Bye for now
Happy Easter Monday!
Yes, you read that right in the subject/title: this is the last newsletter for now.
Better said: I'm shutting the Practical Stoicism newsletter and blog down. The site will remain, but I will turn it into a hub with information about Stoicism, with exercises and links to resources. I will be updating it in chunks whenever I have time, like a wiki instead of a blog.
Why is that?
I want to simplify my busy life and have to free up time and mental space to work on other things. Also, writing and trying to connect with the Stoic community did not bring what I thought it would.
In August 2019, I launched Practical Stoicism in the hope of promoting this beautiful philosophy, connecting with fellow Stoics, and learning more to enrich my practice. I hadn't exposed myself to the Stoic community yet but had been studying Stoicism for some years then.
What I found was a profoundly fragmented community. Stoicism is a personal philosophy first and foremost, but there's also an inherent social view of the cosmopolis. Still, I didn't see it. There are heated discussions in forums about obscure Greek philosophical concepts, or people are shot down because they're called "un-Stoic." People in Silicon Valley who use and promote parts of the philosophy that suit them are heckled for cheapening Stoicism.
I see where critics are coming from, but kindness and compassion are welcome at this time.
Since starting Practical Stoicism, I have met some wonderful like-minded people. One of the highlights in my Stoic journey so far has been attending Stoicon in Athens. But, I also realized I still have a lot to learn about Stoicism before I can clearly articulate it to myself, let alone teach others.
And there's the issue. The way Stoicism is presented… it still doesn't fully click with me. I know there is a lot of depth and spirituality in this philosophy, but I haven't found any teacher yet that completely hit home for me. That's why I've been writing about many other subjects in my newsletters, and I feel like a cheat for it. This newsletter is called Practical Stoicism, but how much do I talk specifically about Stoic philosophy?
Besides, there are more things I'm interested in besides Stoicism. One of the main reasons I'm such a philosophy nut is because I want to sharpen my thinking and use rationality as much as I'm capable of. When I was still a pious churchgoer, I was always so sure about everything. Now that I've come to the realization I know very little, I'm actively working to find ways to improve my thinking and resulting behavior. Stoicism is only one tool in my belt for this.
Which brings me to what's next.
I'm shutting down some projects around Stoicism, but will shift my attention to my personal blog, aptly titled ramses.blog. There, I will still talk about Stoicism, but also about other philosophies, psychology, and tools for better thinking. As an educator, tools and technology have been my passion to learn and teach. At ramses.blog, I've given myself the freedom to link and write about all my intellectual interests.
So, that's it for now. Stay subscribed, because I will share whenever I do a substantial content update on PracticalStoicism.com. In a few weeks, I will replace the current Wordpress platform by a static site with the essential stuff in condensed form. There will also appear an expanded link directory to useful Stoic materials.
If you want to stay in touch and follow my work, sign up for my personal newsletter. I'll be writing plenty about philosophy and tools for thought, so you will hopefully still find practical ideas and inspiration. When I launch the blog, I will notify you through my newsletter.
Last, by not least, I want to thank all of you for reading and conversing with me for the last ~8 months. I've received touching and encouraging emails from many of you, and have connected with people I now consider friends.
Until the next time.
Ramses