Stoicism: Inner Light Revealed

Edward Sianski

Description

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.
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.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Grupo Al-Anon
• Stoicism
• Philosophy
• Spirituality
• Alcoholism
• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Al-Anon/Alateen
• Alcooliques anonymes

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press AU
• Date de parution: 26 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781982297084
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

STOICISM: INNER LIGHT REVEALED
 
 
 
 
 
 
EDWARD SIANSKI
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Edward Sianski.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Balboa Press
A Division of Hay House
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com.au
AU TFN: 1 800 844 925 (Toll Free inside Australia)
AU Local: [phone] ([phone] from outside Australia)
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
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 wildflow ers who stoically bloom where they are pla nted.
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.

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,