First, have a Transcendent Vision: You need a vision that is grand. Don’t have one? Study those that do. Study philosophy and theology, and what I’d call ‘good fiction’ (which is also, controversial fiction)
Second, have Transcendent Standards: You need rational prejudices, such as Truth, Goodness, and Justice.
Third, have a Transcendent Stability: You’re a lighthouse, not a superman. As a leader, you don’t have to be able to do everything. Rather, you have to be a stable point that directs the parts towards the whole. You guessed it…you need a stable transcendent vision to do this. You need convictions that are invincible. Recommendation, start with the great Leaders.
Books to Read to Get a Vision:
- Epic Fantasy Books (really? Yes) It is said that Alexander the great slept with the Iliad under his pillow. Probably an exaggeration, but the fact that he had a heroic image before him, from Homer, is clear, and is consistent with his teacher Aristotle’s tutelage, where the development of virtue requires exemplars.
- Personal Favorites: The Pendragon Cycle 5 Book Set “Taliesin”, “Merlin”, “Arthur”, “Pendragon” and “Grail” (The Pendragon Cycle, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- Goodkind’s Sword of Truth Series (some don’t like it because it is both graphic and moralizing. I concede the violence can be a bit gratuitous, but the moralizing is great. Even if you disagree with his philosophy, it is stimulating)
- Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) is actually pretty good. It wrestles with good and evil, heroism, and of course magic.
- Read your Bible and the stories of the martyrs (really? Yes)
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Books to Read to Get Transcendent Standards:
- Read good philosophy books that explain why Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, are objective features of reality (is this a contentious statement? Yes, but I do believe that this is right)
- Read about great military struggles. (I reject universal pacifism and hold that some violence is justified
Books to Read to Get Stability:
- The Enchiridion by Epictetus (ancient Greek Stoic philosopher)
- Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and Job from the Bible
I have found that stability comes with mental preparation, mentorship, and rigorous reflection. This requires investment. Even reading fiction is a kind of investment. If you take the stories seriously, in the sense you are a character in a story, and not just escaping from your daily grind. For instance, you have priorities, aims, standards, and a vision of reality that motivates you. Are you heroic? Why not? If you take good stories seriously, then they are not mere stories, but hypothetical thought-experiments for your actual life. Resolve to be the hero: take the necessary steps, and you’ll become the leader that you invest yourself in.
Thanks for listening. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Steve Byerly
I am a philosopher that is interested in what makes life worth living, what is worth pursuing, and how we can learn from the past. I believe that good philosophy benefits everyone and that there should be philosophers that present philosophy to those outside of the academy.
