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Hobbits are curious creatures. Simple taste, a love of “good tilled earth” and yet surprisingly courageous. And according to Dr. Christopher Snyder, they might hold the key to living the good life.This week, I had a delightful conversation with Dr. Snyder, medieval historian, Tolkien scholar, and author of Hobbit Virtues: Rediscovering Virtue Ethics Through J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.Chris’s work as an academic intersects history, philosophy, and storytelling and even has taken him to the hallowed halls of Oxford University - Tolkien’s alma mater.A few highlights from our conversation:Why Hobbit Virtues?Chris began writing this book in the aftermath of the 2016 election, during a time of cultural division. His thesis: virtue ethics can cut through polarization.By focusing on virtues like courage, humility, sacrifice, and friendship, we can find common ground. Chris argues Tolkien’s writings are full of timeless virtues embodied in hobbits, elves, and men.Fellowship as a VirtueFriendship is something of a hot topic right now at Geeky Stoics. Chris didn’t shy away from the controversy, arguing:* Tolkien modeled his Fellowship of the Ring partly on the Arthurian Round Table and partly on his own experiences at Oxford, where “fellowship” literally meant scholars eating, drinking, and learning together.* Unlike utilitarian philosophy (the greatest good for the greatest number), Tolkien’s heroes make personal, sometimes costly, choices rooted in courage. Aragorn choosing to save Merry and Pippin instead of chasing Frodo isn’t “efficient,” but it’s the right thing to do.* Chris ties this back to our modern loneliness crisis. Where Aristotle emphasized the polis (the city), Tolkien and Lewis remind us that the quality of our friendships and fellowships challenge us to be our best selves.Heroism: The Anglo-Pagan and Christian EthicAnother fascinating insight: Tolkien blended ancient pagan heroic traditions with Christian ethics.* The “barbarian ethos” of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons valued courage even when hope was lost.* Christianity introduced something radical: hope not reserved for emperors or warriors, but for the meek, the humble, and the forgotten.* Tolkien fused these in his hobbits: ordinary folk who, precisely because of their humility, are capable of great virtue.As Chris put it, when Aragorn bows before the hobbits at his coronation, that’s Peter Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien’s ideal of kingship - ensuring Frodo and company “bow to no one.”So What?At Geeky Stoics, we’ve often said that pop culture stories are modern myths, our entry point for Western philosophy. Chris reminds us that this wasn’t accidental. Tolkien (like Lewis, like Lucas) used storytelling as a vessel for telling a greater truth.We remember Qui-Gon’s line, “Your focus determines your reality” more than reading a philosophy textbook; we remember Sam carrying Frodo, or Obi-Wan telling Anakin, “You were my brother.”Stories shape our moral imagination.I’ll end this where Chris began our conversation:“The elucidation of truth, and the encouragement of good morals in this real world, by the ancient device of exemplifying them in unfamiliar embodiments, that may tend to ‘bring them home.”-J.R.R. TolkienMTFBWY, -Riley This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
Updating your perspective on the world can, for some, be like seeing for the first time. Many of us have seen videos of colorblind people getting access to new tech that helps them see the full spectrum. When they tap in for the first time, it’s overwhelming and emotional. Something true shines through a veil that they’ve been burdened with forever. I remember when I started to reconnect with my faith several years ago, and things were becoming clearer to me about who I am and why I am here. I would get distracted while driving by trees and landscapes. Particularly Japanese Maples and other crimson trees mixed into mostly green gardens. Something was more striking about everything. Refined Jedi Sight Consider this poem out of the Star Wars universe about the role of the Jedi Order in bringing balance to the galaxy."First comes the dayThen comes the night.After the darknessShines through the light.The difference, they say,Is only made rightBy the resolving of grayThrough refined Jedi sight."― Journal of the Whills, 7:477It’s a beautiful stanza. Light is reality. Darkness is equally valid and inevitably enters the world, complicating whatever light came before it. What confounds so many of us is when the canvas then turns gray. Complex experiences and feelings stop us in our tracks.Am I loved?What is the right thing to do here?Somebody gets hurt, no matter what I choose.We overthink. We ache.You need a worldview, something that reconciles or can be used to interpret what you’re experiencing. Glasses. Philosophy. Story. Philosophy is in many ways a kind of story. The danger is, of course, that not all glasses reveal tru th equally. The Jedi, this poem suggests, have refined sight or an ability to interpret what’s happening.You might call that wisdom.How We Label ThingsJ.R.R. Tolkien wrote in his celebrated essay, On Fairy Stories, about the role of a good story in illuminating the world for its audience. He called it “recovery” in the sense that our vision and health have been compromised. A good story heals.Separating himself almost directly from the Stoics, Tolkien quipped, “I do not say ‘seeing things as they are’ and involve myself with the philosophers,” which is what Marcus Aurelius or Epictetus would call for. “I might venture to say,” Tolkien continues, “seeing things as we are (or were) meant to see them.”Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.The Stoics had a dogmatic commitment to blunt reality and practiced it by doing things like calling wine “the mere juice of crushed grapes,” so as not to romanticize what it’s called for commercial purposes. Steak is a piece of dead cow, scorched and salted. That’s the “truth”. Dead Scorched Cow is a little less appealing for 12oz at $45 than calling it Premium Aged Ribeye Steak.“We need, in any case, to clean our windows; so that the things seen clearly may be freed from the drab blur of triteness or familiarity—from possessiveness,” Tolkien adds.Whether it’s eyeglasses, windows, or stained glass, the idea that unites so many great thinkers is that something exists outside of the room we’re living in. There is something we’re missing, and either smudges, a faulty prescription, or the absence of light is preventing us from seeing what we’re supposed to see on the other side.Truth. Beauty. Purpose. Design.Overexposure and familiarity dull the senses to what would otherwise take our breath away.The Stoic mindset, though it has a lot to offer, has some pitfalls, including this one. Aurelius refers to sex as just “friction between bodies — followed by a convulsion”. Okay…..He’s trying to deter himself from lust by demystifying sex and pointing out some of its peculiar and unattractive realities. That may have some utility, but it’s cold, and sex, like Tolkien might suggest, is meant to be something far more powerful, warm, and beautiful than this. The triteness and overfamiliarity Tolkien describes is also a good way to think about pornography and what it does to the viewer over time. Clean your windows from the “drab blur”. Have you ever seen Mount Rainier just beyond Seattle, Washington? It’s a wonder. The mountain stands so tall and grand that on a clear day, it’s like an alien spaceship landing on the horizon. The first few times you lay eyes on it, particularly if you’re not from that mountainous region, you’ll do a double-take.How is that real?Let's return to the issue of the steak. What if the answer is neither the Stoic insight, that it’s merely a charred strip of animal flesh, nor is it this thing we excitedly call steak? What if it's just sustenance, nourishment, and a gift deserving of gratitude?That is the perspective most of us are missing every single day. It’s not “Thank you Lord, for this ham, eggs, and sourdough,” it’s actually, “Thank you Lord, for this bounty.”Call the food whatever you want to call it, but what matters most at the end of the day is the value you attach to it. It’s a pretty good value to consider your meal a blessing and to be grateful for it. Has gratitude ever steered a person wrong? New on YouTube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
It’s time for another long-form podcast! In this episode, we welcome Parker Settecase of ParkNotes Parker's Ponderings for a deep dive into the limits of Stoicism, the role of the God/Logos in this philosophy, and how these same ideas filter through Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and more.TOPICS WE’LL GET INTO* The overlap between Stoicism and Christianity: How Stoic principles align and diverge from Christian theology, and the importance of the Logos as a personal being.* Wrestling, discipline, and practical philosophy: How Parker’s wrestling background shaped his appreciation for Stoic ideas about self-control and focusing on what you can control.* Pop culture and philosophy: Using characters like Gandalf, Batman, and Star Wars’ Jedi and Sith to make philosophical concepts accessible and relatable.* Lust, self-control, and pop culture analogies: How Marcus Aurelius’ writings on physical desire relate to modern struggles, and parallels with the Star Wars narrative of Anakin Skywalker and the dark side.* The Sith vs. Jedi worldview: Technology, transhumanism, and the dangers of trying to “challenge forth” and reshape nature, with references to Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Foucault.* AI, humanity, and the risks of technological mimicry: Reflections on the use of AI to recreate lost loved ones, the philosophical implications of large language models, and the importance of preserving human uniqueness.* CS Lewis and the Inklings: The relevance of “That Hideous Strength,” “Till We Have Faces,” and the distinction between “major” and “goetia” magic as analogs for Jedi and Sith philosophies. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
Andrew Heaton is a comedian, political commentator, author, and political orphan best known for his skits on ReasonTV. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Andrew for many years and traveling in similar media circles. We both love to chat and interview people, and so when I saw he’d joined Substack, I knew we’d have to do something together. Both Heaton and I love to talk about fantasy and sci-fi, so we cover great fiction that has inspired Andrew’s worldview, and we get into the weeds of Andrew’s atheism and roots in Eastern Orthodoxy. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What to expect (Pretty decent AI summary)* Good, evil, and C.S. Lewis. Kent and Heaton, with Lewis’s idea that evil is merely “a corruption of good,” and use A Clockwork Orange to probe whether pure malice can really exist.* Demonic dread in a secular mind. Despite skepticism, Kent and Heaton admit demonic possession (and even Ouija boards) still terrifies them—evidence that ancient spiritual anxieties survive modern disbelief.* Wealth and the eye of the needle. Heaton asks whether our unprecedented creature comforts, more than raw income, blunt any sense that we need transcendence, and discusses Jesus’ warning about riches.* Eco-Calvinism. Heaton argues parts of today’s environmentalism act like a new religion—humanity as fallen, Earth as sacred, redemption through self-denial—echoing Joseph Campbell’s predicted “eco-myth”.* Stories that shape a worldview. Heaton shares how Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide taught him the power of shifting perspective; Star Trek and Madeline Miller’s Circe reveal why being mortal trumps immortality * Love beyond belief. Leaving the church didn’t sever bonds for Andrew Heaton—his old church still checks on him and offers help, showing religion’s unmatched knack for forging lasting “kinship networks”.If you want to join up with the Political Orphanage and Andrew Heaton…. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
Somehow…Monday returned. Welcome back! This morning I am headed into Washington, DC to speak to a group of young professionals about communication and breaking through both the noise and polarization. These are tough times for getting your message across. Ears are closed. Eyes are covered. Impressions are set. How do we break through? I’ll share a few brief thoughts. It’ll be brief mainly because I want you to check out the video today, my interview about the new Superman movie on Fox Radio with Ben Domenech of The Transom. Part of it can be watched here for Free Subscribers to Geeky Stoics, and if you want more, it’s posted here. I know Ben appreciates the views. To watch the whole thing here, like with other videos, you can upgrade to a Paid subscription to support the work we’re doing here. The community is growing! On YouTube, we hit 15,000 subscribers yesterday and notched our one millionth view, thanks in part to this video about Friendship vs Eros (Erotic, Romantic love). Getting Your Message AcrossSo, as I was saying….how do we break through? It’s all about moral foundations. Once you understand the moral framework your audience is operating under, you can make an effort to appeal to their code and move the needle. In his book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, Jonathan Haidt breaks down the moral universes of conservatives and liberals (a simple left-to-right framing) into six pillars. * Care/harm – concern for the suffering of others* Fairness/cheating – emphasis on justice, rights, and equality* Loyalty/betrayal – allegiance to one’s group, family, or nation* Authority/subversion – respect for tradition and legitimate authority* Sanctity/degradation – valuing purity & avoiding the disgusting or profane* Liberty/oppression – a desire to resist domination and tyranny (added later in his framework)Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Haidt’s widely acclaimed social science research showed that liberals place an outsized value on 1 and 2, Care and Fairness. Their first principles involve displaying concern for others’ suffering and caring about matters of fairness. Of course, these streams meet on matters of social justice and civil rights. Conservatives are more balanced in how they see the world. Each pillar gets pretty equal attention, with slightly more attention paid to Loyalty and Authority. They care about Fairness and the factor of equality, but in terms of proportionality to one’s contributions. It’s funny because conservatives think about this with the collective in mind, which is a framework usually used by liberals. Some outside thoughts on these values from familiar namesC.S. Lewis on his skepticism of Equality: “Do not misunderstand me. I am not in the least belittling the value of this egalitarian fiction, which is our only defence against one another’s cruelty—the function of equality is purely protective. It is medicine, not food. By treating the human person as if they were all the same kind of thing, we avoid innumerable evils. But it is not on this that we were made to live. It is idle to say that men are of equal value. If value is taken in a worldly sense—if we mean that all men are equally useful or beautiful or good or entertaining—then it is nonsense. If it means that all are of equal value as immortal souls, then I think it conceals a dangerous error.”* In summary, Lewis believed that Equality was a social necessity, but nothing more than that. He held that hierarchies are in keeping with nature (Authority) and that people become vessels for ideas and values, and ideas and values are ranked. “Equality is medicine, not food”. It treats a kind of ailment, but it’s not our reason for being. J.R.R. Tolkien on Freedom: “-the word has been so abused by propaganda that it has ceased to have any value for reason, and become a mere emotional dose for generating heat.”* A short quote and simple. Freedom is nice, but there are higher goods than freedom, such as Sanctity. You’ll find liberals and conservatives switch places quickly on Freedom when it suits their competing moral pillars. Once you have this understanding of moral foundations, you can decide whether or not you want to attempt appealing to them for the purpose of making a connection. Last thing, and for this we’ll return to Narnia’s founder, C.S. Lewis, once more. You have to keep your heart open to the possibility that you’re only being served the worst possible impression of your opponents. We know this. TV news and social media algorithms are designed not to spread truth, but to maintain the audience. If Fox News or MSNBC starts going too easy on the other side, people change the channel. They tuned in for a worldview, so subverting that is not in the business model. Know this. You can watch and enjoy the “news” but know it’s a form of entertainment, first and foremost. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that with news, we become disappointed when our opponents are anything less than devils. Once we go down that road, we will start to see ourselves, the world, and God...as devils also. Turns out, believing the best in people is something that extends to how you treat yourself in the mirror. So be gracious. “Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite true, or not quite so bad as it was made out. Is one's first feeling, 'Thank God, even they aren't quite so bad as that,' or is it a feeling of disappointment, and even a determination to cling to the first story for the sheer pleasure of thinking your enemies are as bad as possible? If it is the second, then it is, I am afraid, the first step in a process which, if followed to the end, will make us into devils. You see, one is beginning to wish that black was a little blacker. If we give that wish its head, later on we shall wish to see grey as black, and then to see white itself as black. Finally, we shall insist on seeing everything -- God and our friends and ourselves included -- as bad, and not be able to stop doing it: we shall be fixed for ever in a universe of pure hatred.”-C.S. Lewis in ‘Mere Christianity’Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for reading Geeky Stoics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.geekystoics.comOnce you go down the Stoicism rabbit hole, you can’t escape the ubiquitous appeal and words of Marcus Aurelius in Meditations. It’s everyone’s favorite, and for mostly good reason. But Seneca's Letters From A Stoic are even better.
On a flight layover in the UK, Geeky Stoics visits the home, grave and world of famed author, philosopher and academic: C.S. Lewis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
We’re experimenting here at Geeky Stoics. Both Stephen and I have really missed the long-form podcast and discussion format, going back to my original podcasting days at the Star Wars Report and Stephen’s at Beltway Banthas. I’m so glad we get to introduce this format here on Substack, featuring a very special guest: Master Samwise.Samwise has a YouTube channel not dissimiliar from our own, where he’s built a community of people passionate about going a layer deeper on stories like Star Wars, LOTR and even Red Dead Redemption. He takes this as seriously as we do. This episode is really about why modern storytelling needs more heart and less ulterior motives.Sam drops some truth bombs including why great stories aren't about the catharsis of the creator; they're about characters who choose service over themselves. Being a hero starts at home. Sam’s take on heroism 101* Know when to say "yes" when you want to say "no"* Virtues are universalWe also nerd out on: * Obi-Wan* Avatar: The Last Airbender* Band of Brothers* Pixar’s Turning Red* Clare: Obscure Expedition 33MTFBWY!-Riley This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
If you want to understand the intellectual fault lines of the 20th century, you don’t need to go to a fancy college. You can just sit down with some old movies. We don’t touch on horror movies often on Geeky Stoics, in fact, this is a first. I just finished KINGDOM OF CAIN, a fascinating book about how horror and murder point toward evidence of God. It’s a fresh approach to Christian apologetics and on brand for Klavan, a prolific crime and mystery novelist. The book traces the line between real world murders that inspired art (film and stage plays) which inspire more real world violence, which inspire more art. Man destroys, man creates, round and round we go. At issue for most of the book is how the Ed Gein murders spurred on Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO (1960), which later warranted a response in the form of HALLOWEEN (1978). What Klavan leaves out is a movie near and dear to me, which builds on both of these films, SCREAM (1996). A question is posed by these works of art based on real world violence: Is evil a psychiatric malfunction or a metaphysical reality? Are murderers patients, or vessels……In the video above, you’ll get some answers to that question and see how philosophy and psychology clash when it comes to the question of evil and violence. “Darwin told us where we came from. Marx told us where we’re going. Freud told us who we are.” - Andrew Klavan This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
Hopefully, you’re caught up on Geeky Stoics and enjoyed the panel conversation we hosted with Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. The conversation covered Stoicism and Objectivism, two distinct philosophies with a lot in common and even more in conflict. Now you can move on to the next piece of programming we cooked up for you: a one-on-one interview with Holiday. This came together at the last minute during our trip to Palm Springs. Ryan’s team was not being very accommodating with doing interviews at this event. They vet every outlet asking for time with him. We flew out to CA without any guarantees of getting an interview. As I was on stage doing the panel conversation, my phone started buzzing on the podium. It was the conference event coordinator saying, “You’ve been approved. In fact, you’re the only person who got approved.” I had asked Ryan’s handlers for 15 minutes with him. “Can you do 60 minutes?” they asked. Oh boy…since no one else got approved, I was now being offered the entirety of his media time. And since I didn’t ever get any advance notice, I opted not to toil over preparing an interview. I had no questions prepared. Needless to say, I accepted the time and improvised. In the end, I ended up splitting my 60 minutes with another outlet in exchange for their cameraman taking some footage of our interview. That’s what you’ll see in this video above when someone enters the room with a camera right behind Ryan and myself. Hard work and mild preparation do pay off. Believe!This is a snippet of the conversation. The rest is on YouTube. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
It’s a good day to be a Geeky Stoics subscriber here on Substack! You all get first access to this week’s video conversations with Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. I told you about the trip to Palm Springs, and it was to moderate this panel tackling the differences and overlaps of Stoicism and Objectivism. To recap: Stoicism is ancient Greek and Roman philosophy rooted in self-mastery, emotional regulation, and letting go of things beyond your control. Objectivism took form post-World War II through the philosopher and writer Ayn Rand. It is about self-focus, individual fulfillment, and “rational egoism” or putting yourself first as a matter of rational thought.Ryan Holiday is famed for his books, "The Obstacle Is the Way," "Ego Is the Enemy," "The Daily Stoic," "Stillness Is the Key", “Courage Is Calling” and his new book “Wisdom Takes Work” comes out this fall. Millions of people receive his daily emails and podcasts, and most of what Geeky Stoics does would not exist without his work. It was cool to meet him and ask him some questions about the life well-lived. Thanks for reading Geeky Stoics! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Some takeawaysHoliday framed freedom as the opportunity for self-discipline. Drawing on figures like Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and even Eisenhower, he emphasized that inner liberty (freedom from passion, chaos, and internal compulsion) is central to Stoic ethics. Stoicism holds that true freedom is achieved through mastery of the self, rather than simple absence of constraint. In Ryan’s books, he has called this “the empire between your ears”. Even a person living in chains cannot be truly forced to vacate their freedom of thought and action. For Stoics, unchecked liberty is a quick road to being enslaved by desire, and so self-restraint is not seen as a limitation but as a form of empowerment.This is an area I tend to strongly agree on. Richards, representing Ayn Rand’s Objectivism, defined freedom as freedom from coercion (force or fraud) that threatens one’s ability to think, act, and pursue personal happiness. Objectivism prioritizes the individual’s rational mind as the highest tool for flourishing, arguing that the pursuit of joy and personal achievement is the purpose of freedom. It’s not dismissive of self-discipline, and so Richards emphasized how a person can harm oneself with the pursuit of constant vice. Enjoying the panel discussion? Now check out our 1-on-1 interview with Ryan Holiday about parenting, Hamilton, and philosophyOverlap and Contrast on the panel Both philosophies value rationality, personal responsibility, and civic virtue. However, Stoicism is inward-facing, concerned with moral resilience and inner peace, while Objectivism is outward-facing, focused on creative achievement and individual flourishing.Holiday illustrated Stoic freedom with the example of Epictetus—a slave who, despite literal bondage, enjoyed greater internal freedom than Rome’s elite who had to suck up to tyrants to make a living. Richards acknowledged this but argued that Objectivism’s strength lies in its systematic approach, beginning with metaphysics and epistemology, and ending in ethics and politics centered on the primacy of the individual. It’s very anti-collectivist. That point on collectivism is important because it’s perhaps the most pointed area of disagreement. Most Stoics would say that all “goods” must be considered for the whole of a community. Objectivists, or Ayn Rand, did not believe “the public” even exists. Her philosophical focus was on living, breathing things, and she rejected the notion that the disjointed “we” was a thing worthy of acknowledgement. I am alive. The “public” is not. I have interests. The public does not. Stoics don’t buy this, especially not Ryan Holiday. Now, go enjoy the discussion and tell us what you thought in the comments below. New on YouTube from Geeky Stoics This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
"What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears. New ills will come, or old ones will return. Meanwhile, keep your spirit cheerful." - Epictetus, DiscoursesThe other day, my daughter was stressed about some complicated logistical stuff happening two days in the future. She was visibly distraught and trying to figure out what to be prepared for in case it all went badly. I am not great at this myself, but I reminded her that tomorrow’s troubles don’t require your negative energy today. Lighten up. Thanks for reading Geeky Stoics! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Seneca wrote in one of his "Letters to Lucilius” that, "We are tormented by what is to come more than by what is. The future is uncertain, and we often suffer more in imagination than in reality." That is to say, we go over scenarios for how badly something could go, it causes us suffering, and then it comes, and it wasn’t really that bad. Then we laugh. What was I so worried about? There’s a balance between planning for all eventualities (being prepared) and suffering in advance of imagined problems. You’re planning a hike and need to prepare for the possibility of rain and sleet, so you pack a rain jacket and the appropriate shelter. You don’t get into a huff about weather that hasn’t come yet. That’s silly. When it’s all said and done, though, and you realize you’ve been wound tight over imagined struggles that never even came about, feel free to have a laugh about it. Don’t take yourself so seriously, or even this messy life. If you want to go a bit deeper on humor and leadership and when to laugh it off, check out this video above. It’s exclusive to newsletter subscribers before it hits YouTube later this week. Be well. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
This week, I put together an essay I’ve been dying to make for well over a year. This is about Star Wars: Andor and whether or not the show supports a Marxist lens on freedom in a galaxy far, far away.Star Wars fans online had a field day with the words and deeds of one character, Nemik, who not only writes a “manifesto” for the Rebellion but also wears in Ushanka-style hat. Naturally, this got the Tankies (online communists) a little excited.In this video essay, being previewed FIRST for email subscribers to Geeky Stoics, I lay out why Nemik isn’t very Marxist. I begin with an assessment of his views on Self-Reliance, then turn to Andor’s nod to Natural Rights doctrine. And I conclude with my view on why Stoicism fills in the gaps left by political ideologies that claim to free mankind.I would like your feedback in the comments section before launching this on YouTube. Any fat that could be trimmed or argument that can tightened up, I’d like to hear about it!A beautiful excerpt from Nemik’s ManifestoThere will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy.Remember this, Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they’ve already enlisted in the cause.Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.And remember this: the Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empires’s authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege.Remember this: Try.Thanks for reading Geeky Stoics! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
My family has taken to teasing me over my annual surprise when a shrubbery or tree on our property shows signs of life around March or April. I must admit, I do look at my plants in the winter and think to myself, “Well, that’s it. They’re dead.” And I do this every year.I kneel at the side of my bushes and snap their branches to check the inside for moist green. I stare at them for long periods of time, wondering if I need to uproot the plant and toss it out for a new one.Tonight over dinner, I noticed that our tree in the backyard was beginning to reveal fresh buds where pink flowers will soon blossom. My surprise was evident. Many of the other trees on the property had already flowered, and in the back of my mind, the only explanation for why this one hadn’t done so yet was that it had finally died.Maybe I’m a fringe lunatic, and this is just evidence that I lack a certain chill. It also might reflect my lack of faith in miracles.Spring is something of a miracle. I don’t easily take to miracles. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
Did you see the news about The Chronicles of Narnia? After years of negotiation, director Greta Gerwig has closed a deal to have her Narnia movie hit theaters on November 26, 2026 before streaming on Netflix that Christmas. It’s pretty exciting! We love C.S. Lewis’ Narnia here on Geeky Stoics. The best available information out there points to Gerwig starting her Narnia series with the chronological first book, The Magician’s Nephew. In this video, I explain the significance of Narnia’s return AND summarize all of The Magician’s Nephew in less than 5 minutes. Enjoy and have a restful Sunday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. — Tolkien, The Fellowship of the RingThroughout The Lord of the Rings, doom and tragedy are constantly on the doorstep of J.R.R. Tolkien’s heroes. Failure and defeat happen frequently. The Witch King of Angmar overpowers Merry and Éowyn, Boromir is struck down by Uruk-hai scouts leaving the Fellowship without its great son of Gondor, Frodo is overcome by the power of the Ring on more than one occasion; including at the Crack of Doom when he must throw it into the fire, Gandalf seemingly perishes in the Mines of Moria.Tolkien coined a term in his early academic writings, Eucatastrophe, to describe an unexpected peril resolved by an unexpected hope. The Greek prefix "eu-" means “good”And “catastrophe”, of course, implies disaster or upheaval. I often imagine a table being flipped upside down. The table is adorned in fine food and wine, among other trappings of the good life. Then someone ruins it all in anger. They flip the table over, destroying all of it. But on the bottom of the table, the dinner guests see a treasure map that has been etched into the wood of the table. The dinner isn’t necessarily redeemed at that very moment, but there is now a bright and shining hope that it could be. Good comes from the bad. “-I am a Christian, and indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect ‘history’ to be anything but a ‘long defeat’ –though it contains (and in a legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or glimpses of final victory.” - Tolkien, Letter 195 It should go without saying that in the Christian world, for believers and non-believers alike, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ rests as the great beacon of eucatastrophe. It captures Tolkien’s notion of “Christian joy…which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow”. There’s a strange place in the human heart where Grief and Joy meet and reconcile their differences. They become one. “Is everything sad going to come untrue?”My Dad died rather suddenly a little over a week ago. I’m in the stage of grief where even as I write this, I am confused by the words. I don’t understand what has happened. The funeral, eulogy, and urn of ashes feel very much like a dream and every few hours I blink rapidly in recognition that it was all real. In the final installment of The Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee awakes in bed after the destruction of the Ring. He is in the presence of Gandalf. He mutters about the whole adventure having been a dream and remarks that he is glad to be awake. Then he turns over and sees Frodo lying next to him, missing a finger from his final confrontation with Gollum. “Full memory flooded back”Gandalf asks Sam as the Hobbit awakes, “Master Samwise, how do you feel?”Sam is described as laying back with his mouth agape, fumbling through bewilderment and joy, and unable to speak. Then he gasps.“Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?” asks Sam.It’s all true, and all that has happened will remain so. But there is a light that is coming. That’s the whole meaning of the Christian Advent season where for four weeks, candles are lit in the runup to Christ’s birth. It’s a dark season. The sun sets early and it’s cold as death. I’ve never hated December the way I hate it right now. I so badly want the sun and its warmth around me. But light is coming. There is a treasure map beneath the ruined feast. In all of the Tolkien scenes I described at the start of this entry, there is a positive resolution brought about by unexpected forces. Eucatastrophe sings in the pitch black of night. “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” - Revelation 21:5 Whatever you’re going through, good can come of it. Debts can be paid and in ways you never imagined possible. Be faithful, honest, and true in your dealings with others. Do not despair. Warmer days are coming. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.We’re beyond excited to share a new video from the Geeky Stoics YouTube channel, on Dragon Ball Z and Pride. In this video essay, I lay out the character arc of Vegeta in DBZ and offer a lesson on his infamous Pride that can be applied to your life. Also on YouTube, we have our first viral video, On Anger. Almost 63,000 views. A massive highwater mark for Geeky Stoics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
It’s a rare and beautiful thing to meet someone with whom you discover so much in common. Not just experiences, but sentiment and aspiration. That’s how I felt after taping a podcast with Evan, best known for his viral Twitter account, @MidddleearthMixr. Going into this conversation about Tolkien and the relevant philosophy of The Lord of the Rings, I didn’t realize I knew Evan from my professional walk. We had a connection. Beyond that, we shared a similar sort of awakening in how we returned to the well of stories that delighted us as children…drawing from them something to help us in adulthood. What Star Wars is to me, Tolkien’s works are to Evan. This was a podcast I had planned to only be 45 minutes, but we couldn’t stop, so it’s more like 90 minutes. I can confirm though, it’s worth every second. My hope is that you’ll walk away from this encouraged to embrace the stories that move you and listen to what they say. When you were young, you understood certain truths so much more clearly than you do now. In this mashup between MiddleearthMixr and Geeky Stoics, you’ll learn why. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
The first thing you’ll see in my home when you enter is a framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Below the image of America’s 16th president, a man who arguably refounded the United States and became one of its most consequential figures, is a list of his numerous failures. The guy posted a lot of L’s. This list of Lincoln failures is pretty well known, so you might have seen this before. Here is the text I have framed in our doorway. “Lincoln”Lost job in 1832.Defeated for state legislature in 1832.Failed in business in 1833.Elected to state legislature in 1834.Sweetheart died in 1835.Had a nervous breakdown in 1836.Defeated for Speaker in 1838.Defeated for nomination for Congress in 1843.Elected to Congress in 1846.Lost renomination in 1848.Rejected for land officer in 1849.Defeated for U.S. Senate in 1854.Defeated for nomination for Vice President in 1856.Again defeated for U.S. Senate in 1858.Elected President in 1860.Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This piece always catches my eye, particularly in the morning when I’m having coffee and thinking about the day ahead. Today is no exception. Last night I lost my race for City Council in Manassas, Virginia. It was my first foray into politics, and I’d never run in this city before for anything. I’ve lived here about 10 years, whereas all my opponents pretty much grew up here or have lifelong roots in town. That counts for something when a small town of 45,000 people vote. In reality, only about 8,000 people vote in elections around here. It’s kind of crazy. I’m not launching into some narrative in which I’m a Lincoln figure in the making. It’s just that I’ve had a lot of strikeouts at the plate lately. Let me run through them. My career has been a pretty wild ride since 2015 when I started a semi-popular podcast called Beltway Banthas. It opened the door to me doing something almost no one gets to do, which is go on TV and talk politics on some of the biggest news networks in the country. From 2016 to 2022 I had a really active and exciting run as a political commentator. All of this led to me securing a book deal with Hachette Publishing for How The Force Can Fix The World, another rare professional notch on the belt that not many people get to experience. It’s special, and that’s not lost on me. Especially when there are so many better writers out there. At the same time, I was selected to host a political talk show for an international news network. Here’s the thing though. By objective measures, in every single one of these ventures, I “failed”. As a podcaster, Banthas never generated revenues. As a commentator, I secured no contributor contracts or invites to the “major leagues” for top shows in the world in the mainstream or alternative media. My debut book had a niche audience but was not a best seller on any list of “importance” in the publishing world. My talk show was canceled after one year. We couldn’t find an audience for it. After that, I entered a professional wilderness for almost 2 years. Luckily, a friend offered me a job right when I needed it, but it was a job I ended up being very bad at. As I started looking around for a better fit and interviewing, I felt untouchable. I couldn’t secure a job after all of this. No one wanted to hire me. I landed on my feet in the end at a really great nonprofit, one where I still work. That was by virtue of managing my relationships and having a good reputation for hard work and honesty. But it was a really hard road. Then this year I finally ran for office, a dream of mine since I was a kid, and I lost. Not only did I lose, I was the lowest vote-getter in the city. Deep sigh. NEW VIDEO FROM GEEKY STOICSWhat I told my wife last night when the results came in was that it’s not that I feel like some kind of loser who never has any wins. No, it’s not that. Because in many ways I keep making it to Championship matches (big opportunities), and then striking out when I step up to the plate. I think that people go on these journeys in life where they think they’ve found “the thing” they were called to do and it turns out to have been a mirage. I imagine it like a long hallway of locked doors. You have the keyring in your hand and a hundred keys on it. You fumble around to find the right key for the right door, you open it, and then it’s just a wall behind the door. That wasn’t the door for you. I think I’m just good at feeling around for certain keys to certain doors.Part of this thought reminds me of one of Geeky Stoics’ central pillars, the life and ideas of C.S. Lewis. As you know, Lewis is famous, immortal really, because of The Chronicles of Narnia. The first book was published in 1950, at a time when Lewis was almost completely drained of his self-confidence and hope. Lewis had become an international superstar in the 1940s for his wartime radio broadcasts on the BBC and Mere Christianity, his most cherished nonfiction work making the case for Christian morality. Then there was The Screwtape Letters, making him even more of a star and the voice of Christian apologetics. Yet, when he was invited onto the BBC in 1950 to discuss faith, Lewis declined saying, “Like the old fangless snake in The Jungle Book, I’ve largely lost my dialectal power.”Lewis had become a symbol of Christian thought and argumentation but had “failed” to convert his own friends and family. In fact, the woman in his life (Mrs. Moore) only grew more hostile to faith over time. He felt powerless in his own sphere of influence. Just a year before declining the BBC, Lewis participated in a Socratic debate at Oxford against a young woman named Elizabeth Anscombe about “naturalism” and Christian belief. Anscombe was a Catholic and fan of Lewis, but she disagreed strongly with some of Lewis’ cherished conclusions in his book, Miracles. Long story short, Anscombe defeated and embarrassed Lewis in his own dojo during that debate in 1948. In front of his colleagues, fans, critics, and students, Lewis was dismantled. But it wasn’t just Lewis, it was the premise of one of his great books.Like a good man with an open mind, Lewis knew he lost and he knew then that Miracles was deeply flawed. For a man like Lewis, it’s the kind of thing that keeps you up at night. He entered a dark period at this time. Friends of his were dying of age or illness. His ideas were being beaten back by younger thinkers. His famous friendship with J.R.R Tolkien was in disrepair. He’d lost his zeal to write. He was still quite financially strapped, for many reasons. And because Oxford was as hostile to faith as it still is today, Lewis had a target on his back at his university. He was passed over again and again for new roles at Oxford. Disparaged by department heads and treated like the plague. Academics at elite universities tend to hate their colleagues who have mainstream success, which Mere Christianity was by a large margin. Lewis was in the shadowlands of his career. Then he came across a door in that long hallway, opened it, and crossed a threshold into something new. In 1950, C.S. Lewis published The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The rest is history. In his lowest moment, C.S. Lewis’ purpose was revealed to him. All the work that he had poured into Christian argumentation in his nonfiction books became the basis for his fictional work in Narnia. The ideas he tested on atheists and believers for 15 years became the story of Wardrobe, Aslan, and White Witch. Reading over the lives of Lincoln and Lewis, you get the sense that these men considered giving up. Lewis drank too much and was pretty depressed for a period of time. Lincoln’s depression is well-known. But they held on. Their purpose was revealed to them. One of C.S. Lewis’ central arguments about God is that if you set out to find Him, it will always be He who finds you first. The hunter becomes the hunted. But it doesn’t happen unless you’re open, aware, and searching. God, I’m listening. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Hey Geeky Stoics, right now I’m reading The Creative Act by music producer Rick Rubin. This book is lovely. Two-page chapters that are all about artistic expression and connecting with your ability to create. It’s like Meditations, really. The Creative Act is a book about the idea I described above. Being open, aware, and searching. If you’re distracted, numb, drunk, overstimulated, or fearful, you won’t hear your call when it comes. That call may be a painting, a business idea, a song, or a message for a political campaign. Check it out! You won’t regret it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe
“It is not a golden bit that makes one horse superior to others.”-Seneca, Letters from A StoicIt’s taken longer than I intended to find a Dragon Ball Z topic for Geeky Stoics. This uniquely popular anime in the United States was my second love growing up, right next to Star Wars. My favorite character is Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans. He is a total jerk, but it’s something of a novelty as the show grinds on. The whole schtick is that Saiyans are immensely prideful and take their race and blood lineage very seriously. Vegeta is like most royal-born characters in great stories. He’s privileged, entitled, arrogant, and often whiny, but you like him anyway, because Vegeta is broken down constantly and forced to build himself up again. The reinvention is what makes him interesting. Humility is one of the more classical virtues that I’m drawn toward in my writing. It was the topic of the first chapter of my 2021 book, How The Force Can Fix The World. In general, we shouldn’t be obsessed with the traits in life that were gifted to us by virtue of being born.What is gifted to us? Health. Ability. Family. Lineage. Status. Among other things. Gifts are given to you. You did nothing to deserve them. Awards are earned. Recognition is earned. Gifts are understood to be wrapped with a bow on top and handed to you by the grace of someone else or God himself. I have a gift for teaching and writing. It would be wrong to strut around acting like I am some self-made man on either of these items. They come naturally to me, and both of my natural talents were strengthened by mentors who entered my life and shared their knowledge freely.Who am I to be prideful when it comes to these things?St. Thomas Aquinas (1274 AD) said “Humility removes pride, whereby a man refuses to submit himself to the truth of faith.”C.S. Lewis said of pride, “Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.” Still, Vegeta and his precious pride. "Only a failure abandons his principles and his Pride,” the Prince of Saiyans says in Dragon Ball Super. Vegeta goes on a series-long journey to reform what his pride is made of. At the start of Dragon Ball Z, it is purely this ethnic radicalism based on lore about Saiyan history. His blood is everything to him. Blood is cheap.Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.But then like I said, he’s broken down. Vegeta is defeated again and again, even killed. His rivals usurp him, namely ones without royal blood, and scoff at his entitlement to praise and honor. Vegeta learns something that we’ve all seen in the real world…..Success is more often the product of natural talent + hard work. I’m a good writer, but I know damn well there are less-good writers who outwork me by leaps and bounds. Those writers will see greater success in this field than me. I could sit in my office and be pissed about it, or I can work harder. Vegeta is never really cured of his Saiyan Pride, but with time and suffering it becomes based on something more real — which is Vegeta’s own special resolve to never stay down. He will always get back up. The Roman stoic known as Seneca the Younger wrote in his letters, “No one should feel pride in anything that is not his own. In a man, praise is due only to what is his very own. Suppose he has a beautiful home and a handsome collection of servants, a lot of land under cultivation, and a lot of money earned out of interest; not one of these things can be said to be his own – they are just things around him.” - Letters From A StoicVegeta believes in himself, and that’s a variation of pride we make allowances for in philosophy and culture. No one likes or follows people who don’t believe in themselves. Vegeta’s Pride becomes something he earned. Something that is his own, cultivated within through trials and defeat. He knows at a certain point that his “special blood” won’t save him. If you were to take pride in one thing, it might be how well you get back up when smacked down. But even that, in my opinion, comes from a God who made you differently than every person around you. Some people will have to fight their whole life for the resolve to stick up for themselves even once, that’s where you come in. Their meekness is your call to duty. Your strength should be put to work in service of those who have none. You’re unique. Listen for that whisper. Notice what you’re good at from the earliest age when it’s easiest to hear these whispers.It’s what you were made for. Are you up to date on our YouTube videos? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe