The Daily Stoic9 Aug 2019

We All Must Go Into The Wilderness

Seneca was exiled once in AD 41 and then again from Nero’s service at the end of his career. Epictetus was exiled in Nicopolis, Greece by the Emperor Domitian. Publius Rutilius Rufus, the Roman tax official who was convicted on false charges, was exiled to Asia. Stoicism and exile seems to go hand in hand.

Winston Churchill, who himself spent about 10 years in political exile after WWI, once wrote that:

“Every prophet has to come from civilization, but every prophet has to go into the wilderness. He must have a strong impression of a complex society and all that it has to give, and then he must serve periods of isolation and meditation. This is the process by which psychic dynamite is made.”

The period of difficulty and loneliness and loss that Seneca and Epictetus went through—this was not simply some bad period in their life. No, it was a formative, soul-strengthening, priority-clarifying experience that made them who they were. Publius Rutilius Rufus not only wasn’t bitter about the slanderous accusations and the trumped up political attack he was a victim of, he chose Asia as his exile—where he could go back to be with the citizens who actually appreciated his honesty and hard work. It was an awful experience, to be sure, but he accepted it with cheerful Stoicism.

Psychic dynamite is not just handed to us. We aren’t born resilient or with confidence. We have to earn it. We have to make it. And that is only possible in difficult circumstances, it can only be found in the wilderness, where we are alone, where we are forced to adapt and adjust to circumstances outside our control.

It won’t be fun, but it is essential.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3138)

You’re Going To Wish You Did This

Do you write down the important things you read? Do you take the time to understand those “helpful pieces of teaching” and what they could mean for you?Turn the words into works 👉 Read to Lead: A Dai...

17 Sep 2min

Colin Kaepernick, 10 Years After Taking A Knee

Ten years after taking a knee, Colin Kaepernick looks back on the decision that changed his life and cost him more than $150 million. In today’s episode, he sits down with Ryan to discuss navigating t...

17 Sep 1h 18min

You Don’t Need Your Books | 9 Stoic Lessons From Roman Politics

Marcus Aurelius loved to read and tried to always have a text from a philosopher or a playwright or a historian with him. But, as it is for all of us, we don’t always get our way—sometimes life interv...

16 Sep 17min

Time Is a Violent River | Stop Being Surprised By This

Are we doing the work we know we should be doing? Or are we letting hour after hour, day after day, simply drift past us? -- Dr. Becky Kennedy is a clinical psychologist, bestselling author, and the f...

15 Sep 12min

BONUS: The Advice Ryan Got Before Running His First 50K

Ryan knew running 50 kilometers through Rome would require more than just being in shape. So he turned to Luke Tuttle from the blog Ultra Running Destinations for firsthand advice on how to prepare fo...

14 Sep 25min

We All Need To Be Constrained

We should not get to do everything we want. We should not be surrounded by “yes” men and women. We should not think we are superior to others or exempt from constraints. Watch the full conversation wi...

14 Sep 13min

Running 50 Kilometers Through Rome To Understand Stoicism

Come along with Ryan as he sets out to run farther than he ever has before: 50 kilometers through Rome, past some of the most important Stoic sites in the world.🎥 WATCH RYAN RUN THE STOIC 50K: https:...

13 Sep 22min

What the World’s Richest and Most Powerful People Get Wrong (with Stephanie Ruhle)

Stephanie Ruhle has spent her career with a front-row seat to some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world. In today’s episode, she talks with Ryan about what they often misunderstand ...

12 Sep 1h 7min