A Stoic Love Letter

Years ago, after a reading of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, I was inspired to create an acronym for L.O.V.E.. Before addressing same, I offer now an audio summary of that seminal book here. I do humbly recommend the read and reflect, if you have not already done so.

L.O.V.E. in Practice

That said, and on Love, Mr. Covey spoke of it as an action we take. I concur. Indeed, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, "That which will leaven the human world is a love that will insure the abandonment of pride, oppression and hatred." Now, there is noble action. That all said, Love is also a Virtue, that we practice. And in so thinking on said action and practice years ago, I was inspired to conjure the following acronym to break down that action or practice. Consider:

• LOOK... First, we need look within ourselves for our Strengths of Character... ability, skill and knowledge... what is in our "CASK" if you will.
• OPPORTUNITY... Second, we seek out Opportunities where those Strengths are most needed. Frederick Buechner said, “Vocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need.” The Need is the Opportunity.

• VISION... When we do, thirdly, we need hold a Vision in our head and heart as to how the world, or our corner of it, will be better when we do bring our Strengths to the Opportunities.
• ENGAGE... and we just enact, execute and do it.

This is L.O.V.E. in action and practice. This applies to Love of person, work, cause or whatever we truly Love. We bring our best to the needs of what or who needs us most.

Stoic L.O.V.E.

That said, I have been digging into Stoicism of late, and I have already shared on The Obstacle is The Way and Stillness is The Key, both by Ryan Holiday... as part of a Stoic Road I am taking these days. I have even dug into Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson. With that noted, I have been practicing my own Studentry around their collective application for my path ever towards what matters most to me, in Service. If L.O.V.E. is an action and Virtue in practice, then Stoicism can play an integral part in that practice.

The Congruent Road...

I took a little road trip today, and on part of that trip this song by Shinedown played. In something of a poetic way, it spoke to me of Stoicism and its power to "deal", detach and devote as we move forward and towards what matters most to us. I have made no secret of the fact that (a) I have been exploring these past few years on "next chapter" for me and (b) I am addressing some mysteries around Health of late. As I do my own moving forward, these two paths of Chapter and Health... they converge and coincide. I best understood that today. The song, the sun and the drive... all helped. Both matters and explorations (Next Chapter and Health) are motivating me to take this journey this Summer... and dig into Stoicism and 8 Virtues. And, Congruence is at play. My mind, body and spirit are working together to move me forward and towards that which does indeed matter most. That in mind, I adore the story of The Watchmen that goes...

• "There was once a lover, it is said, who had sighed for long years in separation from his beloved, and wasted in the fire of remoteness. From the rule of love, his breast was void of patience and his body weary of his spirit; he reckoned life without her as a mockery, and the world consumed him away. How many a day he found no respite from his longing; how many a night the pain of her kept him from sleep. His body was worn to a sigh, and his heart’s wound had turned him to a cry of sorrow. A thousand lives would he freely have given for one taste of the cup of her presence, and yet even this was not within his reach. The doctors knew no cure for him, and companions avoided his company; yea, physicians have no remedy for one sick of love, unless the favour of the beloved deliver him. At last the tree of his longing yielded the fruit of despair, and the fire of his hope fell to ashes. Then one night he could bear life no more, and he left his house for the marketplace. On a sudden, a watchman followed after him. He broke into a run, with the watchman in swift pursuit; then other watchmen came together and barred every passage to the weary one. And that wretched one cried from his heart, and ran here and there, and moaned to himself, “Surely this watchman is ‘Izrá’íl, my angel of death, following so fast upon me, or he is a tyrant of men, prompted by hatred and malice.” His feet carried him on—that hapless one bleeding with the arrow of love—while his heart lamented. Then he came to a garden wall, and with untold pain and trouble he scaled it. He saw that it was very high; yet, forgetting his life, he threw himself down into the garden. And there he beheld his beloved with a lamp in her hand, searching for a ring she had lost. When the heart-surrendered lover looked upon his ravishing love, he drew a great breath and lifted his hands in prayer, crying, “O God! Bestow honour upon the watchman, and riches and long life. For the watchman was Gabriel, guiding this poor one; or he was Isráfíl, bringing life to this wretched one!”

This story speaks to my two forces of Next Chapter and Health; their convergence, coincidence and Congruence in moving me forward and towards. It also speaks to me of my need for Stoic L.O.V.E. in action and response to the two forces presently at hand. My exploration of Next Chapter and the mysteries around Health are steering me to ever increasingly apply Stoic L.O.V.E. to my "response ability" for my life, in Service. Does that make sense?

My Sense Now

As I better understand the forces at play and my own sense of destination and direction, I am now considering Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday. Amongst these 3 afore noted Books by Holiday, I suggest that I am ever better sensing and Understanding:

• The importance of the connection of Perception, Action and Will in moving forward.
• The need for Stillness of the Mind, Body and Spirit to know my own Wisdom, as I move forward.
• The need for management of inputs, strategic selection of routines and Kindness to myself and others in my countenance and gait as I move.

Truthfully, I know my Studentry. I know my Work. I know who I best serve. I know my Just Cause. I have done my own homework and soul work on same. That, I know. Indeed, in recently forging The Humanity Map this all became ever more resonant. The Map is a hopefully funky cool rendition of the blending of several bodies of work around Virtues including that of The Virtues Project, The Science of Character and Stoicism; and incorporates the notion of Temperament.? All bodies of work I adore. Congruence, indeed. It clarifies my own particular sense of Congruence and helps me perceive, act and Will myself forward and towards what and who matters most to me. And, it serves as a tool in my practice of Stillness to center myself. It provides my North Star. I deeply sense this, now. My destination, direction, deliberation and delivery is much more clear.

So What...

Well, here is the real SO WHAT, relevant for us all me thinks. Knowing what we Love and adore is but half the battle. How we get there and serve there is HUGE. Understanding the importance and application of Perception, Action and Will matters. Understanding the need for Stillness of the Mind, Body and Spirit along the way matters. Understanding the need for management of inputs, strategic selection of routines and Kindness to ourselves and others along the way... matters. Indeed, they all speak to how we best do the ENGAGE in that L.O.V.E. acronym. If we are to "get there" and do what we Love, then knowing our destination and direction are not enough. We must deliberate and deliver. We must perceive, act and Will our way there. We must access Stillness for guidance. We must manage our inputs, develop our habits and be kind to ourselves and others along the way. This is the ENGAGE in L.O.V.E..

Bottom Line

• If exploring Purpose matters to you, engage this link.
• If you already have your sense of same in some kind of order, then I humbly encourage you to engage the links on Stoicism noted above. Consider how perception, action, Will, Stillness and Discipline can serve to "get there" and BE there.
• Then, determine how Stoic L.O.V.E. might apply in practice as you move forward and towards that which matters most to you.

For me, as I took on that drive, heard that song, and reflected on what I need let go, keep, and move forward on... I ever better realized that, whatever life brings to my living it (Health or otherwise), my response matters. That response needs be Stoic L.O.V.E.. And, I remembered that to Love ourselves, our work and our lives is well served with a heaping dose of Character and Purpose and the Virtues of Stoicism. More specifically, I was reminded that:

• Purpose matters as it provides destination and direction of path. But...
• How we perceive the obstacles in our way matters.
• How we act and will ourselves forward, matters.
• How we find Stillness to center ourselves forward, matters.
• How we manage our inputs and develop our routines, matters.
• How we practice Kindness with ourselves and others along the way... matters.
• And, how we continuously access and practice our Strengths of Character as we walk our walk towards...

... what matters most... it matters most.

Stoic L.O.V.E. in action and practice, moving us forward and towards ... is a Love Letter to ourselves that reminds us what we can nobly mean to the world, what we can bring to this world when we Aim High.?

Humans. Together. Strong.

Justice, Peace and Unity...

Barry Lewis Green, aka The Unity Guy with Epic Engage

And maybe check out...

• Explore your Code of Character
• A PEACE of WORK June '23
• TUGtv Conversations; engaging dialogue around ideas that matter.

NOTE to Reader. This will be my last post for July, as I will be coolly exploring Stillness and Stoicism and the afore noted Matriarchy for my own way forward. Stoic L.O.V.E. is the path this boy chooses now. Have a wonderful July. Hope to see you in August.