Geeky Stoics

Maybe Escapism is Good, Actually

I don’t like to turn my brain off when enjoying a movie, show, or book. For me, the point has never been to “escape” the real world or be off in La-La Land; it’s to think more deeply. If a story isn’t engaging me on the level of morality, ethics, political thought….I get kind of bored. So, I’ve always criticized fellow fans of, say, Star Wars, who argue in the comments that they expect a story to offer “escapism.” It’s possible that, according to Tolkien, I’m wrong about this. Today I sat down to read a few pages of On Fairy-stories, an essay by JRR Tolkien about the question of “escape” and how good stories are anything but…..This is early exclusive for subscribers on Substack and the Discord community, and then it will be posted on YouTube next week. Thanks for being part of our mythically minded community. Riley and I are hard at work on our new book, which should be wrapped up by March. Then we’ll be penning more regular posts again here for all of you.Happy New Year, y’all! 2025 was incredible. You played a part in that for us at Geeky Stoics. Thank you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Luminous Beings Are We: A Christmas Message

There’s a scene in The Empire Strikes Back that never gets old. It’s kept its grip on me to this day.Luke in the Dagobah swamp, staring down the task he’s already decided is impossible. “It’s too big,” he says. And Yoda’s quiet reply exposes the lie most of us carry: that truth is limited to what we can see, touch, and control.Luminous beings are we.This week’s video is a reflection on that moment and why it matters, especially during the Christmas season.The Stoics spoke of the Logos, the rational order holding the universe together. The beloved disciple John took that same word and made a shocking claim: the Logos is not an idea or a general “force,” but a person. The light did not stay distant. He stepped into the darkness of this world to save us.For some of you, Christmas doesn’t feel like “good news.” I get that. It can be a tough time of year. But the story didn’t begin in guilt or judgment. Jesus’ story began in wonder. As an answer to an ache. As the radical claim that you are more than “this crude matter.”At Geeky Stoics, we call that Wonder. And without it, even the best of Stoic philosophy collapses into hollow self-help.The video explores all of this: Yoda, the Stoics, Saint Augustine, and why “luminous beings are we” is a truth we must remember, especially this time of year.Merry Christmas,—Riley This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

Wisdom showdown: Uncle Ben vs Uncle Ben

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.geekystoics.comUncle Ben from Spider-Man serves as an introduction to wisdom and “maxims” for many kids around the world. It all starts with the movies we watch and the books we read. Here’s Uncle Ben in the 2002 movie….“This guy, Flash Thompson, he probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up doesn’t give you the right to. Remember, with grea…

I finally made the video I’ve been scared to make.

This one feels different.It’s the first time I’ve ever made something this personal for Geeky Stoics, pulling back the curtain on my struggle as I lost myself in my Air Force career, and how I found my way back, training for a Half Iron Man. It’s a story about identity, ambition, and the moment you realize you’ve been chasing someone else’s version of success.And the only way I knew how to tell it…was through the lens of Star Wars.Luke Skywalker has always been my guide for understanding who I want to be. While he struggles and loses his way, he still finds his way back… A hero, like his father before him. Somewhere along the way, I forgot that. This video chronicles my obsession to remember again.It’s called “The Dream That Refused to Die.”And before it goes live to the rest of the world on YouTube, I wanted you, the Geeky Stoics community, to see it first. So here it is. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

What's This About A Bible Sales Surge?

News reports this October showed a surge in Bible sales across the United States and the UK, confirming what so many people can feel and polls have supported…which is that a religious revival is happening in the West. Generation Z, which Pew Research defines as being born between 1997 and 2012. Members of the generation — also known as Zoomers — have been increasingly drawn toward religion, particularly Christianity, with data showing the number of Americans who don’t identify with one particular church is stabilizing thanks to them.Fact: Overall, younger generations are more spiritually curious. Barna research group reports that most Gen Z teens are interested in learning more about Jesus, with younger cohorts leading the way in the growth of new commitments.This was what George Lucas wished for with Star Wars. He sought to awaken spirituality in young people back in the 1970s….which didn’t take right away. One has to wonder if there a delayed effect of stories like Star WarsBy in large, I believe the youth spiritual revival is a byproduct of “divorce culture” driven by Baby Boomers throughout the 1980s-2010s. Young people rebel against what older folks are doing, and it is not true to say that our elders are somehow rigid traditionalists and papist scolds. Most Boomers are in their second or third marriage, leaving the church as a result (feeling of shame) and experiencing a rapid decrease in their religiosity. There does come a point at which kids will notice the decisions they made, and do the opposite. And funny enough, that is now church and marriage. Geeky Stoics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.What do you think? Is something happening in the West when it comes to spirituality and a return to faith? Or is it something else? New from Geeky Stoics on YouTube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe