Dear Friends,
Here is the latest episode of Paradoxically Speaking — a podcast with my good friend Brandon Tumblin (from The Strong Stoic Newsletter). For anyone new to Paradoxically Speaking, our conversations attempt to explore the complexities and nuances of living our highest good in the modern world.
What is Paradoxically Speaking?
Paradoxes exist nearly everywhere — even in the area of self-improvement. In the classic On Becoming a Person, psychologist Carl Rogers wrote, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” When you encounter a paradox — there is potential and opportunity within the tension.
As the nineteenth-century Danish physicist Niels Bohr put it, “How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.”
Our conversations typically explore principles and practices from many sides (which we understand may not be for everyone). For example, we are interested in human goodness (virtue) and our capacity for evil (vice). The wisdom of connection and the power of solitude. The importance of structure and the need for flexibility. Although we intentionally explore the complexities of living well — we strive to keep things practical.
Paradoxically Speaking is exclusively available to members of Perennial Meditations or The Strong Stoic Newsletter. If you cannot afford it, feel free to request a complimentary membership or use this discount link.
Courage and the Good Life
In this episode, Brandon and I explore the complexities of courage and the art of living a meaningful life. We discuss how courage is a required ingredient of the good life. How to hold courage and fear simultaneously, and much more.
In the conversation, Brandon and I discuss:
What is courage?
The Death of Socrates
Knowing what truly matters
Becoming courageous (and overcoming fear)
The paradox of courage and much more
Selected Passages on Courage
The American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson believed we need courage for everything we do:
Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. […]
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