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April 11 - May 16, 2023
Stoicism teaches you to focus your thoughts and actions on that which you can control.
The Stoic philosophy trains you in virtue: It sculpts your moral character into someone who is content, joyful, resilient, and able to take actions that make the world a better place.
The next time you do anything, remind yourself: “I want to do this task, and, at the same time, I want to protect my harmony.”
Ask yourself: •In the task before me, what challenges could arise? •In confronting those challenges, how can I be my best self and remain in harmony with life?
I have mental tools like the Dichotomy of Control, which helps me focus on those things I have the ability to change.
Stoicism has given me the Festival Mind-set, in which every crowd becomes a party and which helps me enjoy what others may find frustrating.
Of all the Stoic tools you will receive, the Dichotomy of Control is the most fundamental. Its premise: Some things are in your control, and some things are outside of your control. Stoics divide every situation according to this and focus only on the former.
•The Discipline of Desire entails a radical realignment of your values as you work to desire only what is within your complete control. Redirecting your attention in this way will free you from chasing after things that do not contribute to your happiness.
•The Discipline of Action relates to your interactions with other people. The aim is to seek healthy, positive relationships with everyone you meet, even knowing others may not reciprocate.
•The Discipline of Assent concerns your thoughts about life. You learn to separate your initial reactions to the world from your final judgments about the world. You refuse to walk down mental paths that lead to negativity, instead evaluating your thoughts in order to align with wisdom.
Wisdom is virtue applied to your thought process. Courage is virtue applied to your emotional life. Justice is virtue in relationship with other people. Moderation is virtue as applied to our choices.
You will see negativity for what it is: a waste of energy.
learn to stop allowing fear, anger, and other anxieties to grow.
“Zeno used then to discourse, pacing up and down in the painted colonnade or stoa . . . people came henceforth to hear him, and this is why they were known as men of the Stoa, or Stoics; and the same name was given to his followers, who had formerly been known as Zenonians.” —Diogenes Laertius,
“Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option, to accept this event with humility, to treat this person as he should be treated, to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in.”
“As long as you do what’s proper to your nature, and accept what the world’s nature has in store—as long as you work for others’ good, by any and all means—what is there that can harm you?”
As Seneca put it, “These two things must be cut away: fear of the future, and the memory of past sufferings. The latter no longer concerns me, and the future does not concern me yet.”
But if you can’t come to terms with what is happening before you, your happiness will always be interrupted.
“Then remind yourself that past and future have no power over you. Only the present—and even that can be minimized. Just mark off its limits.”
“If you have received an impression of any pleasure, guard yourself and create a delay. Then think of the time you will enjoy the pleasure, and the time after, when you will repent and be disappointed with yourself. On the other side, imagine your happiness if you resist the temptation and get to commend yourself for the victory.”
Think about driving. There may be traffic, you might get cut off, or make a wrong turn. Remind yourself that you want to drive, but you also want to remain content in life. Whenever you get ready to do anything, think about what’s coming and what obstacles could pop up. Then add a phrase about your higher goal: “I also want to be content” or “I want to be in harmony with life” or “I want to protect my best self.”
The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own—not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and
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Modern philosopher Pierre Hadot defines the virtues as follows: •Wisdom, “the science of what ought or ought not to be done.” •Courage, “the science of what ought or ought not be tolerated.” •Justice, “the science of what ought and ought not be distributed.” •Moderation, “the science of what ought or ought not to be chosen.”
Epictetus asked his students to imagine they had a favorite cup. What is it on the most basic level? It’s ceramic. It holds drinks. It’s breakable. He told them to leave behind thoughts of “it’s painted so beautifully” and “it was a birthday present,” so they could see it as just a cup. A cup that, if broken, isn’t worth losing your good flow of life.
The banquet metaphor is meant to apply to all of your interactions. If you direct your desire toward being your best self, you won’t focus on getting things, but on using the things you already have.
All things are impermanent.
Another phrase that Stoics keep at the ready is “This is nothing to me.” Whenever anything begins to take up too much mental space, think of this phrase.
“The only possession the wise person has is virtue, and of this they can never be robbed. Of all else they have merely the use on loan.” —Seneca, On the Firmness of the Wise Man
Another phrase that will help you is, “It was returned.” The Stoics taught that all indifferents should be viewed as on loan to you.
“Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 9:13
“The invulnerable thing is not something that is never struck, but something that is never hurt; by this mark I will show you the wise person.” —Seneca, On the Firmness of the Wise Man
“Cling tooth and nail to the following rule: Not to give in to adversity, never to trust prosperity, and always to take full note of Fortune’s habit of behaving just as she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in her power to do. Whatever you have been expecting for some time comes as less of a shock.” —SENECA, LETTERS FROM A STOIC 78
Epictetus points out that we give a lot more grace to people at festivals than we do to folks on a regular day. He suggests we drop the idea of the crowd, and instead make every day a festival!
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?’” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5:1
“If you have been told that someone speaks ill of you, do not defend yourself: instead reply, ‘if they knew the rest of my faults they wouldn’t have mentioned only those.’” —Epictetus, Enchiridion 33
“When any person treats you badly or speaks ill of you, remember that they do this because they think they must. It’s not possible for them to do what you think is right, but only what seems right to them . . . if you understand this you will have a milder temper with those who revile you because you can always say, ‘it seemed so to them.’” —Epictetus, Enchiridion 42
“When you do a thing because you have determined that it ought to be done, never avoid being seen doing it, even if the opinion of the multitude is going to condemn you. For if your action is wrong, then avoid doing it altogether, but if it is right, why do you fear those who will rebuke you wrongly?” —Epictetus, Enchiridion 35
“Why all this guesswork? You can see what needs to be done. If you can see the road, follow it. Cheerfully, without turning back. If not, hold up and get the best advice that you can. If anything gets in the way, forge on ahead, making good use of what you have on hand, sticking to what seems right.” —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 10:12
