In last month’s issue of the Stoic Gym, I used sport to explain that whilst the Stoic dichotomy of control emphasizes that we cannot control the thoughts and actions of others, it is not an excuse for inaction. Specifically, I made the case that: 

When we play sports, the result is beyond our control. Our teammates and how they play are outside of our control. And, of course, so are actions of the opposing team. Does that mean we should never play sport? Does that mean that the quarterback refuses to turn up because his wide receiver might not catch the ball? Of course not! 

I said this to support the idea that we Stoics are called to join in and get our hands dirty when it comes to tackling global issues linked to environmental challenges. Surprisingly, I got some push back. A couple of people argued that this example only supports the idea that we should continue to do our best to ensure that we do well at work, even if our colleagues don’t always do their part. In some ways, if you only take my example at face value, that is a fair argument so allow me to go one step further. 

American football fans are known to have an impact on the game. They are encouraged to make noise when their team is defending because it makes it more difficult for the visiting team’s quarterback to clearly communicate his intentions to the rest of the offense. The role of home fans is so important on game day that the Seattle Seahawks retired the No. 12 jersey, dedicating it to them. Seattle’s ground is one of the loudest and the noise generated is so off-putting that NFL teams train to loud music the week before to mimic the distractions in the stadium. 

Yet, one fan does not make all that noise and thus has no power, as an individual, to influence the outcome. In this respect, if a particular fan decided to stay at home that day no one on the field would notice. But imagine if all the home fans decided that they weren’t going because they didn’t feel that their attendance would make a difference. What would happen then? Certainly, the home team’s performance would suffer. It is likely they would lose. Now, when we buy a ticket to a game, we believe others will join us and help our team win. And we do this, knowing that we cannot control attendance or how our team plays. We turn up and spend money supporting them because that is what makes us a good fan. 

So, yes whilst the dichotomy of control encourages us to identify what is in our sphere of agency and what is not, it is simply not Stoic to argue that we won’t cut down our meat consumption, stop using plastic straws or should turn a blind eye to unfair labor practices because other people will continue to eat beef, drink from straws or continue to buy from brands that use sweatshops. As Epictetus states, what those people do “is not up to us”. They are not in our control, but our thoughts and actions are. Our thoughts and actions increase or decrease our agency. They help us to progress in virtue or cause us to fall into vice. 

American football fans provide a perfect example of our duty to turn up whether we are cheering alone or in unison with thousands of others. What Stoicism makes clear is that turning up is our duty because it is the right thing to do and because doing the right things tells us something about our character. 

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Kai Whiting is a researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism based at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. 

He tweets @kaiwhiting and blogs over at StoicKai.com

 

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