The Daily Stoic - Don’t Listen to the Complicit

Episode Date: October 21, 2020

"In Cato’s time, Caesar’s partisans wanted to cast his usurpation of the Republic as somebody else’s fault. The system is broken, they said. The old ways don’t work anymore. Don���t blame Caesar, it’s really Cato’s fault, they said. He is too uncompromising, too resistant to change. Why couldn’t he be more like Cicero, willing to go along? By being so difficult, they said, he forced Caesar’s hand. "Ryan explains the danger of being like these partisans, and how you can avoid resembling them today, in today's Daily Stoic Podcast.We want to encourage every Daily Stoic podcast listener to make an informed vote in your elections, as safely and as early as possible. Also, no matter what country you live in, it’s a Stoic’s duty to be engaged and active in their government and so it’s never a bad time to be reminded to vote. The New York Times made this tool for figuring out the options to vote in every state, and Slate published an article on the best way to make sure your vote counts.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow Daily Stoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/dailystoicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailystoicYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoicSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stood Podcast early and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. Hi, I'm David Brown, the host of Wondery's podcast business wars. And in our new season, Walmart must fight off target. The new discounter that's both savvy and fashion forward. Listen to business wars on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. music or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Daily Stoic. For each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's

greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystowach.com. Don't listen to the complicit. In Kato's time, Caesar's partisans wanted to cast his usurption of the Roman Republic as somebody else's fault. The system is broken. They said the old ways don't work anymore. Don't blame Caesar. It's really Kato's fault, they said. He is too uncompromising, too resistant to change. Why couldn't he be more like Cicero

willing to go along? By being so difficult, they said, he forced Caesar's hand. It's an old refrain. European fascists in the 20th century used the same playbook, but with an added wrinkle. You need us to do this," they said. They excused their abuses, their violence, their destruction of old institutions by claiming that the socialist and the communist would be much worse if they didn't intercede on the people's behalf. They might be the devil, but they were the devil you knew. And when we interviewed Annie Applebaum, the Pulitzer Prize winning expert, Honest the Warriterianism for the Daily Stoke Podcast, she actually pointed out that even Vici France made this argument.

We are surrendering to the Nazis, they said, to protect you from left-wing liberalism. It's a preposterous argument, of course, but one that doops people when argued forcefully enough. The Stoics struggled with it in their own time. On the one hand, you had the opposition to Nero by Stoics like Thrasia and Helvides and Agrippinus and Musonius Rufus, who fought the emperor at every turn. Then on the other hand, you had Seneca

on the inside working for Nero. He likely told himself that he was mitigating Nero's worst impulses, that he was containing the damage, that he was making a difference, and that don't forget, whoever comes next might be worse. While the stoic opposition was not perfect, and Kato was not blameless in Rome's troubles from an earlier generation, these resistors were largely correct. They saw tyranny for what it was. They risked their lives quite literally to fight it.

They put differences of opinion aside along with petty politics and took a stand. Other Stoics and fellow travelers like Cicero and Seneca while good men were a complicit, their judgment was impaired. Their fear and self-interest blinded them to the reality of what they were supporting. When the Stoics talked of clear judgment of resisting the passions of the mob,

of doing the right thing no matter what, it was these kinds of situations they were hoping to prepare us for. They knew that politics were tricky. They knew how conflicting obligations can lead people astray. They knew the power corrupts. They wanted to make sure that you knew how to keep your head amidst all this.

And they wanted to remind you that in the end, what counts as character, your character and the character of the leaders you support. Everything after that is rationalization or worse. It's appeasement. Thanks for listening to the Daily Stoic podcast. If you could leave us a review in iTunes, it helps a great deal. And of course, if you know anyone who had benefit

from these messages, please spread the word. Thanks. Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic early and ad free on Amazon music. Download the Amazon music app today, or you can listen early and ad free with Wondery Plus in Apple podcasts. Celebrity feuds are high stakes. You never know if you're just going to end up on page six or Du Moir or in court. I'm Matt Bellasai.

And I'm Sydney Battle, and we're the host of Wonder E's new podcast, Dis and Tell, where each episode we unpack a different iconic celebrity feud. From the build-up, why it happened, and the repercussions. What does our obsession with these feud say about us? The first season is packed with some pretty messy pop culture drama, but none is drawn out in personal as Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears. When Brittany's fans form the free Brittany movement dedicated to fraying her from the infamous conservatorship, Jamie Lynn's lack of public support,

it angered some fans, a lot of them. It's a story of two young women who had their choices taken away from them by their controlling parents, but took their anger out on each other. And it's about a movement to save a superstar, which set its sights upon anyone who failed to fight for Brittany. Follow Dissentel wherever you get your podcasts.

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