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Sloww Sunday Newsletter 110 (Jul 17, 2022) — What is Sloww?, Practical Stoicism, Integral Theory, & More
Happy Sunday!
Here’s the latest from Sloww along with the most interesting things I discovered last week.
To respect your time and attention, every newsletter can be read in under 5 minutes. If you enjoy it, please take 5 seconds to forward the email version to some friends and family. 🙏
🌀 Sloww Stuff
🆕 Big Updates!
Apologies for being MIA the last couple weeks—my wife and I just moved! But, Sloww Sunday is back this week with some big updates to the visuals below that attempt to explain Sloww in a nutshell.
First of all, a simplified key takeaway: Sloww synthesizes lifelong learning that catalyzes human development.
Next, a visual representation: Lifelong learning (on the horizontal axis) occurs at each stage of human development (on the vertical axis).
Lastly, the previous stage 3 has been separated into two distinct stages: the mind (stage 3) and beyond the mind (stage 4).
All updates are reflected in these posts:
- What is Sloww?
- Sloww Stage 1: How do I design a lighter life?
- Sloww Stage 2: How do I find higher purpose?
- Sloww Stage 3: How do I master the mind?
- Sloww Stage 4: How do I embody wisdom?
🧠 Modern Knowledge
A Brief History of Everything
As my own learning and development journey evolves, I’m reminded of Ken Wilber (creator of Integral Theory) who says his own learning evolved from psychology → anthropology → sociology → philosophy → spirituality. Needless to say, I’ve started reading my third Wilber book: A Brief History of Everything.
Ken Wilber turned 73 this year, and he just wrapped up the manuscript for a new book called “Making Room for Everything” that is intended to give a comprehensive intro/overview of all things Integral Theory. When recently asked about his legacy, here’s what he had to say:
“I have some ideas about my legacy … What I would like to see it be is people looking at a way to think in integral ways. And, that just means in ways that bring together all of the different forms of thinking and methodologies and experiences that we have—simply because all of them are available to human beings. So, if we’re not including all of them when we think about a human being, we’re not really thinking about a full human being and there’s something wrong with that approach … What I would hope would be part of my legacy is: here is a full, developed human being, and look at the various stages that they’ve gone through—and you can go through these stages as well. You really do see a bigger and more inclusive and fuller world as you go through these higher stages of development.” — Ken Wilber
Pair with:
- “A Theory of Everything” by Ken Wilber (Book Summary)
- “The Integral Vision” by Ken Wilber (Book Summary)
☯️ Timeless Wisdom
Stoicism Philosophy & Practicality
80 mins | Modern Wisdom (YouTube)
This podcast with Donald Robertson is an absolute goldmine about Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism. Also, be sure to check out his book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and new graphic novel Verissimus.
“The others obey their own lead, follow their own impulses. Don’t be distracted. Keep walking. Follow your own nature, and follow Nature—along the road they share.” — Marcus Aurelius
Pair with:
- “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius (Book Summary)
- “On the Shortness of Life” by Seneca (Essay Summary)
- “Enchiridion” by Epictetus (Book Summary)
- 50+ Marcus Aurelius Quotes & Deep Questions
- My All-Time Favorite Stoic Quotes
💭 Deep Thought
I’m still stuck on the lottery of birth…
Sorry if you are sick of me mentioning the lottery of birth, but it’s one of the 10 biggest ideas I’ve come across.
I want to better understand where this falls apart for people. If you aren’t on board with this, please respond and let me know where/why (you can zoom in below or view this image on Twitter):
💬 Wise Words
Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself.
— Bashō
Sharing: If you enjoyed this issue, please help grow Sloww by forwarding the email version of this issue to some friends and family. It’s free for them to subscribe here.
Support: Sloww is a one-human labor of love (it’s just me over here 👋). Your support keeps the site ad-free and invests in me while you invest in yourself—a true win-win! There are a few financial and free ways to support.
Feedback: Have something you want to say, or just want to say hi? It’s always greatly appreciated. Just send me an email or reach out socially.
Have an alive week!
Kyle Kowalski
Founder, Sloww
