Stoic Parenting, Transcendence, And Being A Citizen Of The World
An interview with Brittany Polat
What does it mean to be a good parent in the philosophical sense? What does it mean to transcend in the way Viktor Frankl envisioned after surviving the Holocaust? How can you learn to care wisely as the ancient Stoics intended?
These disparate questions have a common thread. Brittany Polat. Brittany has amazing insight into Stoic philosophy as an author, Ph.D. holder, and mental health advocate. It was wonderful to chat with her about building a path to eudaimonia (flourishing).
Great to chat, Brittany. Stoicism has played a significant role in your life, which you’ve shared in works such as Tranquility Parenting: A Guide to Staying, Calm, Mindful and Engagedand it’d be interesting to know how you think Stoicism can help in the context of parenting.
It’s nice to talk with you! Every parent knows how difficult it is to raise another human being, especially in the context of a global pandemic. I actually came to Stoicism due to having three children and realizing that I needed an operating system to do a good job as a parent.