Unfortunately, the court granted the university’s motion to dismiss (ruling here).
My wife was a little freaked out by how calm I was when I found out (this came in right before my trip to Japan, hence the late posting). I’ve found Stoic philosophy to be of great comfort while dealing with the university and my colleagues during the past few years. One aspect of Stoic philosophy is the notion of control, and the Stoics emphasize how little control we have over events. Thus, the key to mental health is to focus our efforts on that which we can control.
I went into this knowing I had no control over the behavior of the university, my colleagues, or the court system. The only thing I can control is whether I defend myself against these baseless attacks. So my psychological focus is on pursuing the case, not on whether I win or lose.
Such a mindset means that I will of course pursue this to the bitter end, regardless of the probability of success, which means appealing the court’s decision. My attorney has filed a notice that we plan to appeal, and the length of the process is unknown, probably at least several months, perhaps longer.
I recently spent two days solo-hiking the Nakahechi portion of the Kumano Kodo. Hiking a 1,000-year-old Buddhist pilgrimage trail through the mountains in Japan also helps to put your problems in perspective.
If you’re interested in Stoic philosophy, I recommend this book by Farnsworth. Much of the modern mindfulness movement and cognitive behavioral therapy are based on the Stoics.
Woke Joke Part 4: Final motions filed
Woke Joke Part 3: Our response to NCSU’s Motion to Dismiss
Woke Joke Part 2: NCSU responds to lawsuit
Woke Joke Part 1: When the woke mob comes for you, stand up and fight back!
