Our favorite guest blogger David Erskine returns with Stoic wisdom about joy.
Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Dr. Kathleen Allen asked me to write a guest blog offering my perspective on pause in chaotic times. Five years later, plenty has changed in the world, but I’m still sharing my thoughts from just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.
I regularly immerse myself in Stoic books. Recently, I read The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday, who also wrote Ego is the Enemy and Stillness is the Key. His Daily Meditations book includes one Stoic thought for each day of the year. Contemplating these thoughts is part of my daily routine, alongside stretching, yoga, and running. I’ve realized that, like exercise, it is crucial to advance my spiritual journey daily. As I’ve progressed through Daily Meditations, I’m happy to say that adding a spiritual element to my routine works. Through Stoic principles, I’m finding joy every day.
Hopefully, as I articulate several takeaways from these books, you will find some joy for yourself–and a way to honor the present moment.
- In Ego is the Enemy, I found a new perspective: My ego is not my amigo! The book’s core concepts included some great ideas: Seeing myself with a little distance, getting out of my own head, and understanding that detachment is a sort of natural ego antidote hit home. Consciously being grateful, humble, and self-aware helps keep my ego in check. Without my ego in the way, I can be more present and joyful. Try it–you might surprise yourself!
- In Stillness is the Key, Ryan Holiday shares John Cage’s wise words: If the mind is disciplined, the heart turns quickly from fear to love. I found this particularly profound because it reminded me to be present and focus on being in the moment. In the stillness of the present moment, we can zero in on the most important tasks and not get caught up in the 24/7 news cycle or countless internet searches. Existing in the moment, we don’t lose sight of what is right in front of us. For example, as I write this post, I am looking at a grove of redwoods towering above me. I can’t even see the tops of the trees. I would have missed this inspiring view if I had not grown still.
- In The Obstacle is the Way, we learn perspective is everything. If you focus on an obstacle as a block without seeing that the obstacle is actually an opportunity, you will miss a way forward. Once again, living in the present moment is key. We can’t worry about the obstacles that may or may not lie ahead. If we live in the moment, the obstacles that appear before us will be easier to deal with. We won’t obsess over thoughts of what’s to come, afraid of a future that may or may not happen. The book introduces the Latin phrase “amor fati,” which means “love of fate,” or as Ryan Holiday says, “love everything that happens.” This is not to surrender but rather “turning what we must do into what we get to do.” The result anchors us in the present moment, where we focus on what we can control, not what we cannot control.
If you enjoy my blogs, my new book Fifty Poems, Five Decades and Fifty Thousand Miles, is available now!
David Erskine
World Traveler, Poet, Actor, Taxi-Driver, Author, Tech Sales Director and…Blogger
