I vibe coded my own Stoic quote website using OpenClaw with the ability to filter for various Stoic principles that I have categorized the quotes into. I am working on making it a bit more "rad" but check it out!
https://theradstoic.com/radstoicbooks.html
I also vibe coded a mobile app that enabled me to do the categorizing away from my precious Excel file. AI...
Imagine that your own ancestors - of blood and of bravery - are standing here, watching you, protecting you. Remind yourself what they would do right here and right now. You can’t let them down.
— Ryan Holiday, Courage is Calling
Let our aim be a way of life not diametrically opposed to, but better than that of, the mob.
— Seneca, Letters from a Stoic
Obstacles are an opportunity to practice some virtue.
— Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way
Rads Take
As I continue to learn piano and simultaneously drive everyone in the house crazy with either 1) playing the same portion of the same song over and over or 2) playing a new song hella poorly, I recognize the reasons why people don't want to learn new things.
I feel better about myself playing a song that I can play well. I feel like a jackwagon that will never be any good when I jump into a new song that moves too fast and whose notes are too high up or too low down on the staff.
So should I stick with those songs that I know pretty darn well now and just have some pleasant tunes in the house or do I push myself and curse the songs that have so many black keys? Damn those sharps...
Well according to Ryan Holiday, these obstacles are giving me an opportunity to practice some virtue. Maybe not virtue, but practice something.
But he is saying whether intentionally or just by living our lives, we are called to overcome challenges. And that this should be welcomed. Many times within the Stoic writings, there are parallels built between the strength of the mind and the strength of the body. The only way the body becomes stronger is by putting strenuous obstacles in the way -- weights and cardio.
But cardio sucks. Don't do cardio.....no, I am not a doctor.
But we can strengthen our character and demonstrate our assets -- biceps or courage -- by facing those challenges head on -- like we expected them to come around. Like we mentally prepared for the hardships that are heading our way.
Quote #1 speaks to the 'how' of Stoicism. Imagine that...pretend that...
Imaging someone is watching you at all times. And you think that person is the damn bees' knees. Knowing they are watching, what do you do? That speaks to a level of awareness and presence that few can easily achieve. But if you are saying 'Stoicism is too hard. It expects too much.' What would the people you hold in the highest regard want you to do at this moment? Do that thing. What's so hard? You are in control. You are aware - at least if you are reading this. So do it.
And quote #2 --- if we are living today, we see people doing things we would never do. Horrible things. And it's every day. These are the people that do not hold in high regard the virtues of Courage, Justice, Temperance and Wisdom. These are the people (and there are a lot of them) that are the 'mob' Seneca refers to. They might not all be in the same place throwing stones in windows, but they are a wide swath of society that just don't have the wherewithal to consider doing the right thing at all times.
Seneca is saying they are human and they have reasons for acting the way they act. We have commonality with them. They want happiness. We want happiness. So we can't write them off fully. We need to take some time to understand where they are coming from, learn from their intentions, and work and live with them. We also need to show them the path that we wish they were on. We have influence which over time can evolve into control. But it requires a vigilance and consistency on our end. A belief that one day ('ain't gonna be this day' as Fortune would say from Rudy) they will learn from our example.