What makes you unhappy is not life, but your idea of a happy life.
Articles : An introduction to Stoicism
April 06, 2022 by Xiakit
This will cover some of the basic principles the Stoics used, though it will not be comprehensive. Instead, it focuses on the aspects I find most important. This entire project is not centered on academic philosophy but rather on what can be practically applied to your life.
Stoicism is a framework to live life to the fullest, or as the Stoics would call it, to live a good life. The Stoics try to identify everything that is truly good and truly bad and strive to live according to this. In my opinion, they found answers in ancient times that are valid to this day.
Virtues refer to the character traits that ancient Stoics believed to be essential for living a good life and achieving mental resilience. They believed that cultivating these traits would improve one's life and the lives of those around the person practicing Stoicism.
Courage is less about physical bravery and more about moral courage, which involves standing up for what is right and doing the right thing even when it is to your disadvantage. It includes facing difficulties without fear or despair. A courageous person (in the Stoic sense) would endure hardships with calmness, accepting what they cannot control and instead focusing on what they can control, which in this case is their response to difficult events.
Moderation / Temperance is about being in control of your desires and passions. This virtue helps to make decisions that are based on logic and virtue instead of desires. It trains the Stoic to be free from decisions based on desires and impulsive behaviour and gives the practitioner a sense of control. Stoics believed that excessive desire could lead to suffering.
I find the example of an all-you-can-eat buffet quite accurate in capturing the essence of this virtue. Eating is enjoyable until you overdo it. Your entire day would have been better if you had kept your desire to eat more in check. There would be no bloated belly and, for some of us, no feelings of guilt due to overeating.
Stoic wisdom encompasses understanding, prudence, judgment, and discernment. It guides individuals to live in harmony with their environment and their own rational nature by recognizing what is within and beyond their control. This virtue helps us discern the true nature of good and bad, empowering us to lead lives of peace and satisfaction despite external circumstances.
Justice, in the context of Stoicism, refers to the practice of honesty, fairness, kindness, and a sense of responsibility for one's actions. Applying it in your life means treating others fairly and bringing moral goodness into the world. The reason for this is that the Stoics believed in the interconnectedness of all humanity, and striving for the well-being of all is the logical conclusion one reaches when adopting this belief.
This simple concept refers to the fact that we can control certain things while others are beyond our control. In a way, this resembles the Buddhist practice of acceptance.
For example, if you are trying to be liked by others, your actions and behavior are within your control, but the opinions of other people are beyond your reach and, therefore, should not be of your concern.
This idea goes even further: worrying about others' opinions is futile because the only way to change someone's perception of you is through your actions. Thinking about it is pointless. Instead, focus on your actions and strive to be the version of yourself that you want to be. Over time, the people who resonate with your way of doing things will be the ones who stay in your life.
“Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within our power are our body, our property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not of our own doing.”
– Epictetus
There is something liberating about this kind of philosophy. Let me explain: As a practitioner of Stoicism in everyday life, you would start your day by thinking about the challenges that might arise and how you want to react to them. This could be your co-worker asking you the same question for the fifth time or someone putting in milk first and then cereal. You simulate the scenario in your head, then come up with a virtuous way to react to it. The real magic happens when you manage to react the way you planned in the actual situation. There is a unique feeling to this; it all comes down to the fact that you planned and then acted the way you want to be in this world. You took control over the things you can control and made the world a tiny bit better in the process.
Did it not work? No worries. Just find out why and then try again tomorrow. But in this process, talk to yourself as you would talk to a friend. There is no point in beating yourself up. If you really want to make the world a better place, then that includes you.