Geeky Stoics

“In a given year, you meet (dozens) or more people you spend enough time with to appraise their character. Think about them: How many do you think are decent, normal people who do volunteer work, help shovel after a storm, look out for family and neighbors?” This is a question asked often by Jim VandeHei of Axios when he’s speaking to audiences across the country, and it’s an important one. Do you...

How closely do you guard the start of your day? That alarm clock sits by the bedside or maybe a few feet from the door (if you’re clever) and it calls you to a commitment you made the night before. When the sleep is good, or even more so when the sleep was bad until about 3 AM, this otherwise small battle feels like a D-Day level effort. This can be the first victory of the day or the first defeat...

How many social media posts have you made this week? Think about it for a few seconds. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or even Reddit. What were you hoping to communicate to the world in those posts? Were there other posts you drafted and then deleted after coming to your senses about the perils of hitting Post ? I can think of a few deleted Tweets from the past week, and quite a few more that staye...

Author Eric Clayton thinks BIG about Star Wars. Like us at Geeky Stoics, he’s been a lifelong fan of the galaxy far, far away and Star Wars has folded into Eric’s views about God and human spirituality. My interview with Eric covers a few chapters of his book, My Life With The Jedi and we focus on turning perceived weaknesses into strengths, letting go of the desire for control, and the principle...

Happy Friday, Geeky Stoics! I hope you all had a positive week. Today I’ve got a short reflection on Stoicism and emotion, and whether or not the two can co-exist. A popular criticism of the philosophy is that it’s “cold” and “harsh”. I strongly disagree and will use Ahsoka from Star Wars as a case study in ‘stoic’ as a character trait. Ahsoka the Stoic, Ahsoka the Rock Ahsoka has to be my favorit...

Stephen Kent of Geeky Stoics lists off similarities between Stoic Philosophy and Star Wars. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

In Dune , Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) does not want to be the ruler of his people. His father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) of the House Atreides, aims to help him down that path as gently as possible. Like many young characters at the start of their Hero’s Journey , Paul does not want the responsibility of power. He doesn’t crave its weight. Leto would have preferred to be a pilot himself, but h...

In the new live-action adaptation of Airbender , Uncle Iroh is reflecting on the suffering of his nephew, Prince Zuko, who has been banished from home for not being as cutthroat and ruthless as his father would like him to be. Zuko tries very hard to impress his father, but Zuko has a big heart, and it makes the task impossible. Zuko lives his life day to day not being his true self, not letting t...

Insights from C.S. Lewis and George Washington on being better than we actually are. Turns out “fake it to make it” might actually be a decent mantra for self-improvement. This is Geeky Stoics. A Podcast and Newsletter about the wisdom to be found in popular culture. TRANSCRIPT I've been thinking a lot lately about imposter syndrome and when exactly I'm going to feel like the person I one day wish...

I am constantly anxious about the future. What about you? This is a state of being that is entirely natural and is a gift human beings have been given to contemplate what’s coming tomorrow and plan accordingly. It’s also torture. Never is our mind 100 percent in the moment , focused on where we are and what we are doing. This was Luke Skywalker’s problem in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as he...

If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one's own self-deception and ignorance. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Thank you to all our subscribers for the positive feedback on our most recent newsletter about the stoicism of Zorro , the 1998 film starring Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins. It was fun to branch out beyond our usual focus on sci-fi and fantasy and riff about this awesome folk tale of revenge and justice. This email is the podcast version of Sunday’s newsletter and just a quick plug of our mo...

This week on the Geeky Stoics MEGACAST, Riley and Stephen recap their experience promoting Star Wars & Stoicism at Atlanta Comic Con. Stephen provides a brief Stoicism 101 for geeks, explaining the four virtues of courage, wisdom, justice, and temperance and how they shine throughout Star Wars. We also discuss the cultural significance of Star Wars and nostalgia. Riley reflects on how the franchis...

In Star Wars, Padme had enjoyed many years of a thriving political career. She had been free of the sort of distraction and messiness that a forbidden romance might bring into her life. Throughout the movie, as she resists her desire for Anakin Skywalker, at times quite awkwardly for both of them, she is almost in a kind of grieving stage for her more tidy and simple life. By the time Padme and An...

Uncle Iroh says many wise things to Zuko over the course of his time running the tea business, a short period of bliss during Airbender ’s second season. Here’s what stuck out to me today. It’s simple. “Follow your passion and life will reward you” In Avatar: The Last Airbender , Zuko is frustrated with Uncle Iroh and his simple passion for running this tea shop. Zuko has a claim to the throne of...

Star Wars is a saga about one thing: Letting go. All of its main characters must learn to confront the fear of failure and loss, things beyond their control. It’s a message we all need to hear more of, and it’s what Geeky Stoics is all about. Thank you for listening to Geeky Stoics. More on this at geekystoics.com And find the videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@GeekyStoics/videos This is a...

Live or die. This is the message from the ghost of Anakin Skywalker to his grown-up apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. Not many of us want to die. Ahsoka doesn’t either. But she was living as if she were dead. That is the message. Are you living your life, moving forward and for tomorrow? Or are you stuck in the past, reliving past successes and stewing on yesterdays failures? Thank you for listening to Gee...

Life will be a lot cheaper when you’re dead. Pay the taxes. Anticipate and accept the hidden costs. Understand that you truly own very little. Most of what you have is borrowed, so don’t overly invest yourself in hoarding it. Once you’ve sincerely thought over the hidden costs, decide if you truly need this thing, person, or job to be happy. Above all else, be thankful for the things and the peopl...

Star Wars is chock full of real-world wisdom and insights on life, death, control, love, and change. In this podcast, Riley Blanton of Geeky Stoics breaks down the 5 essential quotes from Star Wars that you can live by. Thank you for listening to Geeky Stoics. More on this at geekystoics.com And find the videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@GeekyStoics/videos This is a public episode. If you...

This podcast is about The Lord of the Rings, complaining, and Stoic insights on doing your duty without whining. Enjoy! As an enjoyer of the The Lord of the Rings films, I’ve never much liked Frodo Baggins. Frodo is the chief protagonist of the series, the Ringer Bearer, the “Chosen One” of sorts, and he can be pretty fussy. Frodo is always going on about the heaviness of the Ring, and complaining...

How do you give people moral advice they’ll listen to? A recent controversy involving director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy offers a worthwhile opportunity to consider how you tell moral stories and aim to improve your audience. Enjoy the podcast and join us at geekystoics.com for more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit w...

In this episode of the Geeky Stoics Mega-Cast, Riley and Stephen delve into a recent controversy in the Star Wars community. We analyze an interview given by a certain upcoming Star Wars director and explore the fan reactions it sparked. Stephen provides insightful background on the director and quotes that particularly stuck with the fans, stirring up debate. Key Discussion Points: * Director's C...

This is going to be an ugly year. There’s a presidential election, after all. People will talk about how high the stakes are and they’ll theorize about the end of the American experiment — no matter the outcome. I am reluctant to say it, but hate and mass fear will be a huge part of what we observe in 2024. But there can also be beauty. The question is, will you be able to see it? Do you even know...

2024 is here — and it is going to be spicy. In the face of a legally fraught election, rising interest rates, social turmoil, and the never-ending “culture war,” The Geeky Stoics podcast is here to tell you about the key to keeping your sanity this year. It comes from an unlikely source which I was reminded of this past December…Dr. Seuss's classic, How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas . Enjoy! This...

This is Geeky Stoics, a podcast from GeekyStoics.com about the eternal wisdom beneath the surface of your favorite stories. This week we have a reflection on Anakin Skywalker’s fall, and a connection to C.S. Lewis’ writings on Right & Wrong. Read it here: What do we make excuses for? We make excuses for a short temper, that time you screamed at a child because you were “tired and hungry” (AKA hang...