Untitled Episode

Kwame Otieno Bala

A very good morning, and welcome to the show. Todays show seeks to answer wether resilience is necessary within the context of Stoicism and African philosophy. On a personal note, let me begin by mentioning that Resilience isn't just a philosophical concept for me; it's something I’ve lived. You know, while I was preparing for today’s show, it hit me just how often I find myself coming back to the word—resilience! I mean, it seems to pop up everywhere: on the blog, the newsletter, conversations, even in the little post-it notes I scribble when I’m trying to organize my thoughts. And I thought about why. Why does it resonate so deeply with me?

Kwame Otieno Bala

Well, I think it’s because there have been moments in my life when resilience wasn’t just an idea or some lofty virtue you’d read about in books. It was—how do I put this—it was a lifeline. A daily, almost instinctual necessity. And I imagine it’s been the same for a lot of you. Like, those times when you’ve had to go on, even when every part of you wants to give up. Drawing from reserves you didn’t even know you had. The persistent inflation of the past two years is probaby a case in point. It's effects has stretched household budgets to breaking points, as a result, many of us find ourselves practicing resilience daily - not as a self-improvement project but as a necessity. Whether it's adjusting spending habits, finding creative solutions to maintain quality of life, or simply preserving our mental wellbeing amid financial stress, we're all testing the limits of our adaptive capacity.

Kwame Otieno Bala

Such moments aren't flashy, for me neither. They aren’t filled with grand speeches or triumphant soundtracks. In fact, if I’m honest, they are filled with silence. Just you, wrestling with that raw, almost primal urge to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You see, it’s in those silent battles where I think resilience is truly built. In the mundane, unglamorous middle of it all. It’s not romantic, but it’s real.

Kwame Otieno Bala

And what I’ve come to appreciate is how learning to lean into that discomfort—to embrace it as part of the journey—has shaped me more than I ever realized at the time. Emotional, mental, even physical resilience, it’s all interconnected, isn’t it? It’s like a muscle you don’t know you have until life, well... forces you to use it.

Kwame Otieno Bala

But, and this is crucial, resilience isn’t about going it alone. That’s one mistake I think many of us make, myself included. It’s not about being this immovable, unbreakable thing. It’s about bending when life demands it, but not snapping. It’s about community; it’s about curiosity; and most importantly, it’s about keeping an open heart even when everything inside of you wants to shut down.

Kwame Otieno Bala

And so, as we gear-up for today’s exploration of resilience—which is really an exploration of life itself—I just wanna encourage you to take a moment and reflect. Think about those moments in your own journey when you showed up for yourself, even if it felt small or insignificant at the time. Because those moments aren’t small. They’re the scaffolding that supports every dream, every breakthrough, every step toward the future you want to build.

Kwame Otieno Bala

Alright, my friends, lets start the show.