First Steps Into a Larger World

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 of indifference as an Ignatian practice. This is something that students of Stoicism should recognize in their own philosophy. Both Marcus Aurelius and Seneca wrote about the importance of practicing indifference, regarding physical comfort and the events of nature. “Nothing that is according to nature can be evil,” said Aurelius. Seneca was known to practice living in poverty every month so that he could be reminded that life beyond the Roman halls of power was nothing to be feared. Aurelius and Seneca each wanted to be indifferent to situations both desirable and undesirable. If you can do that, you have a better shot at behaving virtuously in good times and bad times. Seems like a worthy goal, no? Turns out, Star Wars has a lot to say about indifference. In this conversation, you’ll learn about that and much more. Be sure to go check out My Life With The Jedi by Eric A. Clayton. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe