On The Stoicism Of Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins does not dodge responsibility for his choices. When he says something he means it. He risks. I admire that.

Take for example his 2014 rant against suicide, in which he paints people who kill themselves as selfish. He took a lot of heat for that. He considered the criticism, agreed, and published a full apology. He writes: "To those I offended, I believe you and I apologize. If what I wrote causes you to toss me out of your boat, it is to my great regret, but I understand and thank you for your thoughts."

In the minds of people I don't want to be like this could be seen as weakness, but of course it's strength*. It's Stoic. 

I have always been very impressed with Henry Rollins. If you aren't familiar with his work he began his public life as the lead singer of a punk band called "Black Flag." He went on to form his own band and from there branched out into print, screen and stage. He's a sort of rennaisance man of the 21st century.

He is a charismatic figure to be sure; he has an intensity about him that you don't find very often. He's also eccentric for a man in his position. He lifts weights as a philosophical exercise (there's no hint of vanity about him) and he refuses to drink, smoke or take drugs. That must make him something of an oddball in the entertainment industry.

He spends his life traveling the world and bringing stories of other lands back to the West. He tells us these stories at "spoken word" shows. His performances have a lot in common with standup comedy but comedy is not the goal; comedy is the vehicle he uses to transmit his message.

And what is his message? He wants us to open our eyes to the rest of the world and love our fellow human beings.

If you take in enough of Rollins' work you will begin to notice something; he's never ironic. He is the anti-hipster. He is aboslutely, completely sincere. Watch this interview and you'll see what I mean:

Nardwar is a character. Rollins clearly thinks that playing such a character is at the least a waste of time, but he contains himself. To each his own.

Compare this to an earlier interview with Nardwar:

What we see here is a man who has learned to step outside of himself and evaluate his own thoughts. Does this make him a Stoic? No, I don't think so, but he certainly has found some Stoic techniques. He feels intensely; he values emotion. He sees anger as a tramsformational force. If we all get angry enough we'll change the world. Maybe he's right. It's not the Stoic way, but I like it. I prefer my way, but it's interesting.

Here is an encounter between Rollins and some New York hipsters which illustrates his sincerity:

Is his response Stoic? I'd say it is in the sense that he doesn't fear his antagonists and in that he stands up for what he believes. There is an aggressiveness there, though, that probably isn't Stoic. On the other hand Zeno is recorded as having launched some verbal barbs at the young and beautiful of his day. Here's a famous one from Diogenes:

"A young man was talking a great deal of nonsense, and he said to him, 'This is the reason why we have two ears and only one mouth, that we may hear more and speak less."

So I would argue that Rollins is not a natural Stoic, but that he embodies certain Stoic ideals, and that emulating him might be useful to a Stoic. As Seneca says of Epicurus, the founder of a rival philosophy: "Epicurus is worth listening to, and his wise sayings should be regarded not as Epicurus' alone but as common and public property."

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*If you write for an audience you are going to get feedback, and sometimes that will lead you to change your mind. Sometimes it won't. Admitting the fact when it does is strength. Apologizing simply because people complain is not. Rollins shows strength in his apology.