Applied stoicism

Before you go on, an article in the May 8 & May 22, 2021 issue of Science News ran with a cover "Awash in Deception: How science can help us avoid being duped by misinformation." In the lead article titled: "The Battle Against Fake News," Alexandra Witze presents five suggestions on how to debunk bad information. They come from the News Literacy Project (see the above link).

How to Debunk:

1. Arm yourself with media literacy skills, at sites such as the News Literacy Project (newslit.org), to better understand how to spot hoax videos and stories.

2. Don't stigmatize people for holding inaccurate beliefs. Show empathy and respect, or you're more likely to alienate your audience than successfully share accurate information.

3. Translate complicated but true ideas into simple messages that are easy to grasp. Videos, graphics and other visual aids can help.

4. When possible, once you provide a factual alternative to the misinformation, explain the underlying fallacies (such as cherry- picking information, a common tactic of climate change deniers.

5. Mobilize when you see misinformation being shared on social media as soon as possible. If you see something, say something.

"Misinformation is any information that is incorrect, whether due to error or fake news.

"Disinformation is deliberately intended to deceive."

"Propaganda is disinformation with a political agenda."

Sander van der Linden
Social Psychologist
University of Cambridge

Source: Science News/May 8, 2021 & May 22, 2021

Update: September 22, 2023: This is more important now than ever. Be vigilant and speak in your own way. Love Wins.

Update:  McQuade, Barbara, "Attack From Within," 2024.  New York Times best seller.

I was driving home in the midst of a California atmospheric river drenching. As I was making a left turn on my way home from a morning workout, an SUV blew through a Yield sign to my right and cut in front of me with not a lot of space to spare.

There are times when that would have sent me into a profanity laden tirade. But, on this day, something was different. The car (and it’s driver) turned off very shortly thereafter and I was on with my day.

It could have been a lot different. It could have escalated into a life changing fit of ugliness. But, instead, as Brigid Delaney suggested in “Reasons Not to Worry,” nip anger in the bud before it makes an everyday event into a rage induced tragedy.

Delaney suggests going through the control test. Ask yourself in real time and in the moment “have I been harmed? ” Stoic Marcus Aurelius on controlling your reaction: “Get rid of this, make a decision to quit thinking of things as insulting, and your anger immediately disappears.”

I thought that I’d like to practice this thinking to affect how I respond to politicians saying things that I resolutely disagree with. So far, today has been a light day on listening to pre-recorded or third party political speech.

There actually was one opportunity to test my new found Stoic tool in a real life setting involving political speech. It involved one of this administration’s high appointees to the Justice Department in a case that involved a quid pro quo arrangement with New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Stoic practice “cultivates resilience.” Learn to adapt your body and brain to uncomfortable and unpleasant situations. Prepare yourself in advance of situations that might make you feel angry. Prepare for them. Exercise, breath, focus on the fabulous. These situations will often make themselves known to you whether you like it or not.

Anger warps rationality. It inserts emotion into situations where emotion gets in the way of clear thinking. Marcus Aurelius said, “The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.” Seneca said, “The greatest cure for anger is to wait, so that the initial passion it engenders may die down, and the fog that shrouds the mind may subside, or be less thick.

If you physically feel yourself getting angry, acknowledge it and consciously slow down and deepen your breaths. Getting oxygen to the brain helps you to slow things down and maybe prevent you from doing, saying or thinking something that you may later regret.

A very wise Buddhist friend taught me to say these words to myself when I'm starting to get very angry at someone's actions or words:

"May (insert the name of the person(s) here) be happy.
"May (insert the name of the person(s) here) be healthy and strong.
"May (insert the name of the person(s) here) be at ease.
"May (insert the name of the person(s) here) be at peace.

I find this practice very difficult. Even if my mind balks at silently repeating these words to myself, I pause to remember that words and actions pass through us. They are not us. Remove the words and actions and we are pretty much all the same. Separate the act from the actor or, if you like, separate the sin from the sinner.

When I am most upset and angry and if I don’t catch myself before I respond to my anger, I find that the practice of reciting these words and inserting the name of the person that I am feeling anger towards allows me to forgive myself and move on.

May the Sun shine down on you and through you.

P.S. I’m still pissed off.