364 - Moral Courage: Standing up to Injustice

Why is it important to resist and stand up against injustice? What happens when we don’t stand up to injustice? Today we'll explore why virtue is necessary, what the Stoics taught about resistance, and how to actually practice moral courage in your daily life.

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." 

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.6

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Transcript

Erick Cloward 0:00

Why is it important to resist and stand up against injustice? What happens when we don't stand up to injustice? Today we'll explore why virtue is necessary, what the Stoics taught about resistance, and how to actually practice moral courage in your daily life. Hello, friends. My name is Erick Cloward and welcome to the Stoic Coffee Break. The Stoic Coffee Break is a weekly podcast where I take aspects of Stoicism and do my best to break them down to their most important points. I share my thoughts on Stoic philosophy and pull from ancient and modern wisdom as well as modern psychology and neuroscience, basically anything I can find that can help you to think better, because I believe when you think better, you can live better. This week's episode is called Moral Courage: Standing Up to Injustice. The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius. So let's talk about the moment we're in right now. Right now, we're dealing with chaos. We have wars, uncertainty, leaders acting without virtue, neighbors being targeted and harmed. When I see what's happening in Minnesota, it's challenging. So I lived in Minnesota for five years. So it has a special place in my heart. And I'm proud of the people courageously standing up for their neighbors. And at the same time, I'm horrified by the abuses and the killing of peaceful protesters by our government. I also live in Portland right now, and there have been incidents at protests and unarmed civilians being shot as well. So, like many people, I've struggled with what to do. I have a platform and I speak about virtue and doing the right thing no matter what. So I can't stay quiet anymore. Now I generally don't talk about politics on here, but this is not a political issue. This is about virtue. This is about justice. And I'm sure that many of you feel paralyzed, unsure whether to speak up or to stay quiet. The question isn't academic anymore. Do I stand up for my neighbor or do I look away? And this isn't about grand heroism. This is about virtue and standing up for what we know is right, even when it's hard. So let's talk about the challenge of speaking out. So the Stoics teach us that we need to live with virtue. And they define these as four cardinal virtues, which is wisdom, knowing what's right, courage, acting on what's right, despite fear, temperance, not being ruled by passions or power, and justice, giving each person their due, treating all with fairness. We uphold these virtues, not just when it's easy, but when it is hard. Principles are like anchors for when you face challenges. They guide your choices and actions. If your principles are only valid when it's easy to uphold them, they aren't principles. And this is what we are witnessing in Minnesota and other cities around the country. Everyday people stepping up against abuses of power. They're standing up to injustice. They're standing up for their neighbors. I mean, people shouldn't be shot for protesting. Children shouldn't be torn away from their families. Schools and churches shouldn't be raided by heavily armed squads. The government shouldn't lie and slanders those that it abuses, especially when we can clearly see in videos what is really going on. Now, when I say these things, I feel like I'm describing a third world country and not the U.S. anymore. And the thing is that these rights and these privileges that we have, this is what the founding fathers of the U.S. were standing up for. They saw how the king of England and his soldiers acted with impunity and they found it intolerable. They built this nation to be a nation of laws, that everyone should be treated fairly. If someone breaks those laws, then they should be prosecuted according to those laws. They should not be unlawfully detained. They should not be beaten. They should not be shot. And when those in power fail to follow the laws and claim immunity from the consequences, then we start to slide into tyranny. And regardless of where your politics lie, we can agree that everyone should be treated fairly with justice. They should not be abused for exercising their First Amendment rights because of the color of their skin or having a different accent. So many people believe that staying quiet keeps them safe. But the Stoics knew better. They saw how silence and complicity led to the downfall of society. They saw how compromising your principles for political expediency led to the decay of character. Cato the Younger, the Stoic exemplar of principled resistance, understood that living under tyranny without resistance isn't safety, it's slow death of the soul. Staying silent and not acting when we see things that are against our values and morals allows these abuses to continue. Not raising your voice or supporting your neighbor is complicity, and that comes with a cost. So let's talk about the cost of abandoning our neighbors. So Marcus Aurelius said, we are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature. When we abandon our neighbors, we act against our nature. We're social beings, we're not isolated individuals, we're interconnected parts of the larger whole. The Stoics called this sympathia, the interaction of all things. Marcus Aurelius reminds us, what is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee. When our neighbor suffers, then and we do nothing, then we suffer too. Not just metaphorically, but psychologically. This is what is known as moral injury. It means that we ourselves are harmed when we fail to step up and do the right thing. So recent research on moral injury shows that failing to act on our values creates profound psychological distress. Anthony Feinstein in his book Moral Courage describes it like this: a condition that arises from witnessing, perpetrating, or failing to prevent acts that transgress a person's code of ethics or moral compass. Moral injury may occur in response to something a person does, an act of commission, or fails to do, an act of omission. It is typically associated with feelings of shame, guilt, anger, and disgust. Katya Ismailova, an Azerbaijani journalist who is featured in the book and risked her life exposing corruption, said it simply. This is not a good feeling to live with. So here's the uncomfortable truth. Silence has a cost. Looking away has a cost. And often that cost is higher than the cost of speaking up. So if silence harms us and abandoning our neighbors goes against our nature, what did the Stoics actually teach about standing up? What wisdom can guide us when the stakes feel overwhelming? So let's talk about what the ancients taught about resistance. And first, we're going to talk about cosmopolitanism. We are all citizens of the world first. Now the Stoics teach us that we're all part of the same human family, and that resistance starts with remembering what we're made for: cooperation, not isolation. Epictetus reminds us, you are a citizen of the world and a part of it, not one of the subservient parts, but a principal part. You are capable of comprehending the divine administration and of considering the connection of things. Simply put, before you're a citizen of your nation, your state, your city, you're a citizen of the cosmos, a member of the human family. This isn't abstract philosophy, it's practical guidance. When we see a neighbor targeted, whether because of their immigration status, their identity, their beliefs, the Stoic asks, Do I belong only to my tribe or to humanity itself? So Marcus Aurelius wrote about the Cosmopolis, and this is a little difficult to get through, so bear with me. He said, If our intellectual part is common, the reason also, in respect of which we are rational beings, is common. If this is so, common also is the reason which commands us what to do and what not to do. If this is so, there is a common law also. If this is so, we are fellow citizens. If this is so, we are members of some political community. If this is so, the world is in a manner a state. Simply put, we share reason, we share moral law, we share citizenship in the cosmopolis. Your neighbor isn't other, their family. So the Stoics taught about this idea called oichiosis, which is the natural process by which we extend concern from ourselves, to our immediate family, to our community, to all humanity. It's not forced, it's cultivation of what's already naturally within us. And modern psychology validates this. Our sense of belonging directly influences our moral courage. When we feel connected in our community, we're more likely to stand up for moral principles and resist moral disengagement. I want you to think about where you draw your circles of concern and maybe where you can extend them just a little bit wider today. Next, let's talk about Cato. Cato the Younger was the stoic exemplar of resistance. As Julius Caesar consolidated power and dismantled the Republic, most senators either joined Caesar or stayed silent. Cato did neither. He opposed Caesar at every turn, not out of personal ambition, but from principle. When Caesar's victory became inevitable and Cato was offered mercy, he chose death instead. Why? Because for a Stoic, living without virtue isn't living. Cooperating with tyranny, even to survive, betrays the self. He chose to take his own life rather than to be used as a tool by Julius Caesar. He knew that if he became a prop for Caesar, greater damage would have been caused in his name. Now here's an important nuance. Cato's choice was his. The Stoics didn't demand martyrdom from everyone, but they did demand this: don't cooperate with injustice. Don't be complicit. Find your way to resist within what's in your control. You don't need to be Cato. You just need to be you showing up with integrity in all the small and big moments. So, how does the dichotomy of control apply to resistance? Well, we need to understand what's not in our control. We can't control whether leaders act with virtue, whether injustice actually exists, how others respond to our actions. We can't control the outcomes of our resistance. What is in our control is whether we act with virtue ourselves, whether we speak up when we witness injustice, how we treat our neighbors, whether we build networks of care, and most importantly, our own character in crisis. As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, live out your life in truth and justice, tolerant of those who are neither true nor just. You didn't choose this moment, but you can choose how you show up in it. So Marcus Aurelius reminds us the impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way. The chaos, the fear, the risk of standing up, these aren't obstacles to virtue. They're the very conditions that make virtue possible. You can't practice courage without fear. You can't practice justice without injustice to oppose. You can't cultivate wisdom by looking away from the truth. The chaos around us, it's not an obstacle to your philosophical practice. It's the very soil in which your virtue grows. And this is the stoic paradox. By standing up for your others, you're actually taking care of yourself. You're protecting your character, you're preventing moral injury, you're becoming the person you're meant to be. As Epictetus reminds us, tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes. Therefore, give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths. The difficulty exists as a way to develop your character and strength. So the philosophy is clear. But how do we actually do this? When your hands are shaking and your voice is uncertain, what does resistance actually look like? So let's talk about how you can actually stand up. So, first off, let's talk about moral courage. Moral courage is the intersection of the stoic virtues of justice and courage. It's having the courage stand up for what you believe is right, even when, especially when, it's hard. It's doing the right thing in the face of fear. So, first, reject the myth that moral courage is rare or only for heroes. So, research from the Journal of Personality in 2024 found something remarkable. Moral courage isn't a fixed personality trait. Even people who describe themselves as risk-averse demonstrate moral courage when given the right circumstances. As the researchers concluded, everyday life is rich with opportunities for moral courage, you already have it within you. The question is whether you'll cultivate it. So start where you are. Now, research shows that we are more likely to demonstrate moral courage when there are four conditions in place. Number one, the norm violation is blatant. You don't need perfect information. If you see clear injustice, someone being harassed, a policy that is causing obvious harm, a neighbor being targeted, trust that clarity. Condition number two, you believe it's your responsibility. And this is key. The bystander effect paralyzes us when we think someone else will act. The Stoics remind you, you're a citizen of the Cosmopolis. It is your responsibility. Condition number three, you feel that your intervention will be effective. You don't need to fix everything. One voice added to others creates a chorus. One act of solidarity shows others they're not alone. Effectiveness is not about solving the whole problem, it's about being part of the solution. Condition number four, the perceived risk doesn't feel completely overwhelming. Start small. Scale your actions to what you can sustain. There's a spectrum between silence and martyrdom. Find your place on it today, knowing you can move further tomorrow. So let's talk about some practical actions. So resistance is kind of a spectrum. Level one is private solidarity. You can check in on vulnerable neighbors, offer practical help such as rides or meals or childcare. You can donate to mutual aid funds. You can educate yourself on the issues. Level two is public witness. Show up at community meetings, sign petitions and statements, amplify affected voices, use your platforms to speak. Level three, direct action. Join or organize mutual aid networks, participate in peaceful protests, civil disobedience when conscience demands. Use professional positions to protect others and create alternative systems of care. Match your action to what's within your power today. Don't guilt yourself for not doing everything, but don't do nothing. So let's talk about how you can prepare yourself to deal with all the challenges that you're dealing with. So you can start in the morning by kind of preparing yourself. You can say something like, Today I will encounter opportunities to stand up for someone. I might feel fear, I might worry about consequences. That's natural, but I am part of the human family, and when I see injustice, I can choose to respond with virtue. And in the evening you can reflect. Standing up is scary. You might face social rejection or professional consequences or loss of relationships, being called too political or divisive. The Stoics remind us that this is the cost of integrity. But consider the alternative cost: betraying your own values and living with moral injury and becoming complicit in harm. So on the practical level, find your people, those who share your values. Build support networks before you need them. Practice small acts of courage to build your muscle. And remember, you're not alone. Throughout history, ordinary people have stood up for justice and succeeded in changing the world. So here's the invitation. Look for your neighbor today. Who needs someone to stand with them? What small act of solidarity is within your power? Where can you extend your circle of concern? How can you embody cosmopolitanism in your daily life? Remember what Marcus Aurelia said. Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one. The world needs your virtue. Your neighbor needs your courage. You're part of the human family, and this is your moment to show up. Not perfectly, not fearlessly, but authentically with integrity as part of the web that connects us all. So, in conclusion, I want to leave you with a quote from Seneca. It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that things are difficult. So this week, I want you to practice one act of solidarity with a neighbor, one conversation, one action, one moment of standing with rather than looking away. Start small, but start. And as a final reminder, you're not in this alone. Across history, across the world right now, ordinary people are choosing courage over comfort, solidarity over silence, virtue over ease. You're part of that tradition. You're part of that web. And now is the time to step up and do the right thing. And that's the end of this week's Stoic Coffee Break. As always, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and thanks for listening. Also, if you haven't picked up my book, Stoicism 101, I would appreciate it if you would. You can find out more about it at my website at stoic.coffee. Also, if you're not following me on social media, you can find me on Instagram and threads at stoic.coffee. And you can find me on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook at stoiccoffeeall1Word. Thanks again for listening.