The 12th episode of Painted Porch is available. Mark Johnston interviews Phil Somers, practicing Cynic, about his podcast. Cynicism, like Stoicism, is a philosophy where ancient principles and the modern use of the word have greatly diverged. I've found watching people apply Cynicism in a modern context to be illuminating. Head over to Painted Porch and listen to episode 12!
Bernie Sanders, #BlackLivesMatter, and Dr. King
I'd been looking at how to express my support for the #BlackLivesMatter protests, specifically those that were directed at the Bernie Sander's campaign. My first attempt at a post tried to illuminate the lie that white liberalism is a positive force for change when it comes to the lives of people of color (POCs). Then the responses of indignant Sanders supporters rolled across the internet and I thought, "well I guess they've already proved the point." This sort of dynamic kept happening and I found myself at a loss concerning my own thoughts and how to express them.
By the way, for those who are wondering what this has to do with Stoicism, not much and everything is my answer. "Not much," in that Immoderate Stoic is not just my Big-S STOICISM blog, but also my personal one so I feel free to share thoughts that concern the whole of who I am. "Everything," in that justice, in all forms, is a pillar of Stoic ethics and I use Stoicism to fuel my personal actions concerning social justice. I happen to be concerned about the systematic injustices inherent in my own country's policies, culture, etc...
Today I was reintroduced to a portion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." I so happens that Dr. King's words apply specifically to the thoughts and concerns I want to express. Therefore I will leave his message here as a reminder of the importance of disruption, the injustice inherent in calls for 'respectable actions," and the ignorance and shameless cowardice that bolsters calls for orderliness over justice.
Transcripts
I am beginning the process of providing transcripts for all Good Fortune episodes. They will be appended to the regular podcast episode posts as they are created. As of today, Episode One is complete.
It was recently brought to my attention that focusing on my podcast had left out Immoderate Stoic readers who have hearing issues. At the same time, there are people who simply prefer reading over listening. As my wife said when I informed her I'd be creating transcripts, "Good. I hate listening to things*." I want Stoicism to be available and understandable for anyone who has an interest in it. Making my work less accessible was never my intention, so I'm going to fix this. I'm happy to be undertaking this project, which is not much of a burden, since I script out the podcast anyway!
So for those of you who would rather read Good Fortune, it will all be available soon.
*this from a musician!
Updates concerning transcript availability
Transcripts are now up to date and will be available for all future episodes, if not on the day it posts, within the next 48 hours.
- Episode Seven 07/27/15
- Episode Six 07/21/15
- Episode Five 07/10/15
- Episode Four 07/08/15
- Episode Three 06/29/15
- Episode Two 06/20/15
- Episode One 06/18/15