A beginner's guide to stoicism, and a journal of its modern application.
Epictetus reminds us that, like most things of virtue, good can only come from within. I take this to mean if we rely on the actions of others to bring “good” into our lives than we may be disappointed; we are not in control of their thoughts or actions.
Principles QuotesStoicism is an ancient philosophy from 3rd century Athens, Greece. Founded by Zeno of Citium, Stoicism was influenced by Socrates, who has been viewed of as the ideal Sage by Stoics everywhere. Stoicism is a philosophy for life that supposes the primary goal of life is to live in accordance with nature—which is to be keep reading…
PrinciplesPart of living a virtuous life, to a Stoic, is to live in accordance with nature; which is one of the central Stoic ideas. Like our foot is part of our body, we are part of a whole and we must live our role. Epictetus describes this in one way by saying of a foot keep reading…
Principles ReflectionDuty, from the broad stoic definition, I think, can be made more specific to the individual. Outside of the basic stoic duty of living in accordance with nature—whatever that actually meant tothe Greek and Roman Stoics of the past—I believe that through analyzing my desires and motivations over the last few weeks I’ve been able to keep reading…
Parenting Personal Principles ReflectionIf the goal of stoicism is tranquility, then the method to reach it is logic and reason. A stoic believes their purpose in life is to be a rational and social being. I interpret this to mean the most primary and important goal of stoicism is logic and reason. Without logic and reason we have keep reading…
PrinciplesConsidering your size within the context of the universe is an effective way to gain perspective. Stoics, such as Marcus Aurelius, would use this strategy when faced with annoying people. Simply take a moment to think about your body, on the face of the Earth, next to other planets, orbiting the sun, within a galaxy keep reading…
PrinciplesFatalism is the belief in the fates; that everything is predefined for us by the fates, that nothing is within our control therefore we shouldn’t worry about it. The stoics, of course, were more logical than this and didn’t surrender completely to fate. They still felt that we are put here for a reason and keep reading…
PrinciplesNegative visualisation is the practice of imagining losing what you currently value. By doing this daily, the stoics believe you prepare yourself for loss, and are able to appreciate what you have in the moment with deeper meaning. For example, a father while playing with his children who takes a moment to contemplate the loss keep reading…
PrinciplesDuty is simply an inherent responsibility we have to the world in which we live to fulfil our purpose for being on the Earth. Stoics believe that humans are meant to be rational and social beings; therefore our primary purpose for existing is to be the best rational person we can and to benefit society; keep reading…
PrinciplesThe goal of stoicism is tranquility, achieved through removing negative emotions. The stoics claim we can experience an extreme joy when we are able rid ourselves of negative emotions like fear and anxiety. This may sound a bit fluffy—I’ve historically been quite cynical of such talk—but thankfully I’m finally coming around to exploring this side keep reading…
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