Mar '24 • Practical Philosophy Club
Startup disaster? Remember Hemingway’s Suitcase
A piece I am working on for a startup founder community I recently started and also thinking of using in social for audience building. Any and all feedback encouraged!
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Where my Ernest Hemingway and/or Ryan Holliday fans at? This one is for you.
First Ryan Holliday - the man synonymous with Stoicism and an amazing example of Audience Community Product (lmk if interested and I'll do a short teardown on that in another piece). His book "The Obstacle is the Way" is literally in every NFL locker room (and that of many other sports) and he is one of the most sought after speakers by sporting teams to discuss the principles of this book.
"The Obstacle Is the Way" draws inspiration from Stoicism, presenting the idea that the challenges and obstacles we face in life are opportunities for growth rather than impediments. Holiday argues that our perception of obstacles, our actions in response to them, and our will to endure are crucial to overcoming difficulties. By embracing obstacles and treating them as opportunities to practice virtue, develop resilience, and adapt, we can find success and inner peace. The book uses historical anecdotes and philosophical teachings to illustrate how to turn obstacles into advantages.
So how does a 21st century author who writes a lot about a 2nd century Roman emperor (Marcus Aurelius) tie back to one of the greatest authors of the 20th century (and arguably all time)?
Enter Hemingway's Suitcase - one of the wildest stories from Hemingway's life and the stuff of literary legend. One that simultaneously destroyed his first marriage and served as the catalyst to his future fame and success.
In December 1922 Hemingway, then an unpublished fictional author living with the Lost Generation artists in Paris, was stationed in Geneva on a journalistic assignment. Hemingway's wife Hadley had stayed behind in Paris to nurse a cold but the couple had plans to meetup in Chambry after the assignment. Hemingway had been urging Hadley to come sooner to meet him and in one of the communiques mentioned meeting a publisher who expressed interest in his works. Hadley, in a very tender act of love, decided to pack all of Hemingway's manuscripts, including the carbon copies, and surprise him in Geneva so he could share his work. In a cruel twist of fate, Hadley left the suitcase full of manuscripts momentarily unattended at the Paris train station and the suitcase vanished. A despondent Hadley boarded the long train ride to Geneva dreading the disastrous news she had to deliver to her husband.
Hemingway writes in A Moveable Feast:
“I had never seen anyone hurt by a thing other than death or unbearable suffering except Hadley when she told me about the things being gone. She had cried and cried and could not tell me. I told her that no matter what the dreadful thing was that had happened nothing could be that bad, and whatever it was, it was all right and not to worry. We could work it out. Then, finally, she told me. I was sure she could not have brought the carbons too and I hired someone to cover for me on my newspaper job. I was making good money then at journalism, and took the train for Paris. It was true alright and I remember what I did in the night after I let myself into the flat and found it was true.”
You can imagine how difficult this must have been for Hemingway. Writing to his friend, the poet Ezra Pound, about his misfortune "You, naturally, would say, ‘Good’ etc. But don’t say it to me. I ain’t yet reached that mood.” But eventually he did reach the mood.
It is likely (although we'll never know as the manuscripts have never been recovered) that Hemingway's juvenilia was just that – rambling, unstructured, unremarkable pieces of youthful hopes and dreams. “The first and most important thing of all, for writers today,” Hemingway later said, “is to strip language clean, to lay it bare down to the bone.” With the loss of the manuscripts, and with time pressing to replace those vanished words in his bid to become a respected writer, Hemingway adopted and adapted the lean prose style for which he became famous. Just a few short years later in 1926 Hemingway would take the literally world by storm with his breakthrough masterpiece The Sun Also Rises, compelling readers to turn page after page with his stripped down prose, compelling characters and story telling, and vivid imagery.
This story illustrates the 5 key takeaways from The Obstacle is The Way
- Perception is Key: Our interpretation of an obstacle determines our reaction. Viewing challenges as opportunities rather than threats can change our approach and outcome.
- Action is Essential: Passive waiting or complaint is ineffective. Engage with obstacles through persistent, creative, and flexible action to navigate through them.
- The Power of Will: Cultivating a strong inner will allows us to endure and persist through challenges, making use of our control over our attitudes and reactions.
- Use Obstacles as Opportunities: Every obstacle presents a chance for growth, learning, or a new path. Identifying and leveraging these opportunities can lead to unexpected success.
- Embrace Amor Fati: Love your fate. Accept and find value in whatever happens, treating each experience as something to be embraced rather than avoided.
The moral of this story? When your startup encounters one of many inevitable "disasters" or endures what Jason Lemkin calls "the year of hell," remember Hemingway's Suitcase. Use the five principles above to analyze your situation and choose the Stoic path to unimagined success.
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Startup disaster? Remember Hemingway’s Suitcase
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