understanding the nature of courage as a conscious choice to submit oneself to the spirit of endurance
"What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.
And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
― Howard Zinn, A Power Governments Cannot Suppress
Bill's Reading List:
My top three for the novice are:
-A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
-A Man in Full
-The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations)
To get better acquainted with the philosophy:
The Obstacle Is The Way: Tim Ferriss Audio Edition
Here is the most comprehensive list I could find that I agree with all the choices: Stoicsm Books
This is a terrific resource and dirt cheap on Amazon:The Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers: The Complete Extant Writings of Epicurus, Epictetus, Lucretius and Marcus Aurelius
Bumper Music:
"I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home" - Grand Funk Railroad
"Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Student Demonstration Time" The Beach Boys
Look Closer:
Bill Buppert's Site - http://zerogov.com/
Stoicism and Hormetism - http://gettingstronger.org/stoicism/
Change your receptors, change your set point - http://gettingstronger.org/2010/10/change-your-setpoint/
Stoicism 101: A quick guide to the philosophy - http://hackthesystem.com/blog/stoicism-101-a-quick-guide-to-the-philoso…
Real Mind Control: The 21-Day No-Complaint Experiment, by Tim Ferriss - http://fourhourworkweek.com/2007/09/18/real-mind-control-the-21-day-no-…