Inspired by the synchronicity of a viral story being brought to my attention by Dr Mehmet Yildiz, and then my INTP mind started playing pinball in the Christmas Tree brain

The Serenity Prayer

Repurposed for Stoicism

Dear Subscribers: Here’s an essay I wrote in January 2021. It may appeal to many of you. It includes a bonus tanka about my relationship with the moon and describes subtle ways that the universe signaled me, including co-opting algorithms, and discusses the concept of willpower from a stoic perspective and my personal reinterpretation of the Serenity Prayer to incorporate that philosophy.

I often use an image by this photographer as my feature image. I am particularly fond of ones with the reflection of the setting sun forming an orange path along the water, as if to say, yes Marcus, you are on the right path, particularly this one where the metaphorical path connects to a physical path in the form of the dock.

Or is it a rising sun? — delicious ambiguity signifying the irrelevance of certainty, which synchronizes with something I plan to say below.

This story, which germinated as a response to Sebastian Purcell, PhD’s article, How To Build Your Willpower According to The Stoics and Aztecs Insight #1: Willpower Isn’t One Thing, It’s Three, is now streaming into my conscious mind from the emergence of so many split screens from our subconscious that I can hardly contain the welling of emotion in my two human eyes from our third eye’s absorption of Creative energy from Sitara and my Creators.

Let’s start with a few more words about the feature image. The Unsplash search that leads me to this photographer’s abundance, whose name is Dave Hoefler, is “Oscar Madison” which I serendipitously discovered many weeks ago when looking for an image of Jack Klugman’s character from The Odd Couple. Take a deep breath and ponder that, please, as I type an ellipsis, which I often do to signify the time for a pregnant pause. …

Tanka-time

The moon is my friend We talk often on my walks my moonlight shadow keeps me company as well ice reflects as water sun

I just went outside to snap that picture, which does not do justice to the view I had of the moonbeam reflection on the frozen pond taking dead aim at me as I stood in the window mentally typing this piece while nourishing my mind with a bowl of Post® great grains® with Raisins, Dates and Pecans™ lubricated for consumption by chocolate milk.

The Serenity Prayer

I have been intending to write about this for a while.

Many, as I did many countless suns and moons ago, interpret this prayer to mean that we do not have any control over events and serenity ensues from letting go and letting God. I am apt to correct the many, but, they are not not-right enough to warrant correction.

Earlier this morning I read 7 Deep & Clever Quotes From People You’ll Never Know, Unheard wisdom that will help you with being alive by Roxana Bouwer. In this deeply spiritual story, Roxana celebrates pearls of wisdom by every-day-folk, including herself, and invites us to share our own and those of others who have impacted us. I shared my personal pith, “I can’t make sense out of nonsense,” and was thinking about sharing this parable told to me by my dearly departed uncle Dr. Jeckyll (not by his Mr. Hyde side, whose soul is getting needed-God-blessing), and am glad I got distracted (honestly, I think I went to take a pee).

The Parable:

A young couple experience marital problems. The wife’s mother takes them to see the Rabbi. The wife speaks first and tells the Rabbi what’s going on and her complaints. The Rabbi says, “You’re right.” Husband says, “But wait you didn’t hear me yet.” Husband tells his side of things, and the Rabbi says, “You’re right.” Then the wife’s mother exclaims, “Wait, you said they’re both right, how can this be,” and the Rabbi says, “You’re right!”

Back to the serenity prayer:

We cannot change another person — we can change our own attitudes and reactions.

The Gods don’t interfere with free will. The prayer really does not stand for giving up on shaping events, though the interpretation has validity.

Dr. Purcell’s Piece:

This is the part for which I am inspired to repurpose the serenity prayer:

For the Stoic tradition, the virtue for willpower doesn’t concern one thing, but three. Epictetus divides the topic of ethical study into three parts as follows:

The first has to do with desires and aversions …. The second, with cases of choice and refusal, and, in general, with duty … the third with the avoidance of error and rashness in judgment (III.2, 2–3).

The full implication of this division goes beyond what concerns us here. But if you remember that all the virtues are interrelated, then you’ll recognize that moderation has to be divided into these three domains.

What Epictetus is saying, effectively, is that

1. one part of willpower concerns the ability to do what is disagreeable,

2. another part concerns willing not to do something, and

3. a final part concerns knowing what you truly want in the first place.

These are, in short, your will-to, will-not-to, and want-to powers.

Gods, please breathe into me the strength to do with serenity that for which I have distaste; the strength to say no to burning desires; and the wisdom to know that my path will lead to what I truly need and serene happiness will ensue.

Please and thank you, dear readers

In Rama I create,

Marcus

2023 Call to Write with Us:

Our pub is dedicated to celebrating synchronicity in all its forms and the magical alchemy that can result when we open our hearts and minds to embracing change and uncertainty. ChannSpirations&Coincidences is a home that will welcome with warmth the new essence of your experiences. You’ll find Anthi Psomiadou, Claire Kelly, and I smiling at its doorstep with open arms.