Welcome to Stoic Snippets,
The track that is short in length but not in depth.
Today I'm going to tell you a great story about Winston Churchill.
As the story goes he's showing a new political member,
The House of Parliament and the Empty Chamber.
If you're not sure what this is then in the UK it's the place where the two different political sides square up to one on tiered benches.
They debate things,
They shout at each other,
Sometimes they sleep on camera,
It all depends on the day.
Effectively it's where they thrash out ideas and put each other under a bit of pressure.
I'm sure you've seen it,
Canada has something similar and I think Australia does too.
If you haven't seen it on TV then definitely check it out,
It's compelling viewing at times.
Anyway,
In the story the colleague points across to the benches opposite Churchill and asks him,
Ah that's where the enemies sit then is it?
And he replies,
No dear boy,
That is the opposition,
The enemy are behind you.
And I really love this because the Stoics would have really enjoyed this anecdote.
You see in that setup,
Well the people behind you should be those who are like you,
The people of your same political leaning.
The people across from you,
You would assume are your enemy because they have the opposite political leaning.
But that's not the way it works.
See the Stoics understood,
As did Churchill,
That there's an importance to opposition,
They play a role.
And both Churchill and the Stoics recognized that the things that are most dangerous to us,
Our true enemy,
Is often hidden and almost always from within.
As such they spoke extensively about the importance of battle.
As Seneca points out,
Excellence withers without adversary.
It's not surprising then that many of the Stoics came from a background of hardship and endurance and for the most part fighting.
They recognized that it is friction and struggle that shapes us.
Seneca continues in his writing,
A gem cannot be polished without friction,
Nor a man or woman perfected without trials.
And so it stands to reason that both should be invited into our lives,
Not avoided.
Opposition is not the enemy,
As Churchill was pointing out.
Or as Marcus Aurelius says,
Life is more like wrestling than dancing.
It's not the world's duty to work out for you,
To make it easy for you,
It is your duty to make what the world gives you good,
To make the most of it.
And you do this by arming yourself with things that cannot be taken from you,
Your philosophy,
Your way of thinking.
That is the only thing that is truly yours,
No one can wrench that from you.
Clanthes,
The boxer turned head of the Stoic school,
Described how a philosophy student should be like a boxer,
Not a fencer.
You see,
When trouble comes a fencer's way,
He must first find his weapon,
But a boxer,
His weapons are always ready.
So make yourself ready for battle by getting your philosophy right now.
And when trouble comes your way,
Know that you are simply sharpening yourself like a precious stone.
As Epictetus writes,
Difficulty shows what we really are.
Therefore,
When difficulty falls upon us,
Remember that God,
Like a trainer of wrestlers,
Has matched you with a rough young man,
So that you may become an Olympic conqueror.
But it is not accomplished without sweat.
So don't be scared of a little sweat,
It's a necessary ingredient of excellence.
Good luck out there.
