This episode of Stoicism On Fire kicks off a series I call the path of the Prokopton. A prokopton is someone who is making progress along the Stoic path. This podcast is about the practice of Attention. The Stoics called it prosochē in Greek, and that word signifies an attitude and practice of attention. Pierre Hadot considered prosochē the fundamental Stoic spiritual attitude.[1] It is a state of continuous, vigilant, and unrelenting attentiveness to oneself—to the present impressions, present desires, and present actions, which shape our moral character (prohairesis).[2] My aim in this episode is to help you understand why it is so important to practice attention while on the path of the prokopton.
When you relax your attention for a while, do not fancy you will recover it whenever you please; but remember this, that because of your fault of today your affairs must necessarily be in a worse condition in future occasions. (Discourses 4.12.1)
Prosochē is essential for the prokoptōn to practice the three Stoic disciplines prescribed by Epictetus (Discourses 3.2.1-5). Constant attention is necessary to live in agreement with Nature. Once one embarks on the path of the prokoptōn, the attitude of prosochē serves as an ever-present, vigilant watchman to ensure we continue to make forward progress. As Epictetus warns, relaxing our attention (prosochē) is not only dangerous because of the faults which may be committed in the present, but he further warns that “because of your fault today your affairs must be necessarily in a worse condition on future occasions” (Discourses 4.12.1). The attitude and practice of prosochē focus our attention and provides the foundation for the Stoic disciplines, whose aim is a life of excellence (aretē) lived in accordance with Nature, wherein we experience human flourishing or well-being (eudaimonia).
Attention – Not Perfection
Before further discussion about the Stoic concept of prosochē, which can appear onerous at first glance, it is helpful to understand that progress in Stoicism does not require perfection. Yes, to be a Stoic sage does require perfection, but that’s not what I’m talking about right now. This episode is about making progress toward that ideal of the sage. It is unlikely any of us will ever become sages. Nevertheless, we can make progress—we can be a Stoic prokopton.
Epictetus is clear on this issue, “So is it possible to be altogether faultless? No, that is impracticable..” (Discourses 4.12.19). The practice of Stoicism requires attention, not perfection. The goal of the prokoptōn is continual progress toward the perfection of the sage, without the expectation that he will ever achieve it. The Stoic sage serves as an ideal which we attentively focus our mind on as we practice the disciplines of assent, desire, and action. Again, according to Epictetus, the practicable goal of Stoicism is not perfection; instead, it is “to strive continuously not to commit faults” with the realistic hope that by “never relaxing our attention, we shall escape at least a few faults” (Ibid). So, what are we to do when we fail in our practice? What do we at those moments when we fail to live our Stoic principles? Epictetus provides us with a clear answer:
In this contest, even if we should falter for a while, no one can prevent us from resuming the fight, nor is it necessary to wait another four years for the next Olympic Games to come around, but as soon as one has recovered and regained one’s strength, and can muster the same zeal as before, one can enter the fight; and if one should fail again, one can enter once again, and if one should carry off the victory one fine day, it will be as if one had never given in. (Discourses 3.25.4)
There are two important points here that we have to balance. First, we have to pay attention to our thoughts, desires, fears, intentions, and actions. That means we’re going to have to focus on some area in our thinking that is less than ideal. We are going to fail occasionally. There is no question about that. When we do, we have to keep in mind that we do not have to be perfect to make progress. Our failure is only momentary. However, we have to stay on the path. If you have a bad moment, a bad day, if you get knocked down, don’t sit there and ruminate about it. Get up and get back in the fight. Learn from your failure and move on. Remember; attention; not perfection.
What is Prosochē?
Pierre Hadot, the French philosopher who helped reintroduce the concept of philosophy as a way of life wrote the following:
Attention (prosoche) is the fundamental Stoic spiritual attitude. It is a continuous vigilance and presence of mind, self consciousness which never sleeps, and a constant tension of the spirit. Thanks to this attitude, the philosopher is fully aware of what he does at each instant, and he wills his actions fully. Thanks to his spiritual vigilance, the Stoic always has “at hand” (procheiron) the fundamental rule of life: that is, the distinction between what depends on us and what does not.A “fundamental attitude” of “continuous attention, which means constant tension and consciousness, as well as vigilance exercised at every moment.”[3]
[T]he fundamental attitude of the Stoic philosopher was prosoche: attention to oneself and vigilance at every instant. For the Stoics, the person who is ” awake” is always perfectly conscious not only of what he does, but of what he is. In other words, he is aware of his place in the universe and of his relationship to God. His self-consciousness is, first and foremost, a moral consciousness.
A person endowed with such consciousness seeks to purify and rectify his intentions at every instant. He is constantly on the lookout for signs within himself of any motive for action other than the will to do good. Such self-consciousness is not, however, merely a moral conscience; it is also cosmic consciousness. The “attentive” person lives constantly in the presence of God and is constantly remembering God, joyfully consenting to the will of universal reason, and he sees all things with the eyes of God himself.[4]
Obviously, the practice of prosochē is not easy. To use an old, worn-out adage, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.” The adjectives used to describe prosochē (tension, vigilance, self-consciousness, etc.) are enough to deter mere mortals. However, it is not as daunting as it first appears if we remember Epictetus taught us that perfection is “impracticable.” Our goal is to focus on the continuous practice of attention, rather than the perfection may likely never achieve. Moreover, Marcus Aurelius offered some practical advice which further reduces the perceived burden of prosochē by limiting the span of our attention to the present.
Attention to the Present
In Meditations 7.54 Marcus Aurelius applies the focus of his attention on the present.
Everywhere and all the time it lies within your power to be reverently contented with your present lot, to behave justly to such people as are presently at hand, and to deal skilfully with your present impressions so that nothing may steal into your mind which you have not adequately grasped.
According to Marcus, it lies within our power:
- To be reverently contented with our present lot – the discipline of desire
- To behave justly to such people as are presently at hand – the discipline of action
- To deal skillfully with our present impressions – the discipline of assent
Since we are dealing with attention to the present, it is interesting that time does not exist in Stoicism; it only subsists, which means it is less real than corporeal reality. Time is a passing moment. Time is like the Heraclitan river that is perpetually changing. In the same way that we can never step into the same river twice; we cannot experience the same moment twice. Therefore, when we dwell on the past, we are ruminating on something that no longer exists in reality. The past only exists in our mind and only to the extent that we relive it mentally. Nevertheless, many people struggle to relinquish their compulsion to ruminate over the past and worry about the future. That creates mental anguish for us. If we want to travel the path of the prokoptōn, we must relinquish the past and future as externals over which we have no control. They are not up to us.
We cannot make progress if we remain scattered and constantly distracted. The fleeting attention most of us give to the events of our lives epitomizes the attitude of mindlessness—not prosochē. As a prokoptôn, we must constantly apply the fundamental rule of life—the distinction between ‘what is up to us’ and what is ‘not up to us’—and that is accomplished by focusing our attention on that which is within our control at this present moment.
Additionally, through the practice of attention, we begin to see the connection between our inner world of beliefs, desires, fears, and intentions, which constitute our moral character, and the outer world of action. Awareness of that connection exposes the causal web (or chain) where our moral character plays a causal role in the world. Our thoughts shape our desires, which molds our character, and then generates the impulses of our will toward action. Recognizing that sequence and taking responsibility for the judgments and thoughts that generate it is necessary to make progress on the Stoic path.
Practicing Prosoche in the Present
Seeing the World Anew
Seneca, in Letters 64.6, writes about the inspired attitude a mere glimpse of virtue brings him. Even though he spends a great deal of time absorbed in thought about wisdom, he writes that he is no less astonished by her than when he looks up into the heavens as if seeing them for the first time.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and during the summers I spent many nights on what we called sleepouts. That meant rolling a sleeping bag out on the ground and sleeping under the stars. The nights were frequently spectacular during the Oregon summers. The stars were brilliant and awe-inspiring. On many occasions, I laid they for a few minutes before falling asleep and starred into the heavens. I recall wondering whether the universe is infinite, or does it have an end. I wondered how all of this beauty could come about. I didn’t consider those philosophical questions at the time. They were just thoughts inspired by a sense of wonder at the beauty of it all. A couple of decades later as a mountain climber, I always had the same experience looking up into the heavens from the unencumbered viewpoint of a base camp. Each time I looked into the heavens it was as if I was seeing it for the first time; I never grew numb to that experience.
Many of us today live in cities and places far too brightly lit, or too smoggy, to see the heavens clearly. However, we can still be present to the wondrous events of nature and humanity all around us if we pay attention and refuse to allow our minds to grow numb by seeing the same things repeatedly. We need to stop and look around occasionally as if we are seeing things for the first time. We cannot go back and see things for the first time; however, we can attempt to set aside our mind-numbing familiar with everything going on around us and attempt to see things from a new perspective. We can pay attention and thereby attempt to see what is going on around us through fresh eyes rather than seeing everything through our preconceptions and cognitive biases that may be the creations of false judgments.
Challenge Your Judgments
There is a wonderful story, told by bestselling author Stephen Covey, about a subway ride in New York that highlights this truth:
Mr. Covey was in a quiet subway car when a father and several children boarded. The children were running wild, bothering passengers so much Mr. Covey asked the parent if he could rein them in.
“Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it,” the distraught father replied. “We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”[5]
Remember that story the next time a driver cuts you off. The truth is you have no idea what is going on in that driver’s life that may have caused bad driving behavior. One of the most profound truths of Stoicism is this: nothing external to you truly harm you; externals cannot harm your moral character or diminish your well-being. Only your thoughts can bring about harm to you. Do not allow that to happen. Pay attention to your judgments, challenge them, then let them go immediately; that person’s driving is not up to you. The same is true for the rude person in the checkout line, the angry boss, the irritated co-worker. The truth is that our judgments of others do not harm them; they only harm us. Pay attention to your judgments of external events; challenge them; release them.
Cosmic Viewpoint
I already challenged you to practice attention by looking up to the heavens and out into the world around you to see things through fresh eyes. Now I’m going to challenge you to practice attention by seeing everything as if from above. This is the cosmic viewpoint. The view from above—cosmic viewpoint—entails more than seeing the insignificance of life as if from afar. The cosmic viewpoint can provide an entirely new outlook on the events in our life. As Pierre Hadot writes,
The philosopher must abandon his partial, egoistic vision of reality, in order, by way of physics, to rise to the point of seeing things as universal Reason sees them. Above all, the philosopher must intensely wish the the common good of the universe and of society, by discovering that a part can possess no other proper good than the common good of the All.[6]
Hadot describes the effect of this cosmic viewpoint as follows:
Our perspective is changed once again when the self, as a principle of freedom, recognizes that there is nothing greater than the moral good, and thereforeaccepts what has been willed by Destiny, that is to say, universal Reason.[7]
The cosmic viewpoint is a central theme of Stoicism in general and Seneca’s Natural Questions in particular. There, Seneca “impels his reader to look upward, to transcend ordinary life at ground level, to reach for cosmic consciousness.”[8] From this viewpoint, events that might otherwise appear troublesome, or even tragic, lose their sting and can even take on an entirely different meaning. Events that we may otherwise consider tragic become threads in a larger tapestry when we step back and see the whole picture. This cosmic viewpoint is part of Epictetus’ prescription for psychological resilience.
From everything that happens in the universe it is easy to praise providence, if one has within him two things: the faculty of taking a comprehensive view of the things that happen to each person and a sense of gratitude. (Discourses 1.6.1)
Pierre Hadot considers the cosmic viewpoint the beginning of Stoic practice. He writes,
Putting theory into practice begins with an exercise that consists in recognizing oneself as a part of the Whole, elevating oneself to cosmic consciousness, or immersing oneself within the totality of the cosmos. While meditating on Stoic physics, we are able tosee all things withinthe perspective of universal Reason. To achieve this, we must practice imaginative exercise which consists in seeing all human things from above.[9]
Seen within the context of their whole life, and the whole of the cosmos, events once considered harmful, or even tragic, take on new meaning. From this vantage point, we begin to understand the Stoic principle that it is not events that trouble us, but our thoughts about those events (Enchiridion 16).
The view from above creates a cosmic paradigm shift in us. Our psychological angst is often the result of seeing events from our limited human perspective—the human level. Stoic practice teaches us to view events from the cosmic perspective—the divine level. According to Marcus, from that perspective, we can see the intermixture of everything as an ordered combination of opposites (Meditations 7.47-8). As you go about your day, try applying the cosmic viewpoint to events by asking yourself the following questions:
- What might this event look like if I had full knowledge of what is going on?
- Will I care about this event an hour, day, year, or decade from now?
- Can I envision a way this event, which appears unfortunate, troublesome, or even tragic at this moment, might bring about a better outcome than I originally envisioned?
- If so, would it be prudent for me to act, with a reserve clause, as if this apparently troubling event is directing me toward a new course of action?
- Did this slamming door reveal another previously unnoticed door I should explore?
Seneca challenges us to “look upward, to transcend ordinary life at ground level, to reach for cosmic consciousness.”[10] Allow your soul to take flight, metaphorically of course, and envision the world and events around you as if from above. According to the Stoics, the perspective you achieve from that cosmic viewpoint can change your life.
The practice of attention is not easy; if it was everyone would be doing it; you would be doing it. Nevertheless, it is the fundamental spiritual attitude of Stoic practice; therefore, if we want to make progress on the path of the prokopton, we must pay attention. In the coming episodes, you see why the practice of attention is necessary for the disciplines of assent, desire, and action. Here’s a bit of homework for you. Read the Discourses of Epictetus, Book 4, chapter 12. The entire chapter is about attention and it will help prepare you for the upcoming episodes. If you’re feeling really ambitious, read my paper on prosoche. It’s available on the resources page of www.traditionalstoicism.com. In the meantime, remind yourself regularly to practice attention. Focus your attention on what is within your control in the present. By doing so, you will ignite the flame that can set your practice of Stoicism On Fire.
Passages Relevant to Prosochē
Epictetus –
Discourses
3.12.16 For as Socrates said, “we ought not to live a life without examination,” so we ought not to accept an appearance without examination, but we should say, “Wait, let me see what you are and whence you come”; like the watch at night, “Show me the pass.” “Have you the signal from nature which the appearance that may be accepted ought to have?”
3.3.4-7 Very little is needed for everything to be upset and ruined, only a slight lapse in reason. it’s much easier for a mariner to wreck his ship than it is for him to keep it sailing safely; all he has to do is head a little more upwind and disaster is instantaneous. In fact, he does not have to do anything: a momentary loss of attention will produce the same result. t’s much the same in our case. If you doze off, all your progress up to that point will be negated. To keep a sharp eye on your impressions, and never fall asleep. It is no small thing that is being watched over, it equates
4.6.34-35 if indeed you have cared about nothing else except the proper use of appearances, as soon as you have risen in the morning reflect, “What do I want in order to be free from passion, and free from perturbation? What am I? Am I a poor body, a piece of property, a thing of which something is said? I am none of these. But what am I? I am a rational animal. What then is required of me?” Reflect on your acts. “Where have I omitted the things which conduce to happiness? What have I done which is either unfriendly or unsocial? what have I not done as to these things which I ought to have done?”
4.12.1 When you relax your attention for a while, do not fancy you will recover it whenever you please; but remember this, that because of your fault of today your affairs must necessarily be in a worse condition in future occasions.
4.12.19 So is it possible to be altogether faultless? No, that is impracticable; but it is possible to strive continuously not to commit faults. or we shall have cause to be satisfied if, by never relaxing our attention, we shall escape at least a few faults.
Handbook
#4 When you are going about any action, remind yourself what nature the action is. If you are going to bathe, picture to yourself the things which usually happen in the bath: some people splash the water, some push, some use abusive language, and others steal. Thus you will more safely go about this action if you say to yourself, “I will now go bathe, and keep my own mind in a state conformable to nature.” And in the same manner with regard to every other action. For thus, if any hindrance arises in bathing, you will have it ready to say, “It was not only to bathe that I desired, but to keep my mind in a state conformable to nature; and I will not keep it if I am bothered at things that happen.
#10 With every accident, ask yourself what abilities you have for making a proper use of it. If you see an attractive person, you will find that self-restraint is the ability you have against your desire. If you are in pain, you will find fortitude. If you hear unpleasant language, you will find patience. And thus habituated, the appearances of things will not hurry you away along with them.
#21 Let death and exile, and all other things which appear terrible be daily before your eyes, but chiefly death, and you win never entertain any abject thought, nor too eagerly covet anything.
#33 Avoid public and vulgar entertainments; but, if ever an occasion calls you to them, keep your attention upon the stretch, that you may not imperceptibly slide into vulgar manners. For be assured that if a person be ever so sound himself, yet, if his companion be infected, he who converses with him will be infected likewise.
#38 When walking, you are careful not to step on a nail or turn your foot; so likewise be careful not to hurt the ruling faculty of your mind. And, if we were to guard against this in every action, we should undertake the action with the greater safety.
#41 It is a mark of want of genius to spend much time in things relating to the body, as to be long in our exercises, in eating and drinking, and in the discharge of other animal functions. These should be done incidentally and slightly, and our whole attention be engaged in the care of the understanding.
Marcus Aurelius –
Meditations
2.8 Rarely is a person seen to be in a bad way because he has failed to attend to what is happening in someone else’s soul, but those who fail to pay careful attention to the motions of their own souls are bound to be in a wretched state.
2.11 Let your every action, word, and thought be those of one who could depart from life at any moment.
3.4 Do not waste what remains of your life in forming impressions about others, unless you are doing so with reference to the common good. For you are depriving yourself of the opportunity for some other action which may be of real benefit, to imagine instead what so-and-so is doing and to what end, and what he is saying or thinking or planning, and give yourself over to other impressions of that kind which serve only to divert you from paying proper attention to your own ruling centre. Rather, you must exclude from the sequence of your thoughts all that is aimless and random, and, above all, idle curiosity and malice; and you must train yourself only to think such thoughts that if somebody were suddenly to ask you, ‘What are you thinking of?’ you could reply in all honesty and without hesitation, of this thing or that, and so make it clear at once from your reply that all within you is simple and benevolent, and worthy of a social being who has no thought for pleasure, or luxury in general, or contentiousness of any kind, or envy, or suspicion, or anything else that you would blush to admit if you had it in your mind.
5.11 To what purpose, then, am I presently using my soul? Ask yourself this question at every moment, and examine yourself as follows: what is presently to be found in that part of me which is called the ruling centre? And whose soul do I have at present? That of a child? That of an adolescent? That of a woman, of a tyrant, of a domestic animal, of a wild beast?
6.53 Acquire the habit of attending carefully to what is being said by another, and of entering, so far as possible, into the mind of the speaker.
7.29 Wipe out vain imagination. No longer allow your passions to pull you around like a puppet. Confine your attention to the present time. Learn to recognize what is happening to yourself or another. Divide and analyse every given object into the material and the causal. Give thought to your last hour. Let the wrong committed by another remain where it first arose.
7.54 Everywhere and all the time it lies within your power to be reverently contented with your present lot, to behave justly to such people as are presently at hand, and to deal skilfully with your present impressions so that nothing may steal into your mind which you have not adequately grasped.
7.69 Perfection of character requires this, that you should live each day as though it were your last, and be neither agitated, nor lethargic, nor act a part.
ENDNOTES:
[1] Pierre Hadot, Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault, ed. Arnold Ira Davidson (New York: Blackwell, 1995). p. 84
[2] Hadot, 1995, pp. 59 & 84; also see Pierre Hadot, What Is Ancient Philosophy?(Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press, 2002). p. 138
[3] Hadot, 1995, p.84
[4] Hadot, 1995, p. 130
[5] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/17/stephen-r-covey-transcended-his-time/
[6] Hadot, 1998, p. 99
[7] Hadot, 1998, p. 180
[8] Gareth D. Williams, The Cosmic Viewpoint: A Study of Seneca’s Natural Questions(New York: Oxford University Press, 2012). p. 11
[9] Hadot, 2002, p. 136
[10] Williams, 2012, p. 11
