STOICISM

Stoicism is all the vogue, from Batman’s Dark Knight to Russell Crowe’s Gladiator. 

But what does it really mean to be a stoic?

-To soldier on amidst great suffering. 

-That there are necessary evils that we must traverse to get to the promised land. 

-That your morals should not get in the way of you doing the right thing.

-That collateral damage is often necessary. 

Bruce Wayne “suffers” the split of an essentially demonic personality in the name of bringing criminals to justice. 

Teresa May, the daughter of a clergyman, was arguably being stoic when she said that she would willingly press the nuclear button and condemn millions of innocents to suffering, if she had too. She was willing to suffer the burden of being the cause of misery to millions. 

 However on the other foot, Malcolm X’s “By Any Means Necessary” feels wrong. It feels not so stoic, not so principled, and it feels like a knee jerk reaction without a promised land in sight. 

Is stoicism white and privileged?

After all Malcolm’s promised land was no different from King’s, except he spoke from the language of black power defining an equality of treatment, whilst the other from an idea of working within the system, however flawed, to simply make a point, in the hope that it will effect change. 

And furthermore why should we accept the rules of their game? Because Stoicism is essentially that: it is accepting that for every gain there must be commensurate pain, but the adage here refers to a moral pain or ethical pain. That the Stoic is willing to bear the burden of a moral or ethical pain of doing the WRONG thing for the RIGHT reason. 

It is accepting the zero sum narrative, that if one wants to gain then another has to loose. And if we want our Nation to gain, then it stands to reason that another Nation must suffer. 

And if that must be, then it must be. 

I would not dare call Trump stoic because of his flippancy, and yet his Nation State morality is the same as Theresa May’s. 

That to better our collective lot, we must be prepared to suffer the ethical consequences of our conscience screaming at us. 

But the Muslim’s morality and principle is far far better, for we believe in al-husna. 

That ultimately goodness will prevail and is not colour biased, nor does it necessitate the abasement of another in the raising of yourself, or our Nation. 

And GOD, the Most Gracious, is the source of all goodness, to whom all gratitude is due and from whom gratitude comes. 

The overarching and overpowering ability of the idea of al-husna is completely immersive, and once believed shades every thought process. 

For those He blesses with the ability to be thankful are indeed the most blessed, the richest and the ultimate winners. Even that is when the World sees them as losers.

For they are the richest because even when they are dirt poor, they still have the capacity to give and share and then be thankful. 

 (Vis a vis the Muslim response to the anti-Christ (ad-Dajjal) the liar of whom we were all warned). 

Indeed the Day of Judgement is a Day without Doubt. The truth of it we each know because our conscience constantly reminds us of it. That we call ourselves to account when we do wrong, is just a premonition of a greater calling to account - a greater righting of all wrongs. 

On that Day whole Nations will be charged with crimes. And we will be raised with our Nation and bear the crimes wholesale for all that we did not speak out against, and all the wrong that we placidly agreed to. 

For read S Saba (chapter 34 of the Quran verses 31-33, and think about the conversation), and there you will find the argument between the leaders of society and their follower before the torment and threat of Hell. 

How the followers in pleading for the oppressor to bear his burden, lets fall the truth that he knew of his leaders “plotting day and night” and was therefore complicit in it. 

Then our leaders who wrong on our behalf, will not agree to bear the burden of our complicity. And the argument will be proved true against us, unless that is we inveigh against all wrong. 

Here, today and now. 

Pay your taxes, but fight with your words and ideas against all that is wrong, and for all that is right. 

For that is the good fight.  

And stoicism is the wrong fight masquerading as the good fight. 

For it denies the Most Gracious. 

And on the day of decision, the Most Gracious will deny the Stoic. No matter how vogue, or film-able. Or how good a story it produces. 

END

Knowledge is the product of study and contemplation. Not lectures, nor this above. If I have erred then the erring belongs to me, if there is any goodness in the above then indeed the Most Gracious is worthy of all praise, most Merciful.