Death puts the future to question. To achieve some future outcome we must be present now. Kitting up has a certain sense to it, a stern satisfaction. We become aware this may be the last time we paint ourselves red with sticky milk, fasten golden greaves, or take another breath. This slows things. Each moment becomes a Yes to life and the moment becomes all: inhale, be calm, be tall; exhale, be useful, be expendable. Flow through each moment as if it is your last—or your first.
This paragraph has real punch to it! Awesome work Sam.
Sam: another thought-provoking essay full of nuggets to gnaw on for the day! The phrase “ brutal bright-eyed acceptance” wins the moment for me! I’m sure I’ll have a comment later after I’ve meshed it with the days’ challenges… Tim
Even the Bible talks about Kitting Up with the Armor of God on a purely methaphorical level:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
- Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
- In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:10-18
This sort of intentional focus, like your examples, prepares the faithful to handle all manner of adversity. Each element comes with a meaning, an action, and an outcome.
As a student of workplace "burnout", my (sincere) question for you is how does one "kit up" day after day after day to face an environment of powerlessness, meaninglessness and the lurking threat of expulsion into the void of unemployment?
I ultimately ended up advising people working in these toxic environments to give up on finding any coping strategy or attitude adjustment and just get the hell outa there. Many were unwilling or unable, and so I am open to any fresh thinking you can offer about all that. No pressure! Thanks.
That is tough, and as you prefaced your question, this is merely my opinion. I circle the idea that the modern environment is excellent in many ways, but detrimental in some core, existential ways as well. I believe philosophies like Stoicism were invented to cope with the loss of nature—nature being both deadly but also "natural", fulfilling many of our most core needs by pushing us into a primal mode of life which has all but been lost.
Stoicism is inherently passive, and for my part I am inherently aggressive. Epictetus is my blood brother, but where he leans back, I lean in. My point is both strategies work when we remember Stoicisms core point—freedom lies within. Yes, you can quit, and find a better a job. That is what I would personally do. But it also possible to stay, and Epictetus would remind those who stay that they do so by choice, and since they stay by choice, they are therefore in command. If they both stay and then play the victim, that is when Epictetus would eviscerate them for taking this wonderful thing called life and not making the most of it.
This is sort of rambling, but to answer your question, we can say anything, but it is up to each individual whether they stay or not to realize every single aspect of their life—including life itself—is a choice. Why, then, pretend to be powerless? Why make ones own life meaningless, when meaning exists within each moment and it is up to us to define it?
"Yes, you can quit, and find a better a job. That is what I would personally do. But it also possible to stay, and Epictetus would remind those who stay that they do so by choice, and since they stay by choice, they are therefore in command. If they both stay and then play the victim, that is when Epictetus would eviscerate them for taking this wonderful thing called life and not making the most of it. "
Ah, so very good, Sam. Leave with intention or stay with intention. Own the choice authentically. But don't half-stay as a pitiable victim. Thank you for such a satisfying answer. I appreciate it!
Every morning we must kit up for the battles ahead. The battles against vanity and self-pity, the battles against shallow existence. The battles to be generous and kind and compassionate even when this seems difficult; the battles for right action when neither gratitude nor desired outcomes are in reach. The battle against the meaningless drift in life. Or to stem the drift toward meaninglessness. We can be a force of one against our own demons and that inner death that comes from simply not grabbing life by the balls. I am in battle even in stillness and silence. To kit up is not about hiding ourselves. This is putting on the face, attitude and inner armor that correspond to whatever stage of life we are in. This was an absolutely enjoyable thread-pull! My mind has had a refreshing dip in the pure, cold pool of your wordsmithing. Thank you Sam!
This makes me think that different people kit up in different ways, for different reasons. Those of us reading this kit up in order face challenges realistically and effectively.
But others kit up as a defensive measure. Their 'armor' is designed to protect them, cocoon-like, from the realities around them.
You sound as if you are channeling your inner Eric Hoffer. I agree with you. Rituals can go one of two ways: ownership or evasion. That is the ethical portion, the thrill, the need for more people exploring like this.
Yeah, just finished The True Believer. I wish I could say I was shocked. But I wasn't.
Not everyone needs to or should take a high level of ownership of their existence. But it would be nice if they didn't feel threatened by those of us who do.
It's such a powerful paradox to consider that the deeper remedy for "burnout" is to seek greater intensity. It goes against a lot of prevailing ideas in culture, where the emphasis is on letting go or releasing stress through whatever means. But I think you're right on with this.
To further the irony, "letting go" can also be intense if it means shrugging off whatever we are dealing with that we want to be free from. I think this is the beauty of finding kitting up in every moment. I am trying to scope it out as a mental posture.
The classical tradition ended in despair: “How quickly we leap from nothingness to nothingness!” That’s why the various mystery religions of the East, which promised some form of transcendence, came to exert such a compelling fascination on the educated classes of the Roman Empire who, like today’s “elites” were functionally atheists.
Is focusing on a noble death as a way to intensify the sensory aspects of consciousness enough to convince a human his life has meaning? Perhaps, but as a general principle it hasn’t worked before.
Only relationships are real enough to satisfy on this journey through life, they alone are not revealed to be illusions. We find purpose and solace in loving others, and it is the wisdom that changed the Roman Empire to love others as we love ourselves, and to learn to love God by loving other humans.
The way these two outlooks converge is in the truth that greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another—the noblest death of all.
Well said. I battled with myself on how broad to make this. In reality, the warriors kit up to defend their people (for the most part, Achilles was something of an exception). It was too much to cover both the individual power from contemplating death as well as the communal in a short essay. Both the individual and group are necessary.
That’s a tough subject. I always was faced with “burnout” phase occurring all around me in my professional life. I would quickly dismiss it with “never give up” and magically it worked. However, now I’m fighting “burnout” of the overwhelming avalanche of news that is being delivered 24/7 by what I’m holding right now. I try to limit it to the morning. Then, kitting up for walking, going to the gym and the communal farm plot - all combat this modern enemy.
100%. Neither the Urubu nor Achilles had to kit up for media 24/7. But the principle, as you noted with walking, the gym, and farms, applies to all of it.
Death puts the future to question. To achieve some future outcome we must be present now. Kitting up has a certain sense to it, a stern satisfaction. We become aware this may be the last time we paint ourselves red with sticky milk, fasten golden greaves, or take another breath. This slows things. Each moment becomes a Yes to life and the moment becomes all: inhale, be calm, be tall; exhale, be useful, be expendable. Flow through each moment as if it is your last—or your first.
This paragraph has real punch to it! Awesome work Sam.
Thank you Enda!
Sam: another thought-provoking essay full of nuggets to gnaw on for the day! The phrase “ brutal bright-eyed acceptance” wins the moment for me! I’m sure I’ll have a comment later after I’ve meshed it with the days’ challenges… Tim
I'm stoked it struck you, Tim. Let me know when you are done "gnawing" and any revelations you discover.
Even the Bible talks about Kitting Up with the Armor of God on a purely methaphorical level:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
- Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
- In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:10-18
This sort of intentional focus, like your examples, prepares the faithful to handle all manner of adversity. Each element comes with a meaning, an action, and an outcome.
This is epic. I think we can add a "Take the biblical age" example next to the Urubu.
"This may be it. Is it worth it?"
"Yea, Lord."
Nailed it. Thank you.
Eloquent and deeply meaningful as usual, Sam! 👏
As a student of workplace "burnout", my (sincere) question for you is how does one "kit up" day after day after day to face an environment of powerlessness, meaninglessness and the lurking threat of expulsion into the void of unemployment?
I ultimately ended up advising people working in these toxic environments to give up on finding any coping strategy or attitude adjustment and just get the hell outa there. Many were unwilling or unable, and so I am open to any fresh thinking you can offer about all that. No pressure! Thanks.
You are more than welcome, Baird.
That is tough, and as you prefaced your question, this is merely my opinion. I circle the idea that the modern environment is excellent in many ways, but detrimental in some core, existential ways as well. I believe philosophies like Stoicism were invented to cope with the loss of nature—nature being both deadly but also "natural", fulfilling many of our most core needs by pushing us into a primal mode of life which has all but been lost.
Stoicism is inherently passive, and for my part I am inherently aggressive. Epictetus is my blood brother, but where he leans back, I lean in. My point is both strategies work when we remember Stoicisms core point—freedom lies within. Yes, you can quit, and find a better a job. That is what I would personally do. But it also possible to stay, and Epictetus would remind those who stay that they do so by choice, and since they stay by choice, they are therefore in command. If they both stay and then play the victim, that is when Epictetus would eviscerate them for taking this wonderful thing called life and not making the most of it.
This is sort of rambling, but to answer your question, we can say anything, but it is up to each individual whether they stay or not to realize every single aspect of their life—including life itself—is a choice. Why, then, pretend to be powerless? Why make ones own life meaningless, when meaning exists within each moment and it is up to us to define it?
"Yes, you can quit, and find a better a job. That is what I would personally do. But it also possible to stay, and Epictetus would remind those who stay that they do so by choice, and since they stay by choice, they are therefore in command. If they both stay and then play the victim, that is when Epictetus would eviscerate them for taking this wonderful thing called life and not making the most of it. "
Ah, so very good, Sam. Leave with intention or stay with intention. Own the choice authentically. But don't half-stay as a pitiable victim. Thank you for such a satisfying answer. I appreciate it!
Every morning we must kit up for the battles ahead. The battles against vanity and self-pity, the battles against shallow existence. The battles to be generous and kind and compassionate even when this seems difficult; the battles for right action when neither gratitude nor desired outcomes are in reach. The battle against the meaningless drift in life. Or to stem the drift toward meaninglessness. We can be a force of one against our own demons and that inner death that comes from simply not grabbing life by the balls. I am in battle even in stillness and silence. To kit up is not about hiding ourselves. This is putting on the face, attitude and inner armor that correspond to whatever stage of life we are in. This was an absolutely enjoyable thread-pull! My mind has had a refreshing dip in the pure, cold pool of your wordsmithing. Thank you Sam!
Anthony, this was perhaps the most poetic comments I have yet to receive. Thank you for it!
Just offering a little riff on your theme, Sam.
This makes me think that different people kit up in different ways, for different reasons. Those of us reading this kit up in order face challenges realistically and effectively.
But others kit up as a defensive measure. Their 'armor' is designed to protect them, cocoon-like, from the realities around them.
You sound as if you are channeling your inner Eric Hoffer. I agree with you. Rituals can go one of two ways: ownership or evasion. That is the ethical portion, the thrill, the need for more people exploring like this.
Yeah, just finished The True Believer. I wish I could say I was shocked. But I wasn't.
Not everyone needs to or should take a high level of ownership of their existence. But it would be nice if they didn't feel threatened by those of us who do.
It's such a powerful paradox to consider that the deeper remedy for "burnout" is to seek greater intensity. It goes against a lot of prevailing ideas in culture, where the emphasis is on letting go or releasing stress through whatever means. But I think you're right on with this.
To further the irony, "letting go" can also be intense if it means shrugging off whatever we are dealing with that we want to be free from. I think this is the beauty of finding kitting up in every moment. I am trying to scope it out as a mental posture.
The classical tradition ended in despair: “How quickly we leap from nothingness to nothingness!” That’s why the various mystery religions of the East, which promised some form of transcendence, came to exert such a compelling fascination on the educated classes of the Roman Empire who, like today’s “elites” were functionally atheists.
Is focusing on a noble death as a way to intensify the sensory aspects of consciousness enough to convince a human his life has meaning? Perhaps, but as a general principle it hasn’t worked before.
Only relationships are real enough to satisfy on this journey through life, they alone are not revealed to be illusions. We find purpose and solace in loving others, and it is the wisdom that changed the Roman Empire to love others as we love ourselves, and to learn to love God by loving other humans.
The way these two outlooks converge is in the truth that greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another—the noblest death of all.
Well said. I battled with myself on how broad to make this. In reality, the warriors kit up to defend their people (for the most part, Achilles was something of an exception). It was too much to cover both the individual power from contemplating death as well as the communal in a short essay. Both the individual and group are necessary.
That’s a tough subject. I always was faced with “burnout” phase occurring all around me in my professional life. I would quickly dismiss it with “never give up” and magically it worked. However, now I’m fighting “burnout” of the overwhelming avalanche of news that is being delivered 24/7 by what I’m holding right now. I try to limit it to the morning. Then, kitting up for walking, going to the gym and the communal farm plot - all combat this modern enemy.
100%. Neither the Urubu nor Achilles had to kit up for media 24/7. But the principle, as you noted with walking, the gym, and farms, applies to all of it.