Excellent essay- actually more frightening than a Stephen King story, because they’re true… and highlight the capricious nature of our daily experience… also a powerful argument for a moment- to -moment attention to our experience… and great examples of how to respond stoically in concrete situations- well done
I really like this! It's interesting to read about real world incidents and how they are navigated with a Stoic frame of mind. I know the ancients tried to use examples of Stoicism in day to day life, but it's very helpful to read about it in the modern world context.
Thanks, Brittany, for your account of all these encounters. You are quite right, any of these incidents is a reminder that we are all at risk of a fatal encounter, any time. We can educate our kids and do our very best to assist in the moment...but there are no guarantees. Important stuff.
I hadn't thought about it until now. Two or three years ago -- I've lost track of time -- on Thanksgiving I dropped my daughter off at work in the early morning. I parked and started to walk across the crosswalk when I noticed a car stopped. Before I could do anything, it passed right in front of me, and I had to put my hands out to stopped my motion, which spun me around knocking me to the ground. All I could think about was my wife, who has MS, was home alone. I drove back home, waited until my daughter got a ride back home, and then drove myself to the ER. I had broken a bone in my shoulder when I had landed on the ground. It all gave new meaning to being thankful. But I also forgave the guy who had a moment of distraction on a dark, snowy morning. If I had been a tad more cautious, I wouldn't have walked straight into the side of a moving car. I definitely was helped by Stoic practices.
I pen my thoughts and ask chatgpt to rhyme them together.
It is amazingly good. There was a discussion on Seneca's writing on Providence on modern stoicism practical stoicism whatsapp group. A chap called Bozzi turned Seneca's writing into a poem. I don't accept Seneca's ideas of Providence so I wrote my response called it 'who is in charge' and asked chatgpt to rhyme them. It came up with this. Amazing!
Excellent essay- actually more frightening than a Stephen King story, because they’re true… and highlight the capricious nature of our daily experience… also a powerful argument for a moment- to -moment attention to our experience… and great examples of how to respond stoically in concrete situations- well done
I really like this! It's interesting to read about real world incidents and how they are navigated with a Stoic frame of mind. I know the ancients tried to use examples of Stoicism in day to day life, but it's very helpful to read about it in the modern world context.
Thanks, Brittany, for your account of all these encounters. You are quite right, any of these incidents is a reminder that we are all at risk of a fatal encounter, any time. We can educate our kids and do our very best to assist in the moment...but there are no guarantees. Important stuff.
I hadn't thought about it until now. Two or three years ago -- I've lost track of time -- on Thanksgiving I dropped my daughter off at work in the early morning. I parked and started to walk across the crosswalk when I noticed a car stopped. Before I could do anything, it passed right in front of me, and I had to put my hands out to stopped my motion, which spun me around knocking me to the ground. All I could think about was my wife, who has MS, was home alone. I drove back home, waited until my daughter got a ride back home, and then drove myself to the ER. I had broken a bone in my shoulder when I had landed on the ground. It all gave new meaning to being thankful. But I also forgave the guy who had a moment of distraction on a dark, snowy morning. If I had been a tad more cautious, I wouldn't have walked straight into the side of a moving car. I definitely was helped by Stoic practices.
Thanks for sharing this, and for the reminder that forgiveness is also an important aspect in getting on with our lives. Stay safe this Thanksgiving!
Thanks for sharing. I have had some similar experiences. Every day as part of my stoic mantra I say
I recognise the good in my life and the gap there would be if taken from me
I also love Seneca's idea if settling accounts in a fail basis. Here is a short poem that develops this idea
Settle the Accounts Each Day
Let us not wait for the perfect dawn,
Nor hope for time that's yet to spawn.
For days unlived are debts unpaid,
And dreams deferred too long will fade.
Why gamble with tomorrow’s light,
When storms may rise before the night?
The clock ticks on, its rhythm stern,
A teacher urging us to learn.
Each fleeting hour, a chance bestowed,
To walk the path, to lift the load.
To mend the bond, to speak the word,
To sing a song that must be heard.
Let not regret your shadow cast,
Nor future fears hold anchors fast.
The ledger calls; the pen is near,
Balance the books while skies are clear.
For life’s accounts demand resolve,
No wealth, no fame can this absolve.
Be rich in deeds, be just, be kind,
And leave no unfinished tasks behind.
So as the sun slips into gray,
Settle your accounts with life each day.
For when the final reckoning’s due,
A life well-lived is owed to you.
Beautiful and inspiring poem, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Brittany
I pen my thoughts and ask chatgpt to rhyme them together.
It is amazingly good. There was a discussion on Seneca's writing on Providence on modern stoicism practical stoicism whatsapp group. A chap called Bozzi turned Seneca's writing into a poem. I don't accept Seneca's ideas of Providence so I wrote my response called it 'who is in charge' and asked chatgpt to rhyme them. It came up with this. Amazing!
Who Is in Charge?
Who holds the reins, who steers the course,
When stars are born, then fade with force?
Is it Providence, that ancient muse,
Whose threads of fate we long to use?
Seneca spoke of a grand design,
Of gods who weave and intertwine.
Yet, do we need those lofty tales,
When reason, within, already prevails?
We are sparks in the endless flow,
Entropy’s agents, as we come and go.
Born of chaos, yet striving to frame,
The fleeting order of this cosmic game.
No gods to guide, no hands to mend,
No promised justice at the end.
Alone we drift on this fragile sphere,
Our only solace: each other, near.
To grow the good, suppress the base,
To temper anger, embrace grace.
For habits honed through trials past,
May not serve in this moment's cast.
We are reason’s potential, raw and bright,
Emotion’s masters, if we fight.
A harmony forged within the soul,
Sociable beings seeking a whole.
Energy flickers, it cannot last,
A universe fades, its spark surpassed.
Yet while we burn, we hold the key,
To shape what is, what might yet be.
Who is in charge? The answer’s plain:
Not gods, nor fate, nor cosmic chain.
It’s us, together, in fleeting flight,
Who make the most of our borrowed light.