Stoicism in Action: Looking Past the Fruity Exterior of the things we do to avoid pain.
“Everything we do in life is an act to either avoid pain or to experience pleasure.”
Do you like coffee? Or do you like the ultra-processed micro-textured milk and honey and vanilla swirl syrup?
Do you like oats? Or do you like bananas, berries, papaya and honey on top?
Do you like techno? Or do you like doing cocaine in dark rooms with loud noises?
Do you like drinking? Or do you like running away from the fact that you had a bigger plan for your life and you're too scared to break from the crowd and forge a path that is different to the one your parents or society passed down to you?
Do you like studying? Or do you like the feeling of having structure and people telling you what to do where there is a binary yes or no outcome instead of jumping into the abyss of uncertainty?
When we extrapolate the real meaning behind things, what we get is a raw, unfiltered view of reality. This is scary shit. It's scary because it exposes the stupidity behind many things we do.
'Living life' and 'having fun' are often disguises we have invented for escaping past traumas. When you look deeper into the essence of the things we consume -- when we look past the fruity exterior disguised as healthy toppings -- what we get is the real stuff.
Coffee is the best example of stoic living in action. If you can't drink it black, it's either A) not good coffee or B) it's your conditioned taste buds fooling you into believing you need sugar and milk and all the additives.
One of the best things I do is taking the time to prepare my coffee from start to finish -- grinding, measuring and pouring -- using a Chemex. Not because I'm a coffee snob (ok, maybe 10% is the coffee snob) -- but it's this meditating process that makes me appreciate my daily drug.
How about getting real with your Friday drinking buddies? How about stepping away from the booze and going for coffee and asking deep questions? Questions like: "How's the family and what is making you nervous? I want to listen to you?" Questions like "I'm keen to start my own business but I'm afraid." Questions like "I want to get in a relationship but my conditioning is preventing me from committing fully."
We need to get real with each-other if we are to make society whole again. It starts with empathy, truth and observation. It starts with looking deep beneath the external gratifications we indulge in.