Repetition
Introduction
In the essay on education, I noted that the Stoic should read the ancients and do so repeatedly. The exercise of repetition takes several forms in the learning and practice of Stoicism. Somewhat implied and strongly related to repetition is memorization. Whether through repeated readings or remembrances, or through conscious memorization, the more the Stoic recycles what he's learned, the more his inner dialogue improves. The logic of the ancients and other Stoics become his. The Stoic also introduces ritual into his daily routine. Rituals from reading the ancients, to writing, to memorization, to other hardening and resiliency practices, the Stoic seeks to reinforce his inner citadel through repetition. This essay will discuss three specific exercises the Stoic should consider incorporating into his life:
Memorization
Reviewing the day; retrospectives
Creating ritual
Memorization
"Be like the rocky headland on which the waves constantly break. It stands firm, and round it the seething waters are laid to rest" (Meditations 4.49).
The first time I read the introduction to Meditations 4.49, the imagery was unmistakable - "be like the rocky headland!" It was a call to action; to stand firm, unmoved, unbent - to endure the raging torrents, winds and waves. There the headland stands erect; where it has stood for thousands of years; its roots buried deep beneath the sea, sinking to the core of the very earth. The wind and currents cause water to violently crash around the rocky headland, but the headland is not overcome! No, instead it is the waves which are tamed and laid to rest. We should train and expect our soul to be as solid and unmovable in the face of life's events, and twists and turns. Our will is not to bend, but we are to draw on deep seated wisdom that has stood the test of time - we are to make our own soul and will at one with philosophy. Events are tamed, not we.
Marcus continues,
'It is my bad luck that this has happened to me.' No, you should rather say: 'It is my good luck that, although this has happened to me, I can bear it without pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearful of the future.' Because such a thing could have happened to any man, but not every man could have borne it without pain.
The rocky headland does not bemoan the fact that wind and water and elements are relentlessly crashing around it. No, rather it says "I was made for this like no other headland! These waves were made for me!" At every event, I am cheerful and glad that these are my circumstances. I love my fate which is unique only to me. While these events may happen to any man, not any man can bear them like I can.
So why see more misfortune in the event than good fortune in your ability to bear it? Or in general would you call anything a misfortune for a man which is not a deviation from man's nature? Or anything a deviation from man's nature which is not contrary to the purpose of his nature? Well, then. You have learnt what that purpose is.
You choose your attitude! You can bear these events nobly - that is your nature!
Can there be anything, then, in this happening which prevents you being just, high-minded, self-controlled, intelligent, judicious, truthful, honourable and free - or any other of those attributes whose combination is the fulfilment of man's proper nature? So in all future events which might induce sadness remember to call on this principle: 'this is no misfortune, but to bear it true to yourself is good fortune.
Nothing can prevent you from acting with justice, courage, nobility, equanimity, discipline, intelligence, truth and honor. You will forever have full power to act with all virtues. All that you have to do is choose to act virtuously. This is living in agreement with Nature and all is good fortune.
I have read that passage hundreds of times. While I may not have it perfectly memorized yet, this passage is a part of me. If ever I feel the ire of the day creep in, or I feel the stress of work or duties, the words, "be like the rocky headland" coming ringing into my head. As I remember those words, I recall the entire passage and I tell myself that not all people will be able to bear these circumstances nobly. Most will complain and gripe and moan. But I don't have to - I've been shown a better way. I can choose my attitude and reaction. My nature is to act with rationality and moral virtue. And with that mini pep talk, I can muster the courage to do what is right.
This is the power of memorization. The wisdom of the philosophy is carried from ancient thoughts to modern-day souls like yours and mine. And the more time you spend with those ancient thoughts, your soul becomes dyed in their thoughts and your complexion begins to resemble theirs! (see Meditations 5.16 and D. L. 7.1 ... Zeno's encounter with the oracle).
Reviewing the Day and Retrospectives
The ability to improve relies on memory. If we have no memory, how will we learn? If we have memory and don't use it, how will we learn? While this section is about reviewing the day, the Stoic is not restricted to just the day. A review or retrospective can be applied anywhere and at anytime.
We are not going to become sages. Perhaps Socrates, and Cato may have been sages, but for the vast majority of us, our philosophical progress will be slow and will consume our entire lives. We are going to fail and make mistakes. It will only be a shame if we fail to learn from those failures. As part of the learning process, we must review what has been done and analyze causes and effects to determine how we will act the next time we face a similar situation. Another key ingredient needed is consciousness. If we cannot be conscious and mindful of ourselves, then we may not be able to conduct proper retrospectives.
I've previously discussed how I review my day, like many Stoics. But I want to add another unique way of how I've further applied retrospectives in my life. In the midst of my religious reckoning in 2015-17, I was extremely worried my wife might divorce me. I had heard of many Mormon couples who divorced because one of the spouses did not believe in the Mormon doctrine any longer. For couples steeped in Mormonism, they expect their spouse to remain faithful and lead them back to heaven. If the spouse is no longer faithful, then they believe that they won't be allowed into heaven and therefore they have cause for divorce. They seemingly put the priority of getting into heaven over loving their spouse. I was worried this might happen to my wife and I.
To prevent this from happening, I decided to invite my wife to walk with me in the mornings before we went to work. We walked two miles out and two miles back for a total of 60 minutes. While we walked, we talked and shared. While we were fairly transparent in our marriage up to that point, our walks proved to deepen our transparency and love. We shared our worries and concerns and fears. My sole intention of these conversations was to prove to her via a retrospective of our life, that I am a loving husband who is not evil and that while I no longer believed in the Mormon doctrine, I would nevertheless attend church and participate with her and the kids for the rest of my life. These retrospective walks went on through most of 2016 and into 2017. I'm pleased to say that she did not want to divorce me and we still walk three to four times a week together. In fact, one of our happiest times each week is getting up on a Saturday or Sunday morning, walking the two and a half miles to the local Starbucks, drinking coffee and talking.
Later, in 2017 and 2018, when my wife went through her own reckoning with her religion, we used these same walks and retrospectives to talk about things that concerned her. She did her fair share of reading and studying and then we talked and eventually she too decided that she no longer believed in the Mormon doctrine. These days, our talks are usually centered around our kids, work and Stoicism.
If you've never done a retrospective, then a good place to start is by defining the problem. If you don't define the problem you are trying to solve, then you may waste time finding solutions that won't work. Being honest about your problem is important. And you may not identify the problem right off the bat. Sometimes it takes time to define the problem and that's ok.
When you define the problem, you can then begin to spot failures and potential solutions. You may have a problem you face every day and you may go through multiple attempts at overcoming it. At the end of the day, revisit the problem definition and your attempts at solving it. Document things that seem to work as well as the ones that don't. Soon a pattern will emerge and you will see a path forward towards a permanent solution. This is how you will make progress.
Creating Ritual
Don't underestimate the power of ritual. By ritual, I mean "an act or series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner" (source). Rituals have the benefit of combining action with learning. It is a way to implement a system of living and change, rather than creating goals or achievements for yourself. Rituals become things you want to do and are natural for you. You will need to brainstorm ideas and then experiment with them to pick and choose which ones work for you.
Some rituals to consider:
journaling and reading every morning
going on a walk or hike and observing nature
meditation at lunch
fasting, living like a pauper, practicing hardships
meeting regularly with Stoic students and talking
serving the community on a regular basis
Conclusion
It is wise to remember Nature and the Eternal Return (see The Inner Citadel, p, 75-76, 144-145). Nature goes through cycles of birth and rebirth. We too go through a type of birth and rebirth every time the world spins on its axis or circles the sun. We each have a new life to live at the dawn of every sunrise and we have an opportunity to remember and improve before the sun sets on the day. Our unique nature and gift is that of consciousness, memory and agency. We must use them if we are going to live according to Nature. And to use them means we exercise repetition in our lives.