Overview of We Have to Care About the Little Guy | A Stoic Reset for Right Now
This Daily Stoic episode argues that Stoic practice is urgently relevant today: cultivate justice, defend the vulnerable, and prepare for turbulence by focusing on what you control. Using historical examples (Cato, Scipio, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca) and modern applications, the host outlines practical habits—reading durable books, journaling, doing your duty, treating people well, and cultivating stillness—that help individuals act with courage, discipline, wisdom, and justice in chaotic times.
Main themes and arguments
- Stoic justice is opposition to bullies and tyrants
- Cato’s early actions (rescuing a frightened child; confronting Sulla) illustrate a lifelong hatred of intimidation and abuse.
- “Sic semper tyrannis” and figures like Scipio and Marcus Aurelius show a Stoic tradition of resisting tyranny and defending the powerless.
- The founding ideal echoed by George Washington: “Everyone shall sit in safety of his own vine and fig tree,” representing tolerance and protection for the vulnerable.
- Focus on what you control
- Epictetus’s central distinction: separate what’s up to you (attitude, response, effort) from what isn’t (politics, weather, other people’s actions).
- The Stoic response to disruption isn’t panic or escape but disciplined preparation and right action.
- Do your job — ethics over outcomes
- Regardless of external chaos or recognition, fulfill the duties of your role (professional, familial, civic).
- Helvidius vs. Vespasian: a model of committing to duty even under threat.
- Make change where you can influence it
- If broader systems disappoint, focus on direct spheres of influence: how you run a team, how you raise children, what vendors you choose, what policies you implement.
- Cultivate stillness and perspective
- Journal-writing (Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations as an example) and hobbies that promote quiet reflection (fishing, running, classical music) create inward clarity.
- Stillness (ataraxia) helps avoid reactive behavior and contributes to wise public and private action.
Notable quotes & passages
- Epictetus: the chief task is to separate what’s up to us and what isn’t.
- Washington (scriptural line cited): “Everyone shall sit in safety of his own vine and fig tree…”
- Marcus Aurelius (paraphrase): act with courage, justice, discipline, and wisdom regardless of external circumstances — “be an emerald” and show your true colors.
- Helvidius to Vespasian: “You do your part and I’ll do mine.” (On fulfilling duty in the face of threats.)
- Seneca and journal-writing as spiritual combat in chaotic times.
Practical recommendations (actionable checklist)
- Clarify control:
- Regularly list what you can change vs. what you can’t; focus energy on the former.
- Read books with long half-lives:
- Prefer history, biographies, philosophy, and fiction over breaking news to get perspective.
- Suggested reads from the episode: Viktor Frankl; Taylor Branch on MLK; Stoic classics; Stockdale’s Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot; the Iliad and the Odyssey.
- Keep a daily journal:
- Use it to process emotions, gain perspective, and hold yourself accountable.
- Journaling is the Stoic tool for making sense of turbulent times.
- Do your job and honor commitments:
- Uphold professional and civic responsibilities regardless of recognition or political context.
- Raise kids intentionally:
- Invest effort into multi-generational influence; study parenting deliberately rather than rely on instinct alone.
- Treat people well:
- Refuse to be implicated in cruelty, think in terms of patience, fairness, and kindness.
- Use your economic choices (who you buy from; how you run your business) to align with values.
- Cultivate stillness:
- Build hobbies or practices that create solitude and reflection (journaling, exercise, quiet hobbies).
- Reduce reactive consumption of news and social media; curate your information diet.
Why this matters now
- The Stoics lived through political chaos, tyranny, and personal hardship; their practices are tested methods for maintaining moral clarity in crisis.
- Standing up for the vulnerable is a political and moral imperative that transcends party — the episode calls for unified opposition to intimidation, bigotry, and exploitation.
- Personal habits (reading, journaling, stillness, ethical action) are practical ways to strengthen character and influence society positively, beginning at home.
Quick summary (one-minute take)
Stoic justice demands defending the weak and opposing bullies. Face disruption by focusing on what you control, doing your duty, cultivating stillness through journaling and reflective hobbies, reading durable works, treating people well, and shaping the world first through the influence you have (home, work, spending). These are timeless, tested ways to remain principled and effective in turbulent times.
Recommended first steps
- Start a 5–10 minute morning or evening journal habit.
- Replace some news time with one chapter from a history/philosophy book this week.
- Make one deliberate ethical choice (vendor, hire, policy) that aligns with treating people well.
- Pick one quiet hobby or activity to schedule weekly for stillness and reflection.