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People / 39m
Stoicism Before a Difficult Conversation
How to Have Difficult Conversations with Clarity, Courage, Calm, and Respect
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People / 39m
How to Have Difficult Conversations with Clarity, Courage, Calm, and Respect
There is probably a conversation you already know you need to have.
With a parent. A partner. A friend. A colleague. You have rehearsed it in the shower, in the car, and at three in the morning. But when the moment comes, you soften the truth, change the subject, or say nothing at all.
Stoicism Before a Difficult Conversation applies the practical ideas of Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Socrates to one of the hardest ordinary tasks in life: saying something true when the outcome matters.
The book opens with a man sitting outside his father’s house, knowing he needs to talk about whether his ageing father should still be driving - and going home without saying it.
You’ll discover:
The Stoic goal is not bluntness.
It is to say what is true, say it kindly, and then listen.
We'll email you the first chapter of Stoicism Before a Difficult Conversation after you confirm your address.
It is Sunday evening, and you are sitting in the car outside your father's house. The engine is off. You have been there for six minutes. You know because you keep checking your phone, as if the phone might give you a reason to drive away. Inside, he is watching the football with the volume too high. On the drive is his car, with a fresh scrape along the passenger door that he says was somebody else's fault. Last week your sister sent you a message. Have you talked to Dad yet. No question mark. She did not need one. You have rehearsed the opening line in the shower, on the motorway, at three in the morning. And every version sounds either cruel or useless. So you sit there. And eventually you go in, and you watch the football with him, and you talk about the weather and the price of petrol, and you drive home having said nothing at all. Most men have a conversation like that waiting for them. Sometimes several. The colleague who needs to hear the truth about his work. The friend who owes you money and an apology. The partner you have drifted away from, a little further every year, while both of you pretend not to notice. We are not short of things to say. We are short of the nerve, the words, and the right moment.
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