Subscriber Mike Marks shared this from the Daily Stoic newsletter, as another take on groupiness. It seems new things aren't always new:
The ancient Stoics named their school after a porch. The Stoa Poikile—the ruins of it are visible still, some 2,500 years later—literally means “painted porch.” It’s where Zeno and his contemporaries gathered to master their thinking, to discuss, to develop and refine their ideas, to work through their problems, to contemplate what it meant to live a good life. The porch, this space of collaboration, was so cherished that they named their school after it. Years after Zeno and Cleanthes and Chrysippus benefited from this communal intellectual space, other Stoics would form what’s now known as the Scipionic Circle, named after Scipio, the Stoic general who hosted the other Stoics and artists in his house.
Scott Newstok, the author of How to Think Like Shakespeare, gave us some insight that captured the ingenuity of those early Stoics. As we talked about a little while back, Scott believes that thinking is a skill we must hone through practice just like we would any other. He also believes that our failure to understand this has led to a dangerous disregard for how crucial our environments and surroundings are to our intellectual growth. As he elaborated in our interview:
"Craft takes place in a collaborative environment where skill is honed, in conjunction with others. This space is characterized by gradations of expertise...The more you work around other talented folk, the more mastery you can see modeled."
Marcus liked the metaphor of branches on a tree. A branch's potential is dependent on what it's connected to. Oh, and if it's by itself, it's a dead stick. Marcus knew he couldn't achieve anything on his own. He knew he was nothing without his teachers, his mentors, and his friends. So he deliberately surrounded himself with the best. He hired his mentor Rusticus as soon as he took the throne. He hired Galen, the greatest medical mind of the time as soon as the Antonine Plague broke out. He attended the lectures of a philosopher named Sextus’ lectures up until his death. The emperors before him banished anyone who threatened to outshine them intellectually or otherwise. Marcus wanted them closer.
When you’re feeling stuck, experiencing a lack of motivation, struggling to make the kind of progress you know you are capable of, take a good hard look at your surroundings. The other branches on your tree. The other people on your porch. Do they help you grow? Or do they drag you down? Your progress is connected to who you are connected to. It is the crucial question for you today and every day: what are you surrounding yourself with? Who is sitting on your porch?
Subscriber Mike Marks shared this from the Daily Stoic newsletter, as another take on groupiness. It seems new things aren't always new:
The ancient Stoics named their school after a porch. The Stoa Poikile—the ruins of it are visible still, some 2,500 years later—literally means “painted porch.” It’s where Zeno and his contemporaries gathered to master their thinking, to discuss, to develop and refine their ideas, to work through their problems, to contemplate what it meant to live a good life. The porch, this space of collaboration, was so cherished that they named their school after it. Years after Zeno and Cleanthes and Chrysippus benefited from this communal intellectual space, other Stoics would form what’s now known as the Scipionic Circle, named after Scipio, the Stoic general who hosted the other Stoics and artists in his house.
Scott Newstok, the author of How to Think Like Shakespeare, gave us some insight that captured the ingenuity of those early Stoics. As we talked about a little while back, Scott believes that thinking is a skill we must hone through practice just like we would any other. He also believes that our failure to understand this has led to a dangerous disregard for how crucial our environments and surroundings are to our intellectual growth. As he elaborated in our interview:
"Craft takes place in a collaborative environment where skill is honed, in conjunction with others. This space is characterized by gradations of expertise...The more you work around other talented folk, the more mastery you can see modeled."
Marcus liked the metaphor of branches on a tree. A branch's potential is dependent on what it's connected to. Oh, and if it's by itself, it's a dead stick. Marcus knew he couldn't achieve anything on his own. He knew he was nothing without his teachers, his mentors, and his friends. So he deliberately surrounded himself with the best. He hired his mentor Rusticus as soon as he took the throne. He hired Galen, the greatest medical mind of the time as soon as the Antonine Plague broke out. He attended the lectures of a philosopher named Sextus’ lectures up until his death. The emperors before him banished anyone who threatened to outshine them intellectually or otherwise. Marcus wanted them closer.
When you’re feeling stuck, experiencing a lack of motivation, struggling to make the kind of progress you know you are capable of, take a good hard look at your surroundings. The other branches on your tree. The other people on your porch. Do they help you grow? Or do they drag you down? Your progress is connected to who you are connected to. It is the crucial question for you today and every day: what are you surrounding yourself with? Who is sitting on your porch?