You're listening to the Stoic Solutions Podcast - practical wisdom for everyday life. I'm Justin Vacula Vacula and this is episode 5 ! "esponsi#ilities to Society and $ther %eings ! a #onus #onu s episode this wee& #rought to you #y a generous donation from a Patreon supporter amidst upcoming episodes with special guest interviews. Visit my we#site at stoicsolutionspodcast.com where you can connect with me on social media find past episodes on many podcast platforms and (oin my )iscord chat server for interactive interactive discussion. Support my wor& #y #ecoming a donor through Patreon or Paypal to access special rewards including the a#ility to have upcoming guests answer your *uestions+ custom podcast episodes+ and personali,ed one-on-one discussions. Share+ comment+ li&e+ su#scri#e+ and leave reviews to help support my efforts. mail me with your thoughts ! (ustinvacula at gmail.com. If you'd li&e me to discuss a topic+ ma&e a /0 or more monthly contri#ution today as I approach episode 10 and am wor&ing towards a goal of 200 per month for a steady stream of two episodes per wee&. 3iss anonymous as&s+ 4hat responsi#ilities+ if any+ any+ do we have to other people and our society in general6 hat a#out altruism and self-sacrifice67 8han&s for your support 3iss 9nonymous. Ancient Stoic writers and modern thinkers influenced by by Stoicism talk talk about cosmopolitanism, an attitude of belonging to a worldwide community community,, seeing oneself as a part of a connected whole. Epictetus, in book one chapter nine of his Discourses, encourages us to model Socrates and call ourselves citizens of the universe rather than identify with, as he says, “a corner on which your paltry body was thrown. !assimo "igliucci and #ai $hiting, past podcast guests in episodes %&, '', and '( , talk about circles of concern ) e*panding our priorities beyond the self to family, fellow citizens, countrymen, humankind, animals, and the environment. $e+re to be mindful of the impact our actions have and embrace our nature as a social animal realizing the benefits connections with others can bring while also being careful or prudent in our choices. Stoics focus on the practical nature of their philosophy and lament knowledge merely for its own sake encouraging people to apply wisdom, share i t with the world, and be active in society to make a positive difference. $e can use our skills, whatever they may be, to help ourselves and others to a reasonable degree. ne+s choice of action, well, it+s difficult for me to suggest what people ought to do on a person-to-person basis because don+t know their time constraints, skills, or life details...so people can take a life inventory and think about how to optimize their time to achieve a sense of fulfillment in e*ercising virtue to help others rather than s/uandering their time, participating in toil, and being isolated from the world. ne can even find meaning in their work as talk about in episode 0%. Some may think marriage or raising kids is a societal duty, duty, but this is not the path for everyone and may take away from contentment and helping society as discussed in episode '1 discussing !en 2oing 3heir wn $ay. $ay. $omen, too, may walk away from what we may deem societal pressures and men of course are re4ecting the common traditionalist e*hortation to +man up+ and instead will forge their own paths. "eople ask, “$hat+s in it for me, recognize many potential pitfalls, and don+t want to take on risk for the sake of risk when the rew ard is not present and5or seems e*tremely improbable. $e+re to be prudent in our decisions and not, as Epictetus says, gamble in matters of greatest important, take careful consideration before rushing into potential ruin. "erhaps that woman becoming pregnant simply can+t afford the time off from work, medical
costs, and doesn+t have a good partner who can offer support, she can make an informed responsible choice to be child-free and contribute to society in a more prudent fashion. 3aking on too much self-sacrifice, being wholly altruistic can we say say,, may not be prudent. Donating so much to charity that you can+t afford, volunteering too much o f your time, and taking on too much responsibility can lead to self-harm and burnout which may diminish your effectiveness and even harm others. 6alance, again, a central theme in Stoicism, is called for. Epictetus, in chapter two book one of his Discourses, encourages us to use our skills well being mindful of our strengths taking time to build mastery and not be in over our heads. 7e says, “s it not clear that the possession of these powers is at the same time accompanied by an awareness of them also8 6ut neither a bull b ull nor a noble-spirited man comes to be what he is all at once9 he must undertake hard winter training, and prepare himself, and not propel himself rashly into what is not appropriate to him. n taking action in the world, a contrast to being withdrawn from society, society, Epictetus offers e*planation in book one chapter 0: of his Discourses, “f you did not learn these things to demonstrate them in practice, why did you learn them at all8 $e can seek challenges, ways to apply ourselves in society rather then simply waiting for opportunities to present themselves. Epictetus says, in the same chapter, chapter, “!ust sit wasting my life in a corner when might be crowned at lympia8 ;learly no, we+re to engage with the world. n book two chapter nine of his Discourses, Epictetus says, “philosophers urge us not to be contented with mere learning, but to add to practice also, and then to training. 7ere, we can see more talk about how learning and attaining knowledge is not enough for a good life, that we+re to be engaged with others, with society,, and be continually improving for personal and societal benefit. society n chapter one book three his Discourses, Epictetus talks of personal neglect and inaction harming society, society, being a betrayal of our role as a human being, a brother to others. 7e casts Socrates as a role model, someone who sought to improve society with /uestioning, persuasion, and sharing of virtue. "eople saw him as being a bad citizen neglecting himself, but Socrates thought otherwise ) he thought of himself as caring for mankind by speaking the truth even when others were unwilling to change or were perecutory. ndeed, one way of helping others is by being a good role model, setting a good e*ample with your words, your works, and your profession. Epictetus, in book three chapter four of his Discourses alerts us to the fact that others will imitate us and people commonly imitate crowds even when poor behavior is on display. $e+re to be mindful of our actions so as to not lead others astray astray.. 7e says, “? for if you act as the masses do, you put yourself on their level. $e should set high standards for ourselves and not sink to base behaviors others may display. display. ;hildren especially will learn from us and model behavior whether they realize it or not. 6ook three chapter @ presents a /uestion / uestion some may see as a contradiction in Stoicism ) how are we to be self-sufficient yet still still seek companionship with others8 Stoics talk about the fragility of life, how e*ternals ) other people, pe ople, other things, outside our control ) are inevitably liable to change and destruction. $e can be aided by e*ternals, prefer to have them, but not be overly reliant to the point of being unable to function without help. $ithout e*ternals, we should be able to be content with an attitude of acceptance and gratitude being able to brave the most dire of circumstances. $e then can benefit from association with others, with society, and still be selfsufficient ) a sense of interdependence can be had. n helping others, we can help ourselves o urselves and others can help us. $e can have a balance, moderation, in supports we have from e*ternals and beware the fate of the character in the classic Dolly "arton song +Bolene+ who says, “!y
happiness depends on you. Epictetus says, “human being are sociable by nature and are fond of their kind and en4oy associating with one an other =they? cannot, then, conceive of the manner of life of one who lives completely alone. $e ought, nevertheless, to prepare ourselves for this also, to be capable of being self-suffic self-sufficient ient and bearing our own company. company. 7ere, we can also see loneliness as an inevitable and even positive thing to be content with our own time and see benefits in it for people won+t always be around to support us ) see episode %( for more on loneliness. Again, Again, we+re to be careful too about our associations, especially who we let into our close circles as Epictetus notes in book three chapter @(, “Since then, the danger is so great, caution must be used in entering into these familiarities with laymenC remembering it is impossible to rub against a person who is covered with soot without getting some of the soot on oneself. $hat about concern for animals8 3here+s /uite a good deal of discussion concerning plant-based lifestyles refraining from consumption of any animal products in Stoic circles and even mentions of not eating animals in the works of Seneca and !usionis ufus. See episodes and 1 in which discuss health and a plant-based diet. want to limit the amount of harm inflict in my life and can make very easy ad4ustments to reduce consumption of animal products to close to zero while still having a healthy and frugal lifestyle by adding supplements, protein powder, meal replacement drinks, cooking my own food, and making substitutions. A recent article in 3he 2uardian titled +Avoiding meat and dairy is single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth+ is yet another n ail in the coffin concerning the sustainability of a diet including animal products especially including factory farming, slaughterhouses, and inhumane practices. !aybe some e*ceptional circumstances e*ist which lead some to re/uire animal products, but even then they can reduce harm and impact rather than, as often hear, zombie-like zombie-like e*hortations of “the food tastes so good as people wharf down french fries, cheeseburgers, cheesesteaks while healthcare costs and the epidemic of obesity rises in America. emoving animals products has an incidental or, in many cases, intentional benefit of a healthier lifestyle. f one can make simple efforts to reduce harm in the area of eating, why not do so for personal health, animals, and the environment8 7ere, we can take on some level of self-sacrifice and have discipline to benefit society. 7ow about more mutual benefits8
In his letter '$n the :ellowship of ise 3en+' Seneca tal&s a#out social and personal #enefits which come with good deeds. ;e writes+ 4onsider not only humans+ #ut also animal welfare and in doing so have #etter health and participate in less harm to animals and the environment. %e careful with whom you associate. Select good friends and #enefit from your interactions with others.
$nce again+ than&s to the support on Patreon from 3iss 9nonymous which inspired this #onus episode. 8han&s too to other supporters and fans of my wor&.
FFFF Gisit my website at stoicsolutionspodcast.com where you can connect with me on social mediaC find past episodes on many podcast platformsC and 4oin my Discord chat server for interactive discussion. Support my work by becoming a donor through "atreon or "aypal to access special rewards including the ability to have upcoming guests answer your /uestions, custom podcast episodes, and personalized one-on-one discussions. Share, comment, like, subscribe, and leave reviews to help support my efforts. Email me with your thoughts ) 4ustinvacula 4ustinvac ula at gmail.com. gmail.com. "odcast music, used with permission, is brought to you by "hil 2iordana+s symphonic metal group Hairyland from their album +Score to a Iew 6eginning.+ Audio edits are brought to you by Bohn 6artmann.
