Stoicism in Practice: Voluntary Discomfort (Silent Dinner 🍽)

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! 🤓 Can you sit through a dinner without saying a single word? **Voluntary Discomfort, a Stoic Practice** **7 PM Arrival**: We’ll start with a chat, get settled, and discuss the power of non-verbal communication to set our intentions. **Ordering & The Silence:** we will either have to order in the first 30 minutes of our seating or practice our non-verbal communication by pointing out on the menu to staff what you are ordering. Alternatively, write down your order to give to waiters. Silence begins promptly at 7.30pm. **Phones Away**: To make this truly intentional, once our orders are in, all phones go away. We’ll then enjoy one full hour of silence—just us, our gestures, and our facial expressions. **Optional "Accountability" Jar**: If you accidentally slip up, speak, or reach for your phone, you can drop a gold coin into our jar. This is optional but a fun way to keep us all on track (donations go back to the Meetup group)! **After an hour has passed (8.30pm), we’ll break the silence and reflect on our experience.** They say communication is 80% non-verbal, so we’re tuning into a different way of connecting. For Stoics, voluntary discomfort is about resilience. Seneca believed that by temporarily giving up a comfort we take for granted—like easy conversation—we train our minds to be content with less. It reminds us that we are capable of enduring hardships, so when life gets "real," we’re already prepared. **Note to RSVPs:** I need to confirm final numbers with the restaurant, so please reply to my message or adjust your RSVP status if your plans have changed! Looking forward to a great challenge with you all!