A Quick Look at Stoicism
A Note from the Author
This is the opening chapter of The Stoic Creative Handbook. Want more free chapters? Visit http://www.TheStoicCreative.com.
The Stoic Creative: Embrace Your Purpose, Engage Your Courage, Share Your ExcellenceThe Stoic Creative: Embrace Your Purpose, Engage Your Courage, Share Your Excellence
Struggling Creatives Are Driven by Passion. Thriving Creatives Are Driven by Purpose.
Isn’t a "stoic" someone who is passionless and a "creative" someone fueled by passion?
The meaning of the word stoic depends on whether it begins with a small s or a capital S! In common usage “stoic” describes a person who grimly endures life’s challenges. A “Stoic” is a student of an ancient philosophy that cultivates a sense of well being by developing your potential.
In other words, the common use of stoic means the opposite of what Stoic philosophy teaches!
And Stoic philosophy can teach Creatives plenty!
Let’s take a quick look at the philosophical tradition and teachings of Stoicism that will inform many of the exercises in this handbook. This chapter is an intentionally quick introduction. If you’d like to investigate this beautiful philosophical tradition more deeply, I’ve included several references in Chapter 9.
For the ancients, philosophy was not a navel gazing activity reserved for academics, but a daily practice for everyone. Every ancient philosophy tried to determine what it meant to be truly human and happy and develop systems for becoming more of both. Among the competing philosophies, Stoicism endures. Why?
Stoicism was founded in 300 B.C. by Zeno of Citium, a shipwrecked merchant who lost everything and landed in Athens, Greece. Making the best of his situation, he took up philosophy by reading about Socrates and studying with a teacher. Over the years he began to develop his own philosophy based on what he had learned. He taught and discussed it with his students in a covered portico in the Athens market, the stoa poikile (the painted porch), from which Stoicism gets its name.
Stoicism enjoyed great popularity in ancient Greece and thrived for years thanks to subsequent leaders of the stoa, Cleanthes and Chrysippus in particular. As the power of Athens and Greece faded and that of Rome rose, Stoicism continued to develop and remain popular. The primary Roman Stoic writers were a freed slave turned teacher; Epictetus, a playwright and political advisor; Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius, the last of the “good emperors” of the Roman Empire.
With the rise of Christianity, secular philosophy fell out of favor, but what little literature from the Stoics remained continued to find an audience throughout history. Stoicism is undergoing a resurgence now thanks to the many books, blogs, sites, and events that advocate Stoicism’s virtues, values, and relevance.
So, what is Stoicism and what are its basic principles and practices?
Like most ancient philosophies, Stoicism addresses “What is the good life?” In other words, what does it mean to be human and truly happy, and how do we become more of both?
The Stoics believed that “the good life” was one of “human flourishing.” The ancient Greeks had a word for it:εὐδαιμονία or eudaimonia.
All that was required for such a life was virtue. For the Stoics, virtue is the only true good and virtue is its own reward. The ancient Greek word for virtue was arete, which is translated as “excellence of character.”
Striving to achieve our potential as happy and healthy humans requires us to “live in agreement with nature.” This means not only living in agreement with our human nature as social creatures born with the capacity for reason but also with the entirety of the natural world which includes the cosmos.
Applying reason to social living for greater tranquility and thriving is central to the teaching of Epictetus who began The Handbook (based on notes taken by his student), with the following statement, “Some things are up to us and other things are not.”
Staying in the “here and now” (hic et nunc, the Romans would say), and mindfully addressing what is within and what is outside our control is at the heart of Stoic practice, as is what is within our influence.
The words of Epictetus often remind people of the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”
Developing Stoic mindfulness to life’s celebrations and Stoic resilience to life’s challenges are achieved through exercises that apply our reason to what we experience in the here and now, and to do what is best for ourselves and others, in alignment with our virtue. Here are a few.
The View From Above – Imagining a bird’s eye view looking down at ourselves from above and beginning to zoom further and further out. This exercise helps contextualize our place in the planetary community and beyond.
Hierocles’ Circle – This is similar to the exercise above, but reminds us of our place as social creatures in service to each other. Again, starting with ourselves, we reach out to ever-widening circles of contact. Our family, our friends, our neighbors, people living in the same city or town, and so on, to the planet and beyond. As we reach each new circle, we imagine pulling those people closer to us and into the previous circle.
Negative Visualization – Beginning the day by imagining what obstacles or misfortunes we may meet and planning how we might face or handle them in alignment with our virtue. This exercise helps us de-catastrophize minor issues and perhaps see impediments as opportunities.
Gratitude for What You Already Have – Contemplating the simple gifts and benefits already within our possession. Not material objects necessarily, but basic human needs, connections, the beauty of the natural world, and another day of life to live.
This overview of Stoic philosophy is a very brief introduction to the basic tenets of Stoic philosophy and practice. There are many resources for further investigation into this beautiful and powerful philosophy of life at the end of this handbook. However, with this brief overview complete, let’s continue our journey and apply some of these ideas and exercises to developing a courageous creative posture and a thriving artist’s mindset.
Key Takeaway from Chapter 1 and an Exercise
Key Takeaway
Achieving your potential as happy and healthy human beings is difficult without a blueprint and an operating system. The time-tested approach of Stoicism has been successfully applied by slaves and prisoners, artists and entrepreneurs, and employees and emperors.
To realize our potential, we must identify, understand, and work with our strengths and weaknesses. Developing ourselves and delivering the goods will require us to handle internal doubts and fears as well as external obstacles and misfortunes.
To do this, we need to draw on our creative nature, apply our capacity for reason, and develop our social instincts. Whether or not you become a declared Stoic, you can draw upon the philosophy’s lessons and exercises to undertake this journey with a greater sense of thriving.
An Exercise
The Stoics aspired to be an ideal human being called the Stoic Sage, one who was wise and a citizen of the world. The Sage experiences natural emotions and desires but is not enslaved by them. The Sage loves others and loves fate, even when doing so subjects him or her to misfortune and poor treatment. Through all life’s vicissitudes, the Sage remains unperturbed, tranquil, and joyful.
Is becoming the Stoic Sage likely? No. Many Stoics believed no such person has yet walked the earth, but they did see glimpses of the Sage in men like Socrates and other great teachers.
Sit and contemplate for a minute how the ideal human being thinks and acts. Make a list of people who exhibit those qualities. They can be people you know, people from ancient or recent history, or characters from books or movies. Write them down and list the virtues or acts that you associate with each one. Identify your heroes, and it’s more likely you’ll become one.
Onward!
This is the opening chapter of The Stoic Creative Handbook. Want more free chapters? Visit http://www.TheStoicCreative.com.
The Stoic Creative: Embrace Your Purpose, Engage Your Courage, Share Your ExcellenceThe Stoic Creative: Embrace Your Purpose, Engage Your Courage, Share Your Excellence
Struggling Creatives Are Driven by Passion. Thriving Creatives Are Driven by Purpose.
Isn’t a "stoic" someone who is passionless and a "creative" someone fueled by passion?
The meaning of the word stoic depends on whether it begins with a small s or a capital S! In common usage “stoic” describes a person who grimly endures life’s challenges. A “Stoic” is a student of an ancient philosophy that cultivates a sense of well being by developing your potential.
In other words, the common use of stoic means the opposite of what Stoic philosophy teaches!
And Stoic philosophy can teach Creatives plenty!
Let’s take a quick look at the philosophical tradition and teachings of Stoicism that will inform many of the exercises in this handbook. This chapter is an intentionally quick introduction. If you’d like to investigate this beautiful philosophical tradition more deeply, I’ve included several references in Chapter 9.
For the ancients, philosophy was not a navel gazing activity reserved for academics, but a daily practice for everyone. Every ancient philosophy tried to determine what it meant to be truly human and happy and develop systems for becoming more of both. Among the competing philosophies, Stoicism endures. Why?
Stoicism was founded in 300 B.C. by Zeno of Citium, a shipwrecked merchant who lost everything and landed in Athens, Greece. Making the best of his situation, he took up philosophy by reading about Socrates and studying with a teacher. Over the years he began to develop his own philosophy based on what he had learned. He taught and discussed it with his students in a covered portico in the Athens market, the stoa poikile (the painted porch), from which Stoicism gets its name.
Stoicism enjoyed great popularity in ancient Greece and thrived for years thanks to subsequent leaders of the stoa, Cleanthes and Chrysippus in particular. As the power of Athens and Greece faded and that of Rome rose, Stoicism continued to develop and remain popular. The primary Roman Stoic writers were a freed slave turned teacher; Epictetus, a playwright and political advisor; Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius, the last of the “good emperors” of the Roman Empire.
With the rise of Christianity, secular philosophy fell out of favor, but what little literature from the Stoics remained continued to find an audience throughout history. Stoicism is undergoing a resurgence now thanks to the many books, blogs, sites, and events that advocate Stoicism’s virtues, values, and relevance.
So, what is Stoicism and what are its basic principles and practices?
Like most ancient philosophies, Stoicism addresses “What is the good life?” In other words, what does it mean to be human and truly happy, and how do we become more of both?
The Stoics believed that “the good life” was one of “human flourishing.” The ancient Greeks had a word for it:εὐδαιμονία or eudaimonia.
All that was required for such a life was virtue. For the Stoics, virtue is the only true good and virtue is its own reward. The ancient Greek word for virtue was arete, which is translated as “excellence of character.”
Striving to achieve our potential as happy and healthy humans requires us to “live in agreement with nature.” This means not only living in agreement with our human nature as social creatures born with the capacity for reason but also with the entirety of the natural world which includes the cosmos.
Applying reason to social living for greater tranquility and thriving is central to the teaching of Epictetus who began The Handbook (based on notes taken by his student), with the following statement, “Some things are up to us and other things are not.”
Staying in the “here and now” (hic et nunc, the Romans would say), and mindfully addressing what is within and what is outside our control is at the heart of Stoic practice, as is what is within our influence.
The words of Epictetus often remind people of the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”
Developing Stoic mindfulness to life’s celebrations and Stoic resilience to life’s challenges are achieved through exercises that apply our reason to what we experience in the here and now, and to do what is best for ourselves and others, in alignment with our virtue. Here are a few.
The View From Above – Imagining a bird’s eye view looking down at ourselves from above and beginning to zoom further and further out. This exercise helps contextualize our place in the planetary community and beyond.
Hierocles’ Circle – This is similar to the exercise above, but reminds us of our place as social creatures in service to each other. Again, starting with ourselves, we reach out to ever-widening circles of contact. Our family, our friends, our neighbors, people living in the same city or town, and so on, to the planet and beyond. As we reach each new circle, we imagine pulling those people closer to us and into the previous circle.
Negative Visualization – Beginning the day by imagining what obstacles or misfortunes we may meet and planning how we might face or handle them in alignment with our virtue. This exercise helps us de-catastrophize minor issues and perhaps see impediments as opportunities.
Gratitude for What You Already Have – Contemplating the simple gifts and benefits already within our possession. Not material objects necessarily, but basic human needs, connections, the beauty of the natural world, and another day of life to live.
This overview of Stoic philosophy is a very brief introduction to the basic tenets of Stoic philosophy and practice. There are many resources for further investigation into this beautiful and powerful philosophy of life at the end of this handbook. However, with this brief overview complete, let’s continue our journey and apply some of these ideas and exercises to developing a courageous creative posture and a thriving artist’s mindset.
Key Takeaway from Chapter 1 and an Exercise
Key Takeaway
Achieving your potential as happy and healthy human beings is difficult without a blueprint and an operating system. The time-tested approach of Stoicism has been successfully applied by slaves and prisoners, artists and entrepreneurs, and employees and emperors.
To realize our potential, we must identify, understand, and work with our strengths and weaknesses. Developing ourselves and delivering the goods will require us to handle internal doubts and fears as well as external obstacles and misfortunes.
To do this, we need to draw on our creative nature, apply our capacity for reason, and develop our social instincts. Whether or not you become a declared Stoic, you can draw upon the philosophy’s lessons and exercises to undertake this journey with a greater sense of thriving.
An Exercise
The Stoics aspired to be an ideal human being called the Stoic Sage, one who was wise and a citizen of the world. The Sage experiences natural emotions and desires but is not enslaved by them. The Sage loves others and loves fate, even when doing so subjects him or her to misfortune and poor treatment. Through all life’s vicissitudes, the Sage remains unperturbed, tranquil, and joyful.
Is becoming the Stoic Sage likely? No. Many Stoics believed no such person has yet walked the earth, but they did see glimpses of the Sage in men like Socrates and other great teachers.
Sit and contemplate for a minute how the ideal human being thinks and acts. Make a list of people who exhibit those qualities. They can be people you know, people from ancient or recent history, or characters from books or movies. Write them down and list the virtues or acts that you associate with each one. Identify your heroes, and it’s more likely you’ll become one.
Onward!
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