Stoicism: Inner Light Revealed

By Edward Sianski

This book takes to heart Matthew 13:52: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of the household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Although Stoicism dates back to Greek and Roman times, its influences have never waned. This philosophy has underpinned the way of life of individuals and groups for hundreds of years. Twelve Step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon have successfully incorporated its key ideas to help many thousands of people. I have been sober for 29 continuous years after drinking for 25 years and can attest to the effectiveness of Twelve Step programs.

Stoic principles are used in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. This book also examines a cross section of people who have utilized Stoic principles in their lives of service to others. Stoicism has proven to be a reliable scaffold for people determined to make a difference in their community, sometimes against formidable opposition. I believe this book will help to inspire a wide range of people to navigate their way through life, stoically.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Mar 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781982297084

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Copyright © 2023 Edward Sianski.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

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without the written permission of the author except in the case of

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use

of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical

problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The

intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help

you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use

any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional

right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Wild flower pictures by Monica Sianski

Scripture quotations are from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by

the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible ©

American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9707-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9708-4 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date:  03/24/2023

Dedicated to Monica and all the other wildflowers

who stoically bloom where they are planted.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Stoicism – Beginnings - Zeno

St Alphonsus Liguori

Stoicism – Beginnings - Cleanthes

St Benedict Of Norcia

Stoicism- Beginnings - Aristo And Twelve-Step Programs

St Francis Of Assisi

Stoicism – Beginnings - Chrysippus

St Paul of Tarsus

St Mary Mackillop

Zeno The Maintainer

Diogenes of Babylon

St John Chrysostom

Antipater

Panaetius

Elizabeth Cheney

Publius Rutilius Rufus

Posidonius

St Albert The Great

Diotimus

St Augustine Of Hippo

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cato

Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict Xvi

Anonymous Stoicism

Porcia

St Monica – Power of Prayer

Athenodorus

Arius Didymus/Athenodorus

St John The Baptist

Paconius Agrippinus

Lucius Annaues Senecca

Lucius Annaeus Cornutus

Gaius Rebellius Plautus

Thrasea Paetus

Vladimir Putin

Putin’s Victims

Alexei Navalny

Helvidius Priscus

Musonius Rufus

Volodymyr Zelensky

Cardinal Josyf Slipyi

Dylan Alcott

Epictetus

St Paul of The Cross

Arrian

James Stockdale

Queen Elizabth Ii

Winston Churchill

Junius Rusticus/ Justin Martyr

Marcus Aurelius

Lamborghini Anonymous!

Thomas A Kempis – Imitation of Christ

The Serenity Prayer

Alcoholics Anonymous - Beginnings

Alcoholics Anonymous – Reaching Out

Alcoholics Anonymous – Passing on The Message of Recovery

Self Examination

Al-Anon - Beginnings

The Way of The Pilgrim

St Ignatius of Loyola

Second Persons of The Trinity

Transient Life

St Therese of Lisieux

Andrey Sheptytsky

Tasmania/Lutrawita – First People

Tongerlongeter – Resistence Fighter

Buddhism

Buddhism and Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence and Christianity

Domestic Violence and Stoicism

Neo-Stoicism – Justus Lipsius

Neo-Stoicism – Guillaume Du Vair

Neo-Stoicism – Pierre Charron

Neo-Stoicism – Michel De Montaigne

Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice

Venerable Nano Nagle

Anonymous Stoics

Michael Klim

Uncle Jack Charles

Greta Thunberg

Sir Edmund Hillary

Nelson Mandela

Eddy Egoski – Opening A Can of Words

Al-Anon Revisited

Alumnus On Hold

Alcoholics Anonymous – The Big Book

St Charbel Makhlouf

St John Henry Newman

St Catherine of Alexandria

Mother Marie Adele Garnier

Twelve Step Literature

Catherine Doherty

Merlin Carothers

Norman Vincent Peale

William James

Takashi Nagai – Servant of God

St Maximilian Kolbe

Corrie Ten Boom: Righteous Among The Nations

Walter Ciszek – Servant of God

Dom Helder Camara – The People’s Saint

Saint Oscar Romero

William Wilberforce

Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita

Dorothy Day

Mother Teresa

St John of the Cross

Christian Challenge

St Pope John Xxiii

St John Paul Ii

Blessed Solanus Casey

Martin Luther King Jr.

Vaclav Havel

Fourteenth Dalai Lama

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Flat-Faithed Believers

Aussie Battlers – Natural Disasters

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Ukrainian Stoicism

The Rosary/ Our Lady of The Rosary

Our Lady of The Rosary

Conclusion

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

A couple of years ago I ordered a new ladder from Bunnings with sufficient length to reach the roof of my house. On the day it arrived, I eagerly placed it against the wall of the house and choked one side with a strip of timber to level it before clambering up. Having reached the top of the ladder, I gingerly placed one foot on the roof and then swung the other foot across to follow suit. At that moment the ladder shifted when the timber strip at the bottom moved and left the ladder resting at an unsafe angle against the side of the house. As I looked down, the thought occurred that I might be able to hightail down the ladder before it toppled over. But as a 70 -year-old I had lost the agility of youth and could see myself crumpled on the patio tiles down below.

I have always prided myself on being a self-sufficient unit who was quite capable of dealing with emergencies without outside interference. As I contemplated my situation from the roof of my home, I realized that my ego was in for a battering. I could stoically remain on the roof for several hours until my wife came back from a trip to Launceston, or I could use my mobile phone - which just happened to be with me – to make an urgent call for assistance.

I took a deep breath while the early afternoon sun was reflecting its rays on the galvanized roof and dialed my neighbour across the road. Sylvester is mostly home but was missing in action on this urgent occasion. This left me with an urgent dilemma where I could spend several hours imitating the Fiddler on the Roof, or alternatively, I could dial someone else close by. No names came readily to mind as I fumbled through a list of people I knew. I was on the verge of disgracing myself completely by calling the fire-brigade thinking that because they rescue kittens from treetops, I would easily qualify as a subject that needed their expertise.

Just then, my next-door neighbour drifted into view, and, with a tremendous sense of relief, I called out to him. Jason was working nightshift and just happened to emerge from inside his house to be confronted by a desperate plea for assistance from above. He readily responded and after straightening and steadying the ladder, I clambered down the rungs feeling a tremendous sense of relief and gratitude.

This episode epitomizes my view of life where I cling onto the belief that I am in charge of operations and that asking for assistance is somewhat seen as a weakness to be overcome, if not totally avoided. I stoically cling to the idea that I am a self-contained entity which resists any attempt to come down from his high horse – in this case, high roof.

Being marooned on the roof provided me with the opportunity to reflect on how I deal with situations. I have a natural affinity for the Stoics whom I regarded as being fatalists, ascetic and passive people who put up and shut up when difficult life situations arise. But living stoically has nothing to do with being egotistical, self-sufficient and unfeeling. This book will explore how Stoicism in action is a well-rounded philosophy that can fit into one’s back-pack. It is more than just a survival kit but is very much a philosophy of growth that enhances every stage of life. I also pepper the book with examples of people who have shown Stoicism in their approach to life, sometimes in the most difficult of circumstances. There are many people close by who are very much in touch with their inner Stoic and whose lives are truly inspirational.

This text has deliberately avoided a chronological approach to the development of Stoicism from its beginnings. It attempts to locate other people whose lives bear a Wittgenstein "family resemblance’ to Greek and Roman Stoics. They all share an ethical commitment to life and the four principles of Courage, Temperance, Justice and Wisdom.

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STOICISM – BEGINNINGS - ZENO

Stoicism dates back to the third century BC where it originated in Greece with Zeno, a Phoenician merchant who had the misfortune of the loss of his ship in a storm. This is reminiscent of the loss suffered by people in the floods of New South Wales and Queensland or the bushfires earlier on which devastated communities. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has produced many ‘Zeno" moments where people have lost everything. Somehow, like Zeno, these people have managed to absorb and grieve their loss to exhibit an extraordinary resilience where they have somehow managed to gather their inner resources to move on with their lives.

This afternoon I watched a neighbour whose marriage had failed move his and his wife’s belongings out of the house ready for sale. A young child is caught in the middle of this trauma and her life now and in the future will be coloured by this event. Zeno would look at this and compare it to a shipwreck where hopes and dreams of a life together have been shattered. Zeno ended up being grateful for his shipwreck because it brought him to Athens and his journey into stoicism. This ability to turn a disaster into an asset is one of the hallmarks of Stoicism which releases the powers of resilience in people. The death of a marriage/relationship may well result in a rebirth into another realm of life where circumstances might be more favourable.

When Zeno reached Athens, he ‘shopped’ around for a teacher. In my case, I was stranded on the roof of my ego and came to the conclusion that I needed help to be grounded. Nearly thirty years ago, I found myself on another roof where I was stranded by the ravages of alcoholism. I tried to help myself in every way to moderate my drinking. The ladder had slipped after 25 years of drinking, and I had no way of getting down unaided. From the outside, people assumed that everything was hunky-dory and that my life was manageable. People concluded that I had chosen to remain on the roof and that I was happy to have them look up to me. As an active alcoholic, I also had the ability to look down on people from my great height!

Zeno’s search for a life that flowed with ease began by listening to other teachers. He was extremely self-conscious to begin with, and this was something that I identified with as a practising alcoholic. Being at the centre of the universe requires a lot of effort and it took some time in sobriety to realize that the universe is multi-centred, and that other people have their own core of being which is a sacred space.

ST ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

Writing about Stoicism has provided the opportunity to re-examine my own faith tradition and to see how this philosophy has seeped into the lives of people who have followed the spiritual path to an extraordinary extent. Some have even been recognized with the epitaph of sainthood. I have examined their lives to see how they compare with the Stoics and to draw parallels between them. Far from being an ancient philosophy, Stoicism is very much alive and well continuing to guide people to live lives of quality, irrespective of external circumstances.

St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) was born in Naples, Italy and became a lawyer who practiced for eight years without losing a case. One day he was in court and found that he had omitted to sign a key document which caused him to lose the case. He was utterly devastated and spent days beating himself up for the legal slip. This loss was a huge blow to his ego, but it was the beginning of a whole new way of life which led to his founding the Redemptorist Order which was renowned for its preaching of God’s love for all. St Alphonsus sought to liberate people from a concept of God as a judge to one where God was seen as a gentle and kind friend. This is the kind of Higher Power that my Twelve Step program encourages me to nurture.

Zeno also gathered a group of disciples around a porch, or Stoa, where he taught people to live in harmony. I was once an Acting Principal of a small school which was located in Harmony Lane. This provided a daily reminder for my little community to make harmony a key objective. Zeno stated that the goal of life is to live in harmony with nature. If humankind had followed this teaching, we certainly would not be in a position where climate change threatens our total existence. Like St Alphonsus, Zeno was humble enough not to call his philosophy school ‘Zenoism’ but rather Stoicism named after the porch (Stoa) where his students gathered. St Alphonsus named his order the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist for short) which put the focus on the Master and not on him.

Both Zeno and Alphonsus had the opportunity of reflecting on their long lives and moving towards wisdom which underpins a harmonious life. In fact, Australia’s Indigenous People had lived on the continent for 60,000 years in harmony with nature. They preceded Zeno by tens of thousands of years during which time they established a way of life that resembled the virtues of Stoicism: courage, temperance, justice and wisdom. Stoicism is not only confined to showing endurance and resignation to life situations, but its central tenant is to maximize the positive in life and reduce negative influences.

STOICISM – BEGINNINGS - CLEANTHES

Zeno’s disciple, Cleanthes, took up the mantle of Stoic leadership. Unlike Zeno, Cleanthes suffered no disaster which led him to pursue philosophy. He saw Athens as a city of opportunity where he found work as a water carrier and, at some point in his life, he was drawn to philosophy. The saying that when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear applied to Cleanthes when he met Zeno and attended his Stoa. Cleanthes continued with his labouring work showing that this was not incompatible with philosophy. In a real sense, work kept him grounded. Apparently, he was a slow learner and was often ridiculed for this. Like the tortoise and the hare, Cleanthes pulled ahead of his contemporaries and established himself as a successor to Zeno in the establishment of Stoicism as a way of life.

ST BENEDICT OF NORCIA

Cleanthes has many of the characteristics of St Benedict of Norcia who established Western monasticism where prayer and work (ora et labora) were one of its hallmarks. His Rule of St Benedict established a way of life for the monks which has also impacted the lives of countless others over 1500 years. Like Cleanthes, Benedict became dissatisfied with the superficial lifestyle of his peers and began the search for a deeper meaning to life. He left Rome and withdrew into a cave to begin life as a hermit. After three years, Benedict was befriended by some shepherds who formed the beginnings of the world-wide Benedictine Order. Benedict was a person of peace whose Rule emphasized moderation in all things. The monks of St Benedict would have been very comfortable with the Stoics’ pursuit of courage, justice, moderation and wisdom. Cleanthes also believed in Zeno’s observation that because of our two ears and one mouth we were meant to be listeners more so than speakers. In Benedict’s Rule, the word obedience comes from the Latin ‘obediere’ meaning to listen.

When I joined the Twelve Step program, I was ‘encouraged’ to take the cotton wool out of my ears and put it into my mouth! Alcoholics in full flight are not renowned for their listening skills, preferring to spread their ‘wisdom’ among others who are not as gifted! Cleanthes would have been quite at home in a Twelve Step program seeing this as a way to soldier on through life. In fact, he lived to be exactly a hundred years old and proved that his grasp of Stoicism helped him to live well.

STOICISM- BEGINNINGS - ARISTO AND TWELVE-STEP PROGRAMS

Zeno and Cleanthes established Stoicism but were challenged by their pupil Aristo, who was anything, but a passive consumer of the ideas presented in the Stoa. He plagued his teachers with questions and challenged the current orthodoxy. Aristo saw that virtue was the apex of living well. He was not concerned about rules and regulations but promoted big-picture thinking. He reminds me very much of Jesus of Nazareth who avoided the specifics that his Jewish background taught. When asked which was the greatest Commandment he replied: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, before adding: ’You shall love your neighbour as yourself. Like Aristo, Jesus provided his disciples with their own Polaris, the North Star, from which they could take their ethical and moral bearings.

People in Twelfth Step programs are also invited to look at big picture recovery where tight-fisted sobriety gives way to a relaxed and indifferent attitude to life without alcohol or any other addictive behaviour. Aristo would be quite comfortable examining and questioning topics such as a Higher Power, living a day at a time, acquiring serenity, emotional sobriety and other topics such as resentment and forgiveness. Newcomers move from scepticism, cynicism and uncertainty to an inner certainty that they are on the path to recovery. Aristo taught that a script for our individual lives was already written, and it was up to us individually to locate and follow it. Step Three in the Twelve Steps, invites the follower of the way to turn his/her will and life over to the CARE of God as we understand God. It does not say to write a script for one’s life and then pursue it through gritted teeth.

Aristo is like the newly appointed naval commander who rejects the book of instructions on what to do when under fire. The assumption would be that s/he would already know instinctively how to act under fire. Twelve Steppers acquire a muscle memory of how to respond to challenging situations. This may include the inner recitation of the Serenity Prayer or a slogan such as Let go, let God.

ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Zeno’s Stoicism was more middle-of-the-road and one that many of his followers would have preferred to Aristo’s black and white approach which was very reminiscent of St Francis of Assisi who abandoned everything to become a follower of Jesus. Francis came from a middle-class family where his father taught him the cloth trade. After spending some years as the leader of a group of young people who liked to party, he fulfilled an ambition to become a knight when Assisi fought against neighbouring Perugia. Unfortunately, he was captured for a year until he was ransomed. He returned to Assisi as a failed knight and began to question his life’s journey.

On one occasion he was riding through the countryside when he came across a leper. Initially he was revolted by the sight and smell of the man but dismounted from his horse and kissed the hand of the leper. Immediately, Francis experienced a sense of joy and began his path of conversion. Entering the ancient Church of St Damiano, he heard a voice from the crucifix, Francis, repair my church. He took this command literally and began to gather materials to restore the church. Francis took cloth from his father’s shop and sold it to obtain money for his project to the exasperation of his father who brought him before the bishop.

I have always felt sorry for Francis’ father Pietro Bernadone who had some admirable plans for his son only to find that these were rejected by him when he cast off his clothing in front of the bishop and townspeople declaring that God was now his Father. Like Cleanthes, Francis lived frugally and wore tattered clothes that would have horrified his earthly father. As time went on, followers attached themselves to Francis and these became the beginnings of the world-wide Franciscan order. Had Francis remained a cloth merchant, he would have been forgotten by history. Because of his lifestyle changes and his total commitment to being a follower of Jesus, he is remembered and venerated throughout the world as an extraordinary Spirit-filled person. Twelve Step programs acknowledge the Prayer of St Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love.

Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.

Where there is discord, let me bring union.

Where there is error, let me bring truth.

Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.

Where there is despair, let me bring hope.

Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.

Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Master, let me not seek as much

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love,

for it is in giving that one receives,

it is in self-forgetting that one finds,

it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,

it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

This beautiful prayer fits so well into the Stoic philosophy with its pursuit of a good life which Cleanthes wrote about in poems such as his Hymn to Zeus. His definition of the good includes the sentiments expressed in the Prayer of St Francis. Both had a genuine love of nature and expressed themselves poetically. Francis, like Aristo, looked at the big picture but was also immersed in the miracles of nature. At Assisi there is a beautiful bronze statue of St Francis tenderly holding and examining a cicada.

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STOICISM – BEGINNINGS - CHRYSIPPUS

As someone who jogged on a regular nightly basis around the neighbourhood, I have a great affinity for Chrysippus who was to become the third leader of the Stoics. Running gave him the opportunity to transcend his limitations and compete against