This column appeared under the “Hip Hops” rubric at Food & Dining Magazine on 13 December 2023. Head on over to F&D to read it.
Hip Hops: “Beers with friends. That’s it. That’s the column.”
Whether it was a rewarding 45th high school class reunion, an impromptu wake for Mark at the Public House or a few wonderful autumn days checking in with European best buddies, I’ll remember the year 2023 as an extended reminder that life goes on.
As Warren Zevon reminded us, “enjoy every sandwich.” My adaptation isn’t unexpected: Enjoy every beer.
Beers with a Stoic closes a circle that dates to 1978, when my first college class was “Intro to Philosophy.” Later, philosophy and history were my major and minor, respectively. Stoicism comes to us from ancient Greece, positing that to embrace the virtues of wisdom, courage, justice and moderation, we can attain “ataraxia,” or a sense of inner tranquility and harmony in our own lives, focusing on matters we can control — thoughts, emotions, and actions — while accepting the things we cannot, like the actions of others, or the natural course of events taking place in the world around us. No one is perfect, least of all me. But we all keep trying, pausing here and there for a beer. For more: Stoicism.
