The Practical Stoic

What is the best way to learn how to think? How can one effectively gain wisdom through study? In this episode Simon Drew discusses Seneca's theory of learning wisely and gives examples from his own life where this theory has applied.  Quote mentioned: Seneca's Epistles 2:2 To support the Practical Stoic Podcast go to patreon.com/simonjedrew/ To get philosophical coaching from Simon go to simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Neil Cowley is an English jazz pianist and composer. He has also released music as part of Fragile State, the Green Nuns of the Revolution, and the Neil Cowley Trio. With his trio, he appeared on Later... with Jools Holland in April 2008 and won the 2007 BBC Jazz Award for best album for Displaced. He has a diverse discography of music produced by himself as well as significant recordings as a sideman, including albums from Adele and Birdy. In March 2021 he is releasing a new album called Hall of Mirrors. You can listen to one track from this album here:  Bandcamp: https://neilcowley.bandcamp.com/ Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hall-of-mirrors/1539916646 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/neilcowleytrio/  Neil Cowley Website: https://neilcowleymusic.com/   For coaching with Simon Drew visit simonjedrew.com/coaching/ To become a patron, go to patreon.com/simonjedrew/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Simon Drew discusses a single passage from Seneca's second epistle where he makes a suggestion about the sign of a well-ordered mind.  Quote mentioned in this episode: Seneca's Epistle 2:1 To support the podcast and receive exclusive episodes like this you can visit patreon.com/simonjedrew/ To get coaching from Simon visit simonjedrew.com/coaching/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Simon discusses Australian modern history as it relates to war, international politics, and diplomacy, as well as Australia's current position leading into the future. Prof. Joseph Siracusa is Professor of Political History and International Diplomacy at Curtin University. Born and raised in Chicago and a long time resident of Australia, Joseph studied at the University of Denver and the University of Vienna and received his PhD at the University of Colorado (Boulder). He has worked at Merrill Lynch in Boston and New York; the University of Queensland; and for three years served as a senior visiting fellow in the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance at Griffith University. He has authored and co-authored 310 refereed publications including 75 books, monographs and chapters, 115 journal articles/entries and scholarly reviews, and 120 refereed proceedings. His publications include the following: America and the Cold War, 1941-1991: A Realist interpretation, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2010) Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction (Second edition, Oxford University Press, 2015) The Death Penalty and U.S. Diplomacy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) A Global History of the Nuclear Arms Race, 2 volumes (Praeger, 2013) Language of Terror: How Neuroscience Influences Political Speech in the United States (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) Diplomatic History: A Very Short Introduction, to be published by Oxford University Press, in early 2021 For coaching with Simon Drew go to simonjedrew.com/coaching/ To join Simon's Patreon community go to patreon.com/simonjedrew/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Simon dives into three verses from Seneca's first epistle which grapple with the complexities of time and death. Seneca's ideas around death and the value of our time are not only inspiring, but they are also deeply thought provoking and practical. After listening to this episode consider consulting with yourself about the feelings you associate with death. Does knowledge of death inspire you? Does it frighten you? Is it a bit of both? How does Seneca's take change the way you think and feel? Quoted passages: Epistles 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 To gain exclusive early access to more of this series go to patreon.com/simonjedrew/. For one-on-one coaching with Simon, visit simonjedrew.com/coaching/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Simon Drew continues his series on Seneca's writings and breaks down his favourite passage from Seneca's "Consolation to Helvia". This passage paints a beautiful picture of Seneca's feelings about his cosmic home, and with just the right mix of philosophy, theology, and literary finesse, it inspires us to nurture our sense of wonder and belonging with the world around us.   Quoted passage sourced from Seneca's "Consolation to Helvia". To gain exclusive early access to more of this series go to patreon.com/simonjedrew/.  For one-on-one coaching with Simon, visit simonjedrew.com/coaching/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this new series, join Simon as he dives deep into the writings of Lucius Annaeus Seneca - the renowned Stoic philosopher, politician, and playwright. In this episode Simon gives a brief overview of Seneca's life, and he sets the scene for the episodes to come.   Go to simonjedrew.com to find out more, or become a patron at patreon.com/simonjedrew/ to support Simon's work and receive extra episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharon Lebell is a writer, speaker and author of "The Art of Living - A Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness", a collection of her own interpretations of Epictetus' best writings. In this conversation Simon and Sharon discuss holidays, traditions and rituals, and the important role they play in culture.  Buy The Art of Living: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Living-Classical-Happiness-Effectiveness/dp/0061286052/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+art+of+living&qid=1608726565&sr=8-1 simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is such an important time of year where we all have the opportunity to transform ourselves and set new goals and intentions. In this episode Simon Drew and Ashley McCole discuss various tips and strategies for setting and succeeding with New Year resolutions. Ashley McCole is a dedicated practitioner of Stoicism from Perth, Australia. He currently runs various meetup groups and facilitates personal change in his students through fact-based habit change. Now, Ashley is running the Practical Stoic Mastermind on Facebook. simonjedrew.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Website: simonjedrew.com For as long as I can remember, I have really loved the Christmas season. Of course, having grown up as a Latter Day Saint in a Christian society, and having parents who have made their entire living in Christmas decorations, it seems only natural that I would have a certain affinity for this holiday. But even more broadly than just Christmas, the final months of each year and the traditions that take place always bring moments of reflection, inspiration and renewal - something that we could all use after a year like this.  During my own personal reflection over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking about the opportunities for personal growth that lie within three specific traditional holidays of this time of year, namely Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve. These three traditions, in my view, offer far more than an opportunity to gather with friends and family, which is incredibly important in its own right. Rather, it seems to me that by looking at them as a cohesive progression we can tap into one of the greatest cycles of personal transformation available to us.  First, let’s look at Thanksgiving. If we can view this holiday from the perspective of what it is supposed to instill within us, then it’s clear that an attitude of gratitude is number one on the list. Thanksgiving should be a time of personal reflection about all that we have to be thankful for. We should take stock of our blessings and gifts, and we should spend time with those people who mean something to us. We should think of the friends, family, and ancestors who paved the way before us, and we should remind ourselves that no matter how challenging life can get, there are always things to be grateful for. Nothing to my knowledge is more necessary for personal growth than to be reminded of this fact. The grateful heart at the same time shows humility, respect for life, and a willingness to press forward with a cheerful disposition. Comparatively, the ungrateful heart shows egotism, arrogance, and resentment towards life's challenges. This is not the same thing as saying that people don’t go through dark times in their lives or that we have no reason for sadness, but it is fair to suggest that even dark times can be made lighter by shining the torch of gratitude. This is why I believe that it is truly brilliant that the holiday season begins, at least in the United States, with Thanksgiving. How else would you want to begin the winding down of the year than to pause and to be grateful?  Then we move through to Christmas - the celebration of the birth of the person who could accurately be described as the Sage of Western culture - Jesus Christ. He’s the archetypal hero in our culture - the man of humble birth who became a master of tradition, bore the weight of his terrible burdon, and died a noble death. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas in this traditional form by meditating on the life of Jesus, it appears to me that there lies a real opportunity for us all to at least reflect on the Sage at this time of year. What are the characteristics of the best possible human that you can be? Who is the hero you think of when you need inspiration? Which ruler will you measure your own life against? What is your own personal ideal? Close to the beginning of a new year, Christmas is the ideal time to imagine all the ways that you could be a better citizen of this cosmos. And always remember that meditating on the ideal path is not only necessary for personal change - it’s fundamental, simply due to the fact that if you’d like to be a better person, then you first need to at least define what “better” would mean. Finally we arrive at New Years Eve and New Years Day. This is the phoenix of all the holidays. Arising from the ashes of the now dead year, we are reborn into a new year with new priorities, new goals, and a renewed sense of exc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices