Stoicism
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Sat 3 Mar 2018 21:01
Formalised in Ancient Greece and attaining greatest prominence through the writings of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism as a philosophy has now largely been forgotten - although there are still adherents who have a society to keep it alive. However, the principles of Stoicism underlie several more recent approaches to thoughtful living including Buddhism, Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Stoicism will therefore remain relevant whilst-ever there are sentient beings with the ability to think about their lives. Just think of all the subjugation, torture and death that millions of people could have been spared if the world had adopted philosophies such as Stoicism instead of religion.
From a sailing perspective there are many stoical analogies that come to mind. Focus on the sheer joy that a top down furler for the cruising chute will bring rather than the large bill for providing it. Even better would have been to forego the large bill and focus on the joy of successfully launching the chute with the old, albeit incorrectly designed, snuffer. Why fret for hours in windy conditions that something in the rig might give way when you can rejoice that, so far, it has been performing magnificently? Even better would be the thrill of knowing you had diligently undertaken all those daily rig checks. Be constantly grateful that you have regularly serviced the engine rather than fret it will pack up each time you rely upon its reliabilty. Life could be simpler, cheaper and more joyful with a degree of Stoicism............
