What Questions Are You Asking?
Instead, he (and Epictetus and Seneca) focused on a series of questions not unlike the ones we continue to ask ourselves today: “What is the best way to live?” “What do I do about my anger?” “What are my obligations to my fellow human beings?” “I’m afraid to die; why is that?” “How can I deal with the difficult situations I face?” “How should I handle the success or power I hold?”
~The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
What kind of questions do you ask yourself? I’ve been reading a lot of philosophy lately — mostly Stoic philosophy. And one thing I’m beginning to learn about philosophy that I didn’t really pick up on in my college classes is that philosophy is primarily about asking questions and seeking answers.
True to the stereotype, some philosophers are asking really obscure questions that don’t make a bit of difference in the world. But others are simply trying to figure out the best way to live their life. What responsibilities do we have to the world, our communities, and even to ourselves? That’s the kind of philosophy that matters. Not the “how many angels can dance on the point of a pin?” type of questions that are being thrown out there. It’s a good exercise in thinking things through, but it doesn’t make a bit of difference in the real world.
One of the things I am coming to appreciate about Stoic philosophy is the general approach to the world. It’s a recognition that there are things in the world that we simply cannot control, but we can always control how we respond to those things. There’s a lot of personal responsibility involved. And, eventually, personal responsibility bleeds into our responsibility to those around us.
One thing I think the pandemic has taught us is that there are too many people who don’t care about our responsibilities to others. Part of this may be the “rugged individualism” that is considered a virtue in parts of American society. Another part has to do with personal liberties taking precedence over communal responsibilities. Certainly, there is a balance between the two, but people just don’t seem to care about the responsibilities they have to others.
As we opened up worship this past Sunday, I took a few minutes to talk about our county health metrics and what that was going to mean for us as a church. We are in the highest warning level right now, and so that means some things are going to have to change. And I took a minute to really encourage people to consider talking to their doctors if they have concerns about the vaccines that are available. I told them that hospitals are not filling up with people who are having vaccine complications, but with people who haven’t taken them at all. It’s a personal decision, but it’s one that affects the community.
What kind of difference are you trying to make with your life? What gives your life meaning? How do we balance personal liberty with community responsibility? These are philosophical questions. These are questions that will, hopefully, lead to a greater wisdom in how we live our lives.
These are the kinds of questions I’m asking right now. What kind are you asking?
