Stoic Message

Zestful Blog Post #107

Ever since taking some courses in philosophy at Michigan State, I've been interested in Stoicism, that ancient Hellenistic school of thought. Zeno, Seneca, and Epictetus were the main guys we still read today. To hyper-simplify, the Stoics said: Let nothing bother you; suck up any discomfort you can't immediately eliminate; if you do so you'll be free.

I was re-reading Seneca not long ago, and was struck by this passage, which I underlined:

"It is disgraceful that a man who is old or in sight of old age should have a wisdom deriving solely from his notebook. 'Zeno said this.' And what have you said? 'Cleanthes said that.' What have you said? How much longer

[Photo by ES]

are you going to serve under others' orders? Assume authority yourself and utter something that may be handed down to posterity. Produce something from your own resources."

I think of this quote when I see somebody's blog that only comprises links and quotes from other bloggers or sources. I'm like, if I follow your blog, I expect YOU to write it. But what about 'guest posts'? What about 'blog tours'? I guess those things must be OK. Are they? It all seems like such a hustle. Am I hopelessly out of it?

Moreover, my point is this: There's so much thought out there, so much, yes, wisdom apart from the dreck, that it's easy to give over the wisdom-making to others. Hell, it's easy to give over the MAKING to others. Let's not. What do YOU think? What do YOU say? What do YOU make?

I love you.

The Zen Challenge for Writers

The first time I read, as a child, Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If—' I loved it, but didn't fully understand it. Sure, some critics dismiss the poem as middle-brow corn, but not me. I admire stoicism and generosity of spirit, and the poem celebrates those things. But the real meaning of the lines, "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same" eluded me. Who the hell could ever equate triumph and disaster? Must be some metaphor in there that I'm missing.

When I learned that those two lines are inscribed above the players' entrance to Centre Court at Wimbledon, I thought, there must be more to it than I think.

It was only after I studied Zen and other spiritual texts that I realized those lines of the poem are meant to be taken literally. Everything changes; everything passes. Therefore everything is the same; therefore everything is sublime.

It's a great lesson for writers, who tend to live and die by the opinions of others. You know:

Good review = happiness

Bad review = despair

Same holds for remarks from writing-group buddies. Same holds for rejection by an agent or an editor.

The more you write, the more material you put out there, the more you hear from critics. The Zen challenge of being a writer is to treat the one-stars and the five-stars just the same.

For real. For true freedom as a writer.

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[photo of arguably beautiful ruined building by ES]