The Strong Stoic Podcast

It's everyone's favourite (or least favourite) season: let's pay our taxes! Or, as many do, you can choose to complain about taxes. The government is stealing your money, right? Well yes, but perhaps there is a benefit to this.Complaining about taxes is like complaining about a lot of things in life: we don't like the cost associated with it, but we reap the benefits, even if we don't realize it. This points to a deeper idea present in all hierarchies: any leader is both just and tyrannical. Of course, it can be far too tyrannical, but it's worth considering that protection can only be proper balanced with oppression.Before we complain about something then, shouldn't we first consider what we are getting back by paying this cost? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having good mentors and role models in our lives is a necessary part of self-improvement. It is difficult, after all, to get somewhere if you don't have an idea of where you want to go!But mentors are human beings, not Gods, and so they come with inherent flaws. These flaws are hard to accept and deal with, in a similar way that our own flaws are. What is interesting is how many people idolize others who are no longer living. In our heads, they are perfect Gods when, in reality, they were just as flawed as any other person. Accepting this is hard, but also cleansing, as it is the realistic truth and can serve us better to deal with the flawed reality that we still live in.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people are given power, especially absolute power, something seems to psychologically click in their brain. There are numerous historical examples of this - the "Organs" in the Gulag example, or those minorities in Nazi Germany who were responsible for rounding the other minorities up for slaughter. There is even a well-known study on this phenomenon - the Stanford Prison Experiment - where some students were given absolute power over the others. The results were shocking and disturbing. It's clear that every human has both good and evil within them, but is there a point where the evil can no longer be justified by the good? Is there a threshold that, once crossed, we can never return from? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, you've fallen off the bandwagon and are looking to get back on the horse? You've come to the right episode! Failing is a natural part of the process leading towards success, but it still sucks every time. However, like all negative aspects of life, there are ways in which to make the fall hurt less and to change our perspective to a more productive one. This episode will talk about how to lick your wounds and pick up the reins again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone wants to play the guitar like Hendrix, or have the peace of mind like the Buddha. These masters - and masters they are - motivate us to improve at what we enjoy with the ultimate goal of becoming a master ourselves. Is being a master all fun and games, though, or is there a side most people don't see? In fact, becoming really good at something places a large burden on our shoulders. It is our duty, after all, to pass on what we have learned so that others may continue to carry the torch. Sometimes students do well, and other times they fail miserably. That success (or failure) is our burden, as masters, to carry.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Believing in equality is seen as a noble thing, and for good reason. Inequality has been present for as long as anyone can remember. The definition of equality is clear enough, but what does it practically mean? And what exactly are we talking about in terms of equality? Income? Vacation days? Opportunity? Height? Weight?The discussion gets quite tangly really quick, especially if we add in the dreaded term "equity", which is discussed much but understood little. However, the difficulty of a topic is no excuse for not discussing it, so let's have a go at it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going through a tough time right now. Let's talk about how I personally deal with such things. Hopefully, you'll be pleased to hear that many of the things I preach on this podcast I actually DO. That doesn't make it any easier; no, in fact it's always difficult.This episode isn't perfect or complete, but it is real. I'm sure there are a few things worth learning that you can hopefully apply to your own life when you experience tough times. Keep looking up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How would you define a good job? Would it be how high you are in the corporate hierarchy? Or, perhaps, it would be how much money make. Another option is how much good you do for the world.The wonderful thing about that third option is that it is available to all of us. Regardless of what job we work, we can find meaning in it and do a good job or a poor job. We can give off the feeling of misery to those around us or we can be a shining light in an already dark enough world.In essence, we could say that it doesn't necessarily matter what job you have but what work you do; that's what really matters. This episode will discuss what truly constitutes a "good job" and why you can take pride in doing just about anything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had a mantra? That is, have you ever meditated on a short phrase with the goal of improving your life in some way?Mantras are great for self-improvement. They can help change your perspective as you need it but embedding an idea repeatedly in your head. What's great about mantras, also, is that you can have more than one! That's right; you can have several for different situations.I've been settling on a new mantra and, with the help of some journaling, I came to find one. This episode will explain what mantras are, how to use them, and what my most recent one is! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many (if not most) celebrities have an issue with ego. They are proud and sometimes arrogant.  This seems to be worse, though, with child celebrities. Harry Potter - though fictional - was a child celebrity, however, he was actually quite humble. How is it that he was able to acquire and maintain his humility amongst such fame while others seem to fall into the abyss of it?Humility is a tough thing to master (if it can be mastered at all), but it is of upmost importance if you are concerned with being successful and making the world a better place. In this episode, I go over Humble Harry in detail and provide some insight on how you, too, can remain humble, especially as a muggle! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices