CTT Week 6 - Overcoming Barriers
“For man is a rational animal, and his good is realised if he implements the potentiality for which nature gave him being. And what does reason demand of him? A very easy thing: to live according to his nature.” - The Stoic Philosophy of Seneca
In attempt to unravel the intricacies behind my leadership quest, I’d stumbled upon the concept of stoicism- the endurance of pain or hardship in pursuit of eudaemonia

Essentially, stoicism is a practice that is far less concerned about why the universe works the way it does and more concerned about how to best live within its established framework. This was of particular important to me as gaining perspective of the issue at hand is another barrier I face as it can be quite easy to lose purpose behind the task. Therefore, it’s imperative for me to discern whether I’m working towards this project for the purpose of my leadership quest or as a way to reduce the barrier between young Australians and the Australian government.
Drawing upon the principles of stoicism further, an important feature of Stoic philosophy is the conviction that all human beings belong and participate in a cosmopolitan society of a shared universal citizenship (Whiting et al. 2018). It is so easy to fall into a pattern of complacency and stoicism, especially when we’re faced with a challenge that instinctively makes us habituate into patterns of comfort.
At every stage of my leadership quest, I am faced with the option of retreating into this comfortable choice and only pursuing this topic with the mere purpose of achieving a high score. Or alternatively, I can commit to my project and strive to ensure
There is a strong feeling uncertainty of the impact in what I’m achieving. There is no doubt that I want my leadership quest to be applicable at a governmental level and beneficial to Australians, but I’m riddled with the uncertainty of whether it’s achievable and my role as the catalyst for such change. Ultimately, I think that there is something terrifying in thinking about wanting to change the world and actually doing it. For so long, I’d been involved in supporting global change through various different capacities but I’d never yet made a tangible change on a scale as big as the project I’m working on for my leadership quest. And it’s this voyage into uncharted territory that challenges me and essentially, poses as the biggest barrier to my project.
“If not me; who? If not know; when?”
These words by Emma Watson is quite fitting as there is urgency and gravity towards each of the societal issues we face, regardless of how meek they may appear in comparison to other global issues. And drawing upon the principles of stoicism, we each hold our own unique capacity as a catalyst for global change. All it simply needs, is for us to act upon it.
References:
Whiting, K., Konstantakos, L., Sadler, G. and Gill, C., 2018. Were Neanderthals Rational? A Stoic Approach. Humanities
Long, A. A., and D. N. Sedley. 1987. The Hellenistic Philosophers: Volume 1, Translations of the Principal Sources with Philosophical Commentary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
