Last month, I started the task of building this project from scratch, with the help of my friend and fellow Indian Stoic, Mr. Hrim Shah. And indeed, it's a pleasure to see that the project has finally achieved a bit of success, no matter how small that may be. Besides, it's no small matter for us, since we both kept our expectations low.
Let's be honest, although Stoicism is among the most elegant philosophical systems in the world (and the best that I know of), it still remains alien to more than 90% of today's population. Most of them remain blissfully ignorant, while others view it in a suspicious way, thanks to the misinterpretation of the word Stoic (someone who represses his/her emotions, as per many modern dictionaries).
We expected other practitioners of Stoicism, in India, to join the cause. Why? Because when Hrim and I framed the project, it was so as members of a WhatsApp group, created by some Indian members of Newstoa. It was as members of the same group, that Hrim and I met, and decided to spearhead the thrust that was previously Newstoa India, and now The Stoic Code.
Why rename the site?
When we started the project in early March, we initially chose the name Newstoa India, but later it was decided that such a new would lead to confusion among the masses. After all, there's already the Newstoa.com, Erik Wiegardt's fascinating platform that serves as a meeting ground for Stoics from across the globe. That's why, we wanted a name for our project, that would complement our endeavour with its originality.
Besides, we mistakenly confined ourselves, by using 'India' in our name. Stoicism advocates cosmopolitanism, and as citizens of the cosmos built by the Logos, it is our duty to prevent limiting constraints such as political, religious, linguistic, cultural or geographical differences from actually diving the followers of Stoicism. That's why, the blog belongs to the global audience, and not just to the Indians alone.
The name The Stoic Code is unique, to my knowledge, and it also symbolizes what we are trying our best to do here, each in our own way. We are trying to amass the eternally evolving Stoic understanding of the cosmos, and categorize that knowledge properly, to ensure that we all, as practitioners of Stoicism, benefit from the shared, collective knowledge of the community.
Is it a commercial venture? If not, why do this?
No, The Stoic Code is not a commercial venture. We didn't invest any amount (and this is a free domain, as you can see), and we plan to make no financial gains from the project. There are no hidden ads or commercial agendas anywhere, and we plan to keep it thus. What we're investing here, is our time and effort. In return, the shared repository of knowledge, revelations, thoughts and ideas on Stoicism, remains accessible to us.
Knowledge increases when we spend it.
Our reasons for contributing to The Stoic Code are as follows:
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| Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is my family) |
The art of Prosokhe
By being active in the endeavour, we're active helping each other nourish and sustain the flame of reason, the element of Logos, within each of us.Getting to know each other
We're geographically scattered. Stoicism is not like Hinduism or Christianity, with millions of followers everywhere. But in this age of digital communication, the blog provides us a shared platform for expressing ourselves. Of course we can use instant messaging or emails, but by sharing our views, opinions and Stoic conclusions, I believe we can get even closer.
Building a knowledgebase
My friend and fellow Stoic Hrim often tells me, that we should contribute to Stoicism ourselves. Even as students of the philosophy, each of us can contribute something unique to it. The words of Seneca, Epictetus, Zeno, Chrysippus, Aurelius etc continue to guide us, but the true spirit of Stoicism lies in its methodology - we all can generate knowledge, no matter how small or simple that is.
In addition, people new to Stoicism will also be able to find information on Stoicism, Stoic writings and discussions etc to help them get more familiarized with the philosophy.
Writing a shared magazine for the Stoics
Turning a blog into a magazine is easy, there are RSS feeds for that. Through services such as Feedly, Google Play Newsstand etc, the blog can be read as a continuous, dynamic magazine. Reading Stoic content is an exercise in Stoicism itself, or so I believe. Much like the Newstoa Magazine, but it can be updated more often.
Are more members invited to join?
Yes, very warmly. If you're interested, please do consider contacting either of us, and we'll be glad to add you to the blog as an author/admin, as per your choice (we both are admins, at present). Regular posting isn't mandatory, there's no compulsion and you can do it at your leisure (and pleasure).
Posts can be anything, as long as it's at least remotely related to Stoicism. You can share stories of your life as a practising Stoic, resources on Stoicism, articles etc.
But I can always create my own blog!
Yes, of course. But what I've discovered in my years of blogging solo (my main blog is http://techtravelandtalks.blogspot.in), that it gets boring too quickly. Besides, if one user maintains a blog, he/she will have to do everything - write articles, propagate the content, do site maintenance, brainstorm on adding new features and making the site more interesting. But by sharing tasks between us, we can specialize, and accelerate the project.
So, if you feel like it, please consider joining The Stoic Code, as a member. Alternatively, you can also read existing content, share your views by commenting, spread the word, etc.
Also, there's no leader here. I intend to assume no such title, and everything about the project may be freely discussed among the members. Currently we do that by emailing, but at present there's just the two of us. So, we may create a WhatsApp group or mailing list for the task of deciding matter between us, if the number of authors/admins rises further.
But there are other sites/blogs/groups already!
Yes, but we believe, the purpose of this project is a bit different. Most sites on Stoicism aim to provide an introduction to the philosophy, and are helpful, thus. Groups on Facebook, and Google+ communities on Stoicism, are good for quick discussions between the existing Stoics. Personal blogs tell us about individual realizations of the practising Stoics.
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| We are the Stoics, Cosmopolitans! We're citizens of the Cosmos. |
There's Newstoa, of course, but the Newstoa magazine is released only once a month. That's why we started this project, so that we can post and read whenever we feel like it.
What's there in the project? And why don't you just call it a group blog?
This blog is the primary area of interaction for us, but there are a few other front-ends, such as a collectively maintained Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/thestoiccode), a G+ page (https://plus.google.com/110336620387720828273) and an IRC channel (for live discussions).
The reason I don't call it a group blog alone, is that, I intend to make it bigger than that. How successfully we do that, depends on the Will of the Logos, and we hope to live in according with That.
Final words
Stoicism has immensely benefited me, and I believe that's just the beginning. It is an immaculate philosophy, an astoundingly simple (yet effective) way of life, and an excellent resource for happier living. I was born a Hindu Brahmin, in a deeply religious family, but like most other analytical folks, I couldn't stay contended with what was on the table. So, I explored more, and finally discovered Stoicism. Now, it's like a religion to me, and I intend to be a witness to its meteoric rise and recognition.
May our endeavour be in accordance with the Logos.
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