'It's Not Going to Be Okay': Stoic Wisdom for a Difficult World
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| Title: | 'It's Not Going to Be Okay': Stoic Wisdom for a Difficult World |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Trent Davis |
| Source: | Philosophical Inquiry in Education. 2024 31(1):19-27. |
| Availability: | Canadian Philosophy of Education Society. S-FG 6310 Faubourg Ste-Catherine Building, 1610 St. Catherine West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H4B 1R6. Tel: 514-758-7813; Web site: http://journals.sfu.ca/pie/index.php/pie |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 9 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Educational Philosophy, Undergraduate Study, Cognitive Processes, Emotional Intelligence, Self Motivation, Social Cognition, Knowledge Level, Lifelong Learning, Heuristics, Metacognition, Organizational Climate, Morale, Group Membership, Accuracy, COVID-19, Pandemics, World Affairs, World Problems |
| ISSN: | 2369-8659 |
| Abstract: | This paper opens with a family anecdote in which my future mother in-law, when asked what wise advice she would offer undergraduate university students, replied, "I would tell them it's not going to be okay." Can we learn to keep engaging with the world despite its inevitable disappointments? I propose that Stoic philosophy, by "orienting" our "attention" and "courage," can help us navigate the troubled post-COVID world we share. To help make this more concrete, I describe a critical moment I observed in which a maskless shopper insulted fellow patrons in a grocery store for wearing a mask. I then develop the Stoic themes of acknowledgement (a commitment to the facts) and affinity (reaching out to others to build community). In the conclusion I return to the "maskless shopper" incident to consider how my two Stoic themes might help open a dialogue with this person. After discussing the limitations to such an undertaking, given the surge in populism over the last decade, I conclude with the appropriately tough-minded Stoic proposition that despite the obstacles, we must keep trying. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1432255 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper opens with a family anecdote in which my future mother in-law, when asked what wise advice she would offer undergraduate university students, replied, "I would tell them it's not going to be okay." Can we learn to keep engaging with the world despite its inevitable disappointments? I propose that Stoic philosophy, by "orienting" our "attention" and "courage," can help us navigate the troubled post-COVID world we share. To help make this more concrete, I describe a critical moment I observed in which a maskless shopper insulted fellow patrons in a grocery store for wearing a mask. I then develop the Stoic themes of acknowledgement (a commitment to the facts) and affinity (reaching out to others to build community). In the conclusion I return to the "maskless shopper" incident to consider how my two Stoic themes might help open a dialogue with this person. After discussing the limitations to such an undertaking, given the surge in populism over the last decade, I conclude with the appropriately tough-minded Stoic proposition that despite the obstacles, we must keep trying. |
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| ISSN: | 2369-8659 |
