Seneca Regarding Heaven, God, Suffering and Death

That's a heady title.  This is not a typical blog of mine, but I'm trying to incorporate more than just how walking is going and my travels.  People inevitably ask about fortitude and perseverance.  You can consider this entry about that.

I've been reading Seneca's Letters from a Stoic lately.  In another book, Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss, Tim interviews 100 "successful" people, including success in the arts, finding inner peace, business, wealth, fitness, etc.  One of the questions he asks is, "What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why?  Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?" Letters of a Stoic was one that I had heard about already, right up there with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.  Letters of a Stoic was on Thomas Jefferson's night stand the night he died, as an example.

Letters of a Stoic is about Seneca's philosophy, Stoicism, as shown through mentoring the letters' recipient, Lucilius.  I don't agree with all of it, but some of it truly resonates.  He also talks a fair amount about God's importance in the world, how you can only ever be happy by trying to follow the path that God set out for you, etc.  He sometimes mentions "the gods" as well, but interestingly never capitalizes those.

Seneca was the main advisor to Emperor Nero for 15 years in Ancient Rome.  Purportedly, Seneca was the one truly governing the empire and Nero was his voice.  So remember at that time, Christianity was not exactly encouraged, and everyone was to bow to the emperor and the various gods.  So I believe he was merely being careful in his communication by throwing in "gods" here an there to avoid suspicion.  Not that he was necessarily Christian.  That being said, he was alive at the same time as Jesus and wrote these letters at the same time that Paul (just 10 years younger than Seneca) was writing his.  It is speculated that they wrote to each other.  It's also worth pointing out that he suffered his entire life from a series of health issues, first and foremost, asthma.  They didn't have inhalers back then.  He talks in another letter about always gasping for breath unsure if it will be his last.

This passage struck me today on several fronts.  Please read it when you have time and it will likely be obvious if you know me or have read any of my blog.

Excerpt from Letter LXV:

"Am I not to inquire the identity of the artist who created that universe? Or the process which this huge mass became subject to law and order?  Or the nature of the one who collected the things that were scattered apart, sorted apart the things that were commingled, and when all things lay in formless chaos allotted them their individual shapes?  Or the source of the light that is shed on us in abundance?  Am I not supposed to inquire into this sort of thing? Am I not to know where I descended from...what my destination is to be after my stay here, what abode will await my soul on its release from the terms of its serfdom on earth?  Are you forbidding me to associate with heaven, in other words ordering me to go through life with my eyes bent on the ground?  I am too great, was born to too great a destiny to be my body's slave.  So far as I am concerned that body is nothing more or less than a fetter on my freedom.  I place it squarely in the path of fortune, letting her expend her onslaught on it, not allowing any blow to get through it to my actual self.  For that body is all that is vulnerable about me: within this dwelling so liable to injury there lives a spirit that is free.  Never shall that flesh compel me to feel fear, never shall it drive me to any pretense unworthy of a good man; never shall I I tell a lie out of consideration for this petty body.  I shall dissolve our partnership when this seems the proper course, and even now while we are bound one to the other the partnership will not be on equal terms: the soul will assume undivided authority.  Refusal to be influenced by one's body assures one's freedom.

...We know that everything in the universe is composed of matter and of God.  God, encompassed within them, controls them all, they following his leadership and guidance. Greater power and greater value reside in that which creates (in this case, God) than in matter on which God works.  Well, the place which in this universe is occupied by God is in man the place of the spirit.  What matter is in the universe the body is in us.  Let the worse, then, serve the better.  Let us meet with bravery whatever may befall us.  Let us never feel a shudder at the thought of being wounded or of being made a prisoner, or of poverty or persecution.  What is death?...for I shall never be in confinement quite so cramped anywhere else as I am here."

If it's not clear, he is saying that the spirit is God within us, guiding us, and that our flesh and bones are merely a means to accomplish the spirit's tasks.  In the last sentence, he is saying that he feels the power of the spirit imprisoned by the body itself.  He's also older so sometimes he talks about death and passing on like this.  But I love the way he states that the body means nothing compared to the spirit.  Good stuff.

Cheers -

Late 2016 - early 2018: LET'S START THE BLOG BACK UP!

Hello!  It's been a while.  I hope you are doing well.

I just looked and it's been about 16 months since I last blogged here.  I stopped before because I thought that since I wasn't progressing very much physically there was less to write about.  Quite a few folks have had opinions to the contrary.  Most notably and influentially, my wife, Rebecca.  So here I am, back at it.  Here are some updates from the last 16 months in bullet and photo fashion:

• Christmas 2016: Swan Song: I didn't realize it at the time but it ended up being the last Christmas that I sang "O Holy Night" for St. John UMC in Prospect, KY.  I started going to that church in the 4th grade nearly 30 years ago (good grief).  I sang that awesome song for Christmas Eve services for about 16 or so of those years.  The older years.  I sang in the 4th grade, too - just other stuff that I can't remember.  Pastor Dan Huck officiated our wedding and also guided us through premarital counseling, which coincidentally sandwiched the date of my accident.  I was the President of the Youth Group in high school.  I've sung a million songs there.  I was Elvis for talent shows.  Mom worked there as lay pastor for almost 20 years.  Dad led a ton of bible studies.  Lots of memories.  (My parents moved out of KY - I'll get to that).  

• Early 2017: New Job:  After much deliberation and a PowerPoint presented to Rebecca while she was in some African country like Uganda or Rwanda, I took a position in Seattle with Socrata.  In short, we are a cloud-based software company that aims to make it easier to access, utilize, and drive operational improvement in government.  Smallish company with 170 or so smart and energetic folks.  Good times.  I started commuting from DC to Seattle in February 2017.  

• May 2017: Move to Seattle: Rebecca, Tucky and I hustled in between flights to customers and Seattle (Chip) and longer trips to Africa (Rebecca) to get logistics straight and head to the Emerald City.  

• Summer in Seattle 2017: DID YOU KNOW IT'S SUNNY FROM 4:30AM UNTIL 10pm FOR MONTHS????? 5:11am sunrise and 9:10pm sunset.  That's crazy.  16 hours of sunlight.  This city is so awesome in the summer.  It's ridiculous.  Chicago has awesome summers for different reasons. Did I mention we live within a mile of about 10 breweries???? 

• Paragliding in Utah, July 2017: The guy that is running the show there actually ALSO had a spinal cord injury.  His was received in a marginally cooler way; during a professional paragliding competition as one of Red Bull's athletes.  He had an amazing recovery (lucky bastard!).  Now that he "gets it," he lets people like me paraglide free of charge.  He actually took up Rebecca for free, too, which was totally unnecessary.  Swell guy.  Thanks Chris!  Here's his company. 

• September 2017: As part of his marathon training, my buddy Tyler roped me into 4 days of intensive, 5-8 hours/day, mountain-handcycling.  Going straight up a dirt path for miles is not a joke!  Tough workout.  This was all put on by the National Abilities Center in Park City, which is truly incredible.  Love those guys.  

More photos from The MOFO Ride here if interested.

• October 2017: Parents move to Dallas: My brother Marc is in Dallas.  My mom tried to do a triple flip and instead just tripped over a chair behind her at church, resulting in a shattered shoulder and requiring yet another titanium installation.  My parents tell me this was their wake up call.  They realized life was short and they didn't want to spend it so far from their kids.  Seattle is crazy expensive and old people get cold easy, so Dallas made more sense.  They are actually visiting us in a week so they are definitely making good on their commitment to see us more often, which Marc and I both love.  But it also ends an era in Kentucky.  Both my parents were born and raised around Louisville.  Holidays won't be the same without frequently seeing my Aunt Cha, Uncle Lee, their kids/my cousins Beth and Ellee and their significant others Chris and Kurt, respectively.  Also Beth's kids CJ and Saylor.  It's just not going to be the same.  Cha still sends us loving texts and cards in the mail all the time.  Funny blurbs like, "The more wine I have the more you make sense."  Ellee just got a sweet new gig basically running a hospital in northern KY.  Beth and Chris are killing it running their own business.  I miss them all.  Will have to make some trips back for Derby or to get bourbon or something as an excuse to see them.

• November 2017: Got a house: Making roots in Seattle?  Rebecca and I decided to gamble and enter the INSANE (truly, it is completely bizarre) real estate market here.  It only took 3 tries and competing against anywhere from 8 to 13 other people.  But whatever - we have a house now.  It has a handful of steps so I get to throw my wheelchair up and down them every day.  In other words, it needs some minor changes but we love it.  Also Rebecca's sister Deborah lives in the dungeon of a basement.  We occasionally let her come up for sunlight.  Just kidding - she can come up for sun whenever she wants.... unless it's 90% of the days during winter in Seattle, when the sun ceases to exist.

• Christmas / New Years Eve 2017: Great times with family as Rebecca's brother Stephen, his wife Leah, and their baby Sam joined us, coming all the way from Kyrgyzstan.  Then we headed down to San Diego to meet yet another Maier baby and the majority of the other Maiers and spouses.  Very fun times and much needed sunlight.  It even snowed for Christmas.

I was not on this hike but pretty sweet pic.

• February 2018: Beagle's New Job: Rebecca (aka the Beagle) started working for a management consulting firm here called Prime8.  I don't know if that's a pun for gorillas or something - don't quite get it.  But seems like a challenging gig that uses at least some of her many, many, incredible talents.  

So that's it for now.  You are all caught up.  Life is good.  We feel very grateful lately.  It helps that we are both working for about the first time since we've known each other, we are fairly settled in Seattle, and things are generally positive.  Go life.  

If you're curious, I'm still making progress that is best correlated to how quickly the coastline is receding, i.e. very slowly, but definitely happening, even though it may not seem like it.  I'll give more updates and maybe a video on that soon. 

Dear God, thank You for all You've done for me.  I don't know if "blessed" is the word (You know I've never been comfortable saying that), but I feel very grateful.  So thanks.  Please help me to stay focused;  help me to have a positive impact on lives around me.  Let Your love shine through.  Help me to laugh and not be serious all the time.  Don't let negativity invade my thinking since it usually accomplishes nothing, anyway.  All meaningful things are accomplished through positivity, through You.  Refine me.  Use me however best suits You.  Things tend to go better that way.  Amen.

'Til next time- 

Chip