“Five years down there, at least. I’m leaving the world of technology and entering the world of Epictetus.” These were the thoughts of James Stockdale, after he ejected from his airplane and parachuted into a small village in North Vietnam.

James B. Stockdale (December 23, 1923 – July 5, 2005) was a United States Navy vice admiral and aviator. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, during which he was a prisoner of war for over seven years. Stockdale credits the Stoic philosophy of Epictetus with helping him survive these years of captivity and harsh treatment.

Stockdale’s fate lead him to put the Stoic teachings to the test in an extremely challenging environment. His writings provide an insight into how studying Stoic philosophy mentally prepared him for this ordeal.

For our next meeting, we’ll be discussing ‘Stockdale on Stoicism I: The Stoic Warrior’s Triad’. You can find the text at: https://www.usna.edu/Ethics/_files/documents/stoicism1.pdf

Please read the text ahead of the meeting, make some notes, and come prepared to join the discussion.

Remember, Stockdale’s experience represents an extreme example of challenging life events. However, Stoicism can help us become more resilient in any challenging situation. The time to start building resilience is now, and you can start small! As Epictetus advised, begin with the little things. If our oil (or coffee!) gets spilled, or our wine is stolen, we should say to ourselves, “This is the price paid for a calm spirit, this the price for peace of mind.” (The Enchiridion, 12)

To RSVP see: https://www.meetup.com/christchurch-stoics/events/293542412