Can a Stoic remain tranquil in a turbulent world?

In order to experience tranquility and calm in the world, we need to have it in our community, our home, and first of all in our minds. In my family, we’ve learned how to stay calm and in control from being on the water.

Intense preparation doesn’t guarantee results

My husband John rowed in college and raced internationally and continues to row at the Master’s Level. My son, Jack, is a high-level competitive collegiate rower and national champion. He’s won races around the US and the UK. He has hopes of making the 2028 Olympic team. (As for me, I enjoy sitting by the pond on a sunny day.)

Jack and his teammates are so good because they practice. Two hours a day, six days a week, every week of the year. The season is ten races and they finish each in under six minutes. Hundreds of hours of practice for an hour of competition. He’s now training for the Henley Regatta in England and they’re practicing more intensely than ever. A morning row, then lifting, then another row, and then a 5K run.

Even with all this preparation, there’s a lot that can go wrong in a crew race, technically or physically. The wind, temperature, and currents are unpredictable. The cheering of the crowd and the ringing of cowbells is distracting. “Catching a crab,” which means missing a stroke, can not only be painful, but can knock a boat out of the running. If the wind is too strong you can’t hear the coxswain coaching your team down the course. There are unforeseen obstacles: at a recent regatta one boat rammed into a goose. Another was hit by a wave and was swamped. Maybe you just ate a bad clam the night before the race and aren’t feeling tip- top. There’s a lot of literal and figurative turbulence.

This is why Jack and his teammates practice with such intensity and passion. When you’ve done it all before, reacting to anything unexpected will be second nature. As they train their bodies, they train their minds to stay calm.

Tend to your philosophy in quiet calm moments

Just as crew practice happens in a lower-key atmosphere than race day, I believe we should tend to our philosophy in quiet calm moments. That’s the only way you'll be ready when chaos comes knocking.

Two years ago, Jack was set to race at Henley for the first time. His team was supposed to fly to London from New York. The flight was canceled, and they slept overnight on the floor in JFK airport. Finally they got on a flight for Manchester and then raced for a train to Henley. They arrived 39 minutes before their first race started, without any of their luggage. They rowed in the airplane clothes they had been wearing for three days–and won that qualifying heat. Jack and his teammates, now in their usual uniforms, went on to win the Reading Regatta and set a course record. They did not allow this turbulent and chaotic trip to derail them.

Rowing is a Stoic sport. Stoicism emphasizes self control and mastery of emotions. Rowing demands rigorous training, mastery of technique, and the mental vigour to pursue excellence.

Marcus Aurelius wrote,

The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength. - Marcus Arelius, Meditations, 11.11

We cannot control events

In Stoic wisdom, the dichotomy of control states that we can’t control what happens, we can only control how we respond. In rowing, what is in your control is your effort and training, your strength with each stroke, and staying in rhythm with your boatmates. What is out of your control is the wind, the temperature, the currents in the river. You can’t control the competition, the traffic on the river, the noise from the spectators, or the wildlife that lives near the water. A calm mind gives the rower strength.

Prepared, no matter what happens

The boats are designed for speed and are easy to tip over. Disruption and panic can flip the boat. Rowers must learn to stay calm when things get tough. I think that practice is a form of premeditatio malorum, honing them on not just how to do the right things in an intense competition, but how to succeed when everything seems to be going wrong. As for me, cheering on the banks and banging on my cowbell, I know what could go wrong during a race, but I am tranquil because I know Jack has prepared.

Karen Duffy is a producer, actress, and former MTV VJ. Her latest book on Stoicism. Wise Up (https:// amzn.to/3PpLv5D) is published by Seal Press.

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