`Akinyemi: Notes on African Stoicism

Introduction

“A ship in harbour is save

but that is not what ships are
built for.” John Shedd, 1928

You’ve probably heard of stoicism - or maybe not.

What is Stoicism, you ask?

Let me tell you a short story.

The year was 1964. Nelson Mandela, the leader of the African National

Congress, was on trial for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the

apartheid regime in South Africa and he faced the death penalty and he

knew he had little chance of acquittal. Instead of panicking and being

nervous, as the prosecutors had expected, he remained calm and

decided to give a speech.

He stood up on the brown wooden dock and spoke for four hours. He

recounted his life story, from his childhood in the rural village of Mvezo,

South Africa, to his education as a lawyer and his involvement in the

struggle for freedom and equality.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black

domination," Mandela said in a baritone, confidence-filled voice. "I have

cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all people live

together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I

hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am

prepared to die."

The courtroom was silent. The world was watching. Mandela had

turned his trial into a triumph of courage and conviction. He showed his

stoic resolve in facing adversity with calmness, dignity, and self-control.

He had shown how to transform a negative situation into a positive

one.

The story goes that Hercules, when a young man, found himself at an isolated fork in

the road, where he sat to contemplate his future. Uncertain about which path to take
in life, he found himself confronted by two goddesses. One, a very beautiful and

alluring woman, was called Kakia, although she claimed that her friends call her

“Happiness” (Eudaimonia). She charged in front to ensure she spoke first, promising

him that her path was “easiest and pleasantest”, and that it provided a shortcut to

“Happiness.” She claimed he would avoid hardship and enjoy luxury beyond most

men’s wildest dreams, produced by the labour of others. After hearing this, Hercules

was approached by the second goddess, Aretê, a plain-dressed and humble woman,

though naturally beautiful. To his surprise, she told him that her path would require

hard work from him and it would be “long and difficult”. The path Hercules chose

would be dangerous beyond belief, he would be tested by many hardships, perhaps

more than any man who had lived before, and have to endure great loss and suffering

along the way. “Nothing really good and admirable”, said Aretê, “is granted by the

gods to men without some effort and application.” However, Hercules would have the

opportunity to face each adversity with courage and self-discipline, and showing

wisdom and justice despite great danger. He would earn true Happiness by reflecting

on his own praiseworthy and honourable deeds.

Hercules, of course, chose the path of Aretê, or “virtue,” and was not seduced by

Kakia,ia or “Vice”. He faced continual persecution, from the goddess Hera and her

minions, and was forced to undertake the legendary Twelve Labors, including slaying

the Hydra and ultimately entering Hades, the Underworld itself, to capture Cerberus

with his bare hands. He died in the most extreme agony, poisoned by clothing soaked

in the Hydra’s blood. However, Zeus was so impressed by his greatness of soul that he

elevated him to the status of a god in his own right.

~ The Choice of Hercules

From the Memorabilia, By Xenophon, c. 371 B.C.,

Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent 27 years of his

life in jail, most of them on Robben Island, a barren and isolated prison

off the coast of Cape Town. He endured harsh conditions, hard labour,

solitary confinement, constant harassment, just name it. He was

allowed only one visit and one letter every six months and was

forbidden from reading newspapers or listening to the radio. To put it

in proper perspective, Manela was cut off from the outside world.

For an average human, this is enough to break a person’s resolve but

not Mandela, he wouldn’t give up or lose hope. His spirit remained

strong and he continued to be stoic in accepting his fate without

complaining. He only focused on what he could control and ignored

what he could not, and through this, he found meaning and purpose in

his suffering, cultivated his inner strength and wisdom, maintained his

dignity and integrity, and kept his vision of a better future alive.

In prison, he studied law, history, politics, economics, and language

literature. He even read books by one of history's most renowned stoics

- Marcus Aurelius, and also Epictetus, Seneca, and other stoic

philosophers.

In 1990, he was finally released from prison, walked out with a smile

and a fist in the air and was greeted by a jubilant crowd of thousands of

supporters who chanted his name and sang his praises as a hero and a

legend.

Mandela would go on to lead the negotiations that resulted in the end

of apartheid and the establishment of a multiracial democracy in South

Africa, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his efforts and

becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa in

1994. He left a legacy of courage, wisdom and love that will endure for

generations.

He was Nelson Mandela, The real definition of an African stoic.

Now, I believe you now know what Stoicism is.

Well, to put it in proper perspective, I’ll give you a simple, concise

definition.

“Stoicism is a way of thinking that teaches self-control in dealing with

challenges and opportunities of life”

Stoicism did not emerge from Africa but from ancient Greece with the

Philosopher, Zeno as the father of Stoicism. However, looking at the

African Culture, I have found Stoicism to be a core teaching even if it

wasn’t given a formal name to tag it as a philosophy.

I would argue that the Greeks did not invent the Stoic philosophy. They

just found a name for it, and Africans didn’t.

In the course of reading this book, you would most likely come across

some new philosophies…

I would advise that you keep your mind open through the entire course

of reading this book or you can as well close it now and never open it

again.

You would learn a lot as I would share personal experiences and those

of others which hold valuable lessons while also exploring the

philosophy of our African culture.

It’s okay now. Enough of the talks and let’s dive right in.

Stay frosty,

Akinyemi Fimihan.

Chapter One
 Iba - To the Ones Who Came Before

“And I saw for the first time how despite the isolation of our lives, we are connected to our ancestors; our

bodies hold the memories of those who came before us, whether it is the features we inherit or a

disposition that is etched in our soul.” ~ Alyson Richman

In Africa, It is essential that you acknowledge the elders and those who came before

you, who laid the groundwork for your ease in the world today. There are tons of

Humans to acknowledge who have contributed to our world in technology, music,

fashion, government, and most importantly — Wisdom.

Wisdom, I believe is the backbone of civilization. No generation builds up its novel

wisdom but instead builds on the wisdom of the previous age and wisdom is what

ensures continuity in our world.

For this reason, I have to acknowledge the contributions of the wise men and

women who came before me, the likes of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor

whose wisdom has lasted hundreds of years and influenced me personally,

Nelson Mandela, whose words I still go back to constantly to ensure I am on the

right path,
Professor Wole Soyinka, who I look up to as an ‘Orisa’, A man of wisdom and virtue

who continues to influence me to this day,

Robert Greene, A man I consider to be one of the greatest writers of the 21st

century. His works, 48 Laws of Power and The Laws of Human Nature are among

the top 10 books that changed my life.

Olajide Abiola, a man of deep wisdom, which has helped me navigate difficult times

in life,

My paternal grandparents, who raised wise children, and my maternal grandfather

who drew the coat of Arm of Kwara state and loved music – although I never met

him, He influenced me in numerous ways.

To Jordan Peterson, Ryan Holiday, Jose Zuniga, James Allen, Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy,

and all others who have influenced me on a personal level, and the world on a

larger scale,
I pay my panegyrics,

Iba

I was once having a conversation with my brother, Toluwalase recently. He seemed

not to agree much with me and didn’t accept my point of view, so I requested for a

cup of water to drink. I poured the water into the glass cup until it started pouring

out. He called my attention to it immediately and said, "Bro. Fimihan, the water is

pouring out already!’

I asked him, "But why won’t any more water go in?" and he answered, "It is full

already, and no matter how hard you try, no more would go in."

I went silent for some seconds and then told him, "When you are filled with your

knowledge and beliefs and you are not ready to unlearn and relearn some things,

you would be like this cup." "No matter the number of words I tell you today, you

won’t be able to accept them, and I would just be wasting our time."

Alvin Toffler is credited with saying “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be

those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”
And these are the exact words I am telling you today... You won’t gain a thing from

this book if you are filled with your knowledge and can’t learn, unlearn, and relearn.

It would be better to close this book instead.

If you are still reading now, that means you are open to learning, and that is great.

Let’s dive straight in.

Chapter Two

What Is Life About?

 "People who labour all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought and impulse toward are

wasting their time-even when hard at work." ~ Marcus Aurelius

What is life about? This is a question every person continuously asks.

Is life about love?

Well, I don’t think so. Love is beautiful, it is what makes us human

But is life about love? No.

Well, Life should be about money then. Making millions of dollars, being

able to live anywhere you want, getting sleek supercars, affording the

limited edition Yves Saint Laurent cologne with a 340,000 dollar Moser

and Cie Swiss watch

Money is good and brings a level of satisfaction but is life about money?

No

If life is not about money or love, then it should be about connecting

with others and friendship.

Humans can be amazing creatures and connecting with the right

humans can be amazing - I have many friends, so trust me when I say

that.

But then, is life about connecting with others and friendship? Well, No.

What in the world is life about then?

Let's pause and imagine a situation (which most of you have

experienced)
You woke up one Tuesday morning, took up your phone and checked if

you got any new messages overnight and then, you checked your status

also.

From WhatsApp, you move on to Facebook to check a few things and

come across a 5-minute comedy skit

“Well, it is just five minutes,” You tell yourself and end up scrolling for

30 minutes

Before you know it, you used 1hour+ on social media.

You went on to watch a 2-hour movie after doing that then you went on

youtube to watch some videos

Let’s say you did this till 4 pm, You would feel an emptiness inside of

you and a bad feeling you find hard to put into words
A lot of young folks call this feeling ‘depression’ but it isn’t.

“Do external things distract you? Then make time to learn

something worthwhile; stop letting yourself be pulled in all directions.

But make sure you guard against the other kind of confusion.

People who labour all their lives but have no purpose to direct every

thought and impulse toward are wasting their time —

even when hard at work.”

Marcus Aurelius

Meditations ~ AD 171 -175

This feeling is due to the lack of a thing

It is what Viktor Frankl wrote about in his book ‘Man’s Search for

Meaning’

What then is it you ask?

Purpose… Life is about purpose.

Happiness is not found in pleasure but in purpose.

You see some folks leaving their comfortable houses and family to

reach out to war victims in the middle east and Africa

Some die in protecting their allegiance to their religion, while some put

their entire life into converting others to their religion

Why, You ask?

The answer lies within purpose.

This is why Mandela was able to endure 27 years in prison being denied

to his family. What kind of man would leave the comfort of his wife,

children, and home to put himself through such for a cause which

wasn’t certain?
This is a man with a purpose.

Remember the feeling I described earlier that isn’t depression?

The feeling comes from a lack of purpose. In the illustration I gave, all

the activities I mentioned are pleasurable, not difficult.

Now you may be thinking, ‘Why is it I know I want to make more of my

life but I don’t take action?’

The next chapter is dedicated to this.

Chapter Three
 Resistance

Are you attempting to go to the gym, trying to take a new course to get

better at your skill, or a student trying to study for good grades?

Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night after thinking of how

you wasted time doom scrolling from Twitter to Facebook and

Instagram, taking Netflix marathons and other unproductive activities,

Knowing you could be more than you currently are but something just

seems to keep you away from the 2.0 version of yourself and you can’t

figure it out

The force between where you are and where you want to be is

Resistance
It is the force that keeps the 95 per cent of people stuck at the same

point making little to no progress

Keeping them from becoming the best version of themselves…

This is the force that wants me to watch the ‘Breaking Bad’ series

instead of writing this book,

The sad truth is a large percentage of humans succumb to this force

and become far less than they could be

Few, The 5 percent however go to war with this force constantly…

With every day comes a new battle, a war against Resistance

I fight a battle every day

Against discouragement and fear;
Some foe stands always in my way,
The path ahead is never clear!
 I must forever be on ground
Against the doubts that skulk along;
I get ahead by fighting hard,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong.

I hear the croaking of Despair,

The Dark Predictions of the Weak;
I find myself pursued by care,
No matter what end I seek;
It matters not how hard I strive;
Each day the fight begins anew,
But fighting keeps my hopes alive.

My dreams are spoiled by circumstance,

My plans are wreaked by fate or luck;
Somehow, perhaps, will bring my chance,
But that great hour has never struck;
My progress has been slow and hard,
I’ve had to climb and crawl and swim,
Fighting for every stubborn yard,
But I have kept in fighting trim.

I have had to fight my doubts away,

And be on guard against my fears;
The feeble croaking of Dismay
Has been familiar through the years;
My dearest plans keeps going wrong,
Events combine to thwart my will,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong,
And I am undefeated still!
~ The Fighter - By S.E Kiser
Resistance records success most of the time and you suffer defeat but this dynamic

can be changed…

It is a law of nature for anyone who wants to pursue a worthy ideal and take a step

towards their purpose to face an enemy Stephen Pressfield calls ‘Resistance’

Resistance would always show up when you have an activity to propel you forward

towards your purpose.

Resistance is why you know you ought to read but you watch movies instead

It is why you know you should be working out but you never take action and do the

first pushup, it is why you know you should be working on improving your skills or

learning one but you keep postponing…

Resistance is there to oppose every human that wants the best out of their life.
It is an objective force of nature.

Destruction is easy but building takes effort and time,

If you want to make something good out of your life, you would face

resistance

Most people can’t face resistance because it is tough. Only 5 per cent of

the entire population can successfully overcome resistance.

The truth however is you’ll continue to face resistance throughout your

time on Earth. The war against resistance is a continual war throughout

one’s lifetime.

Robert Green said ‘As in war, So in Life’.

In simple terms, you have to face resistance like a soldier in war with

strategic moves to ensure you overcome most of the time.

Trust me, Resistance knows it game and plays it well

In the Commando movie, A robot was created with the sole purpose of

killing. This was the only thing programmed in its memory.

Just like this Robot, Resistance only has one sole purpose, To Stop.

To stop you from every creative pursuit, every pursuit to ascend to a

higher version of yourself,

In Stephen Pressfield’s words, He says “The more important a call or

action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel

towards pursuing it”.

Well, the truth is your entire success in life depends on how much you

can overcome this force most of the time.

And you can overcome Resistance.

If no one could overcome Resistance, there would be no Wole Soyinka,

There would be no Nelson Mandela,

No Martin Luther King,

No Marcus Aurelius,

No Elon Musk…
The war with Resistance however isn’t a one-time war but a continual

war every day, with Resistance updating its strategies and being more

persistent in its ambition to stop you.

You must start each day knowing fully well that resistance can

overcome you on any given day and planning deliberate steps and

actions to overcome resistance.

Hitler wanted to be a painter but ended up being one of the most evil

men in recorded history.

What do you think stopped him?

It was easier for Hitler to start the second world war than take up a

paintbrush to paint.

Resistance stopped him.

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth because it is here that you will find all the hopes and

dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never

sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because

someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry

out their dream.” ― Les Brown

The truth is Resistance is universal and every human on earth — so far

you have a body — experiences resistance, and it would only kick in

when you are going from a lower state to a higher state.

Can you defeat Resistance?

HELL Y

Chapter Four
 Just Do It.

‘Action is the antidote to despair’ ~ Joan Baez

What if it doesn’t work?

Why should I do it?

How do I do it? This task seems overwhelming.

Overthinking which then leads to ‘Analysis Paralysis’ is the problem of

most humans today,

Those who are successful at any endeavour don’t have anything figured

out, they are just swift, prompt action-takers.

When I started working out back in 2022, I didn’t have a workout plan,

not even a clue about the type of workouts to do for each body part,

I didn’t have a gym membership, but I decided to take action.

Pushups today, Pullups and planks tomorrow

Those were the only workouts I knew and as time went on, I got more

information on how to work out better and get better guidance on my

workout routine.

And the results are astonishing today.

I have studied the life of several successful people and I have found out

they had no special IQ or Supreme intelligence but they were ruthless

action-takers.
The truth is you would never get all the answers,

You would never have it all figured out.

Instead of entering the roller coaster of extensive and exhaustive

thinking, you should take action Instead.

Take the first step,

And Just Do It.

Resistance loves those who analyze decisions continually because it

keeps them bound in analyzing which then leads to procrastination and

eventually achieving nothing.

When I wanted to begin writing this book, I felt I needed to write deeply

in my gut but then, A million reasons why I shouldn’t write started

popping up in my mind

I began analyzing my possibility of failing and being unable to pass a

clear message,

Days of analyzing began to turn into weeks. I stopped every thought

and asked, ‘What is the worst that could happen’?

I took up my laptop and began writing.

And here you have to result.

The quote at the beginning of the page says ‘Action is the antidote to

despair’.
I’ll however rephrase that as ‘Action is the antidote to Resistance’

A new year's resolution you never worked on?

A goal you didn’t pursue?

An Idea you didn’t materialize?

It isn’t too late. The best last time to plant a tree was 10 years ago and the second

best time to plant a tree is today

Take action.

Chapter Five
 The Laws Of The Universe

“Weakness cannot persist in a power-evolving universe. A man should conceive of a

legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this

purpose the centralising point of his thought.” ~ James Allen

I once read a story of an American man who went to a country in the

middle east with his friends.

One Saturday, while he and his friend were at a restaurant eating, he

saw a group of people carrying out a demonstration with placards in

the street.

He felt it was cool so he told his friends he would join the protest while

his friends refused to join

A few minutes after joining the protest, he got arrested alongside other

protesters and was put in Jail to be sentenced to death as the protest in

the country was considered to be treason to the government

It took the intervention of the U.S. government to get him released.

Well, he didn’t know the laws of this nation, he couldn’t even speak

their language but this is not considered an excuse

If you know the law or not, once you break it, you would face the

consequences.

The same applies to the physical, mental and spiritual laws of the

universe.

Let’s take, for instance, a two-year-old who doesn’t know a thing about

the law of gravity but walks off the edge of a three-story building.
What would happen?

The child won’t fall because he isn’t aware of the law of gravity?

The same applies to all the laws of the universe.

You may suffer bitterly from the consequences of going against a

universal law without you knowing it

The greatest philosophy I have adopted over the years is ‘Every man is

directly responsible for his circumstances, not external factors and can

change his life the day he decides to’

This chapter would hold brief, important details, and if possible, come

back to read it again.

(keep in mind, I am not an expert in this and I am only presenting back

to you what I have learnt)

The truth is the universe is guided by precise laws which every natural

force follows, and these laws apply to living beings also.

While this chapter does not seek to dive fully into all the laws of the

universe, it aims to give the reader insight into these laws.

The law of Attraction

All that I am is a result of what I have thought ~ Buddha

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve ~

Napoleon Hill

All things are possible to him who believes ~ Jesus

Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of

the energy you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be

no other way~ Albert Einstein

If You Can See It In Your Mind, You Can Hold It In Your Hand” ~ Bob

Proctor

Believe you can, and you are halfway there ~ Theodore Roosevelt

I know for sure that what I dwell on is who I become ~ Oprah Winfrey

Imagination is everything, it is the preview of life’s coming attractions ~

Albert Einstein

Different people with different beliefs from different times

They all agree on this singular fact.

This points to the fact that it is worth studying

Adam Sicinski puts it in self-explanatory words when he said,

“The universal Law of Magnetic Attraction states that we attract into our

lives people, things, and circumstances that correspond with our

dominant patterns of emotional thinking.

This universal law has three sub-laws.

-The first is the Law of Attraction which states that our thoughts are like

magnets attracting into our lives corresponding circumstances.

-The second is the Law of Expectation which states that whatever we

expect with feeling becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

-The third sub-law is the Law of Reflection which states that everything

happens first inside of us and then corresponds outside of us.”

Here is the best illustration of the law of attraction at work…

Have you ever sat down and thought of calling a friend or relative and

as soon as you had that thought, you got a call from them?

It is the law of attraction at work.

One fact is this: you attract the physical equivalent and reality of your

thoughts. Thoughts are not hidden but are reflected in our outward

circumstances.

A man would only rise or fall to the extent of the dominant thought of

his mind. There can be no other way to this.

This is why you must ‘stand guard at the door of your mind’ and watch

carefully what you allow into your mind as the diet you take into your

mind is eventually what dominates your thought.

Feed on negativity, and you would attract negativity. Feed on the

positive, and you would attract positive events and circumstances into

your life.
 “At each moment of man’s life, he is either a king or slave. As he surrenders to a wrong appetite, to any

human weakness; as he falls prostrate in hopeless subjection to any condition, to any environment, to any

failure, he is a slave. As he day by day recreates a new self from the sin and folly of his past - then he is a

king. He is a king ruling with wisdom over himself. Alexander conquered the whole world except

Alexander” ~ William George Jordan

Check anyone’s life deeply and you would find them in the physical

reality of their dominant thoughts, this fact is one that should compel

every human to bring their thoughts under their control.

Just like not every food is suitable for consumption, not every piece of

information is suitable for the mind.

One piece of advice I give is ‘Don’t go on social media and mindlessly

consume all you see’

Every piece of information, no matter how subtle, is important.

As I stated in the preceding pages, I won’t go into total details on this

law, however, you would be wise to know the minor details of this law

and put it into the application.

The formula is simple -

Change what goes into your mind and you would change your life. It is

as basic and as simple as this.

 The law of cause and Effect

“Every thought is a cause & every condition is an effect. Change your thoughts & you change

your destiny.” ~ Joseph Murphy

The law of cause and effect states that:

Every effect has a specific and predictable cause.

Every cause or action has a specific and predictable effect.

This means nothing happens in your life randomly and every event in

your life can be linked to a cause.

In a Facebook post made by Olajide Abiola in May, he asked randomly

what his followers thought was the cause of success and over 90% said
they believed success comes from luck

There is nothing more distant from the truth than this.

Success in any human endeavour is a direct result of certain causes and

actions. This law points clearly to the fact that you can change the

results you are getting in your life if you aren’t satisfied with the current

results of your life.

The problem however is most just want to play the victim and have no

control over their situation. They would blame every single thing and

every single person for their woes. This however shouldn’t be you.

You would change your life the day you decide to. The act of Murder

shows a person can change the entire direction of their in one day -

Only that’s in the negative direction.

The law of cause and effect can take up an entire book but I want to

ensure I keep this book concise, with only wheat not mixed with chaff.
Your life at this point is a direct result of thoughts and actions you have

taken previously.

What would you do today to change your life in the right direction?

The ball is in your court.

The five folks around you

Put a bowl of water close to its freezing point in hot, boiling water and it

would become hot.

Put a bowl of hot water amid cold, iced water and it would get cold.

What is the lesson here?

We become the average of those we surround ourselves with.

A scientific study shows that we adapt and become like the average five

people we spend the most time with.

If they are negative, you would be negative.

If they are unhealthy and pessimistic, you would be the same, If they

are unproductive and Lazy, you would be the same.

If they are intelligent, wise, and hardworking, you would be the same.

This text in the bible lends credence to this -

‘He who walks with the wise would be wise, but the companion of fools

will be destroyed’ ~ Proverbs 13:20

Probably, you’ve been trying to make changes in an aspect of your life

and you are finding it really hard to or you get drawn back, then

examine those around you. They may be the hindrance to making

meaningful changes in your life.

I once knew a man trying to go to the gym but found it really hard. He

tried every known technique of habit change he knew but could not

make any progress.

On a particular evening, it suddenly dawned on him none of his friends

were working out or engaging in any physical activity and they were all
out of shape.

The day he resolved to find friends who workout was the day he began

making progress.

In the case where you find it difficult to find people who are where you

want to be, then go on social media - youtube, facebook, instagram,

twitter - and find those with the results you want in your life, follow

them and engage with their content regularly

Joining online groups would be of very effective also.

Either you made the decision to surround yourself with people of low

standards or you were born into an environment of low standards, you

do everything within your power to come out of such.

The danger with this is you wouldn’t even notice how negatively those

around you or your environment are influencing you negatively.

One of the best communication experts in the world today, Vian Giang

once told the story of how he took a communication course for three

years without any results.

He approached the coach and complained on how he wasn’t getting

any results in communication.

His coach then told him he didn’t need any course and made the

statement “if you want to succeed with communication, bring a

communicator to the top five percent of people in your life