stoicism

The Holdovers, an ode to Stoicism.

/ antonioyrocinante / 2 Comments

One of the many blessings of Film Club, beyond the fellowship and deep discussions, is that every few months you watch a jewel of a film. This month’s theme was Boarding Schools, and the repertoire was: Louis Malle’s Au Revoir les Enfants (1987), Netflix’s version of Matilda (2022)(ok, not a boarding school, but it might as well be), Robin Williams’ classic Dead Poets Society (1989) and a film I had never heard of: The Holdovers (2023).

There are many factors that make The Holdovers a fantastic film -at least for me: it is filmed in two main locations I know and love well, New England boarding schools, and Boston, my beloved old Bostonia, Paul Giamatti, wonderful photography, and an insightful narrative.

As I mentioned the film starts in a New England boarding school (it was filmed in half a dozen of them, including a scene in Waltham, home of my alma mater Bentley College), so we have the whole school as the cast. Christmas break arrives and the cast is narrowed to five students who are stuck in school over break with a teacher (Giamatti) and the cook. The dad of one of these holdovers, the CEO of a helicopter manufacturer will eventually pick up his son and the rest of the boys -except one, Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) to take them skiing. The brunt of the story is then the three holdovers: the student, history teacher Mr. Hunham, and the cook, Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

Yes, the film touches on the inequalities of the “legacy students” -children of wealthy alumni, family dynamics, class inequalities, etc. But those are accessory to the plot.

What could these three different people have in common? You might ask. Well, what we all have in common: our brokenness. And this is where the film shines. The big clue comes when Hunham, gives his two Christmas companions copies of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations “For my money, it’s like the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita all rolled up into one.” At the end of the film, we will see a box full of the books, Hunham’s go to present, apparently.

Stoicism is less a philosophy and more of a way of life: understanding what is under our control, and if it is beyond our control, there is not much we can do about it but accept it. (I recently wrote about this here). Of course, it is difficult for us to become full, real stoics, it is a lifetime process. Our three protagonists -eventually only the two men in their “field trip” to Boston, struggle with their issues. Despite the obvious age difference, we see these two men are basically the same, a mirror image in their brokenness.

As any good film does, The Holdovers makes the viewer consider their lives and how to deal with their issues, and at the same time enjoy a wonderful cast, beautiful photography, great early seventies music and Paul Giamatti.

Enjoy the 70s style trailer:

70s style trailer is classic!

Happy New Year! and the resolutions that come with it

/ antonioyrocinante / 2 Comments

It is time to reframe and write down our new year’s resolutions. How is that working out for you?

Our main issue with new year’s resolutions is that we try to change either one thing, quit smoking or everything: quit smoking, lose 10 lbs., go to the gym, save a million dollars, etc. Usually neither one of these approaches works long term. TV, social media, hyper processed foods, etc. they are all engineered for you to lose that battle. The solution? A lifestyle change, Stoicism, a gradual approach. Let me break that down.

A lifestyle change means that you change your outlook on life. Under ideal circumstances that requires more motivation than a change in a number in the calendar, for example a breakup, a heads up from a doctor, something nice and traumatic. Another hack, this time from British Philosopher Alain de Botton, is the importance of repetition. De Botton sets the example of religions, which are particularly good at making us repeat things. So, make yourself repeat things until they become second nature -but beware of staying mindful of your actions, do not let them become rote.

A key component to succeed with your New Years resolutions lies in balance, in equilibrium, the Middle road as the Buddhists say, or moderation, the motto of the Stoics. You can´t kill yourself in the gym only to get drunk every night, or you cannot eat super healthy if you are not exercising. You cannot work all day and not have a moment of recollection; you get the idea. What I propose is to take stock of all the distinct aspects of your life: physical, mental, spiritual and see how and where you can improve.

Last year one of my online tutoring students gave me a wonderful book: Diario para Estóicos*, daily reflections from the Stoics. I loved it and incorporated it to my evening version of “Lectio Divina” when I read and meditate.

The problem with the current Stoicism is that you are reading a quote from Marcus Aurelius on Social Media, you smile to yourself, think that is a good one, maybe even do a screen shot, and then keep scrolling. You are lacking the repetition and the action components necessary to exercise Stoicism. Reading a daily prompt incorporates that repetition that de Botton talks about, and I believe that after a year I have become more Stoic. Of course, for any self-improvement to happen, you must be conscious of who you are, and that, my friends, is the hard bit.

So good luck with your fitness and your diet, your prayers and meditation, your yoga and community service, your sleep and your work, your reading and socialization. But most importantly good luck with your consciousness.

“begin in philosophy is this: a clear perception of one’s own ruling principle.”

Epictetus

As for me, I said goodbye to 2023 running my 6th San Silvestre Vallecana 10K. Where are you on your path to wellness?

* The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.