Why is this important to learn about?
So much of our life is bombarded by outside forces: social media, television, emails, pop-up windows, news, and a plethora of other signals shouting at us to take action. If you want a barefoot lunch, it behooves you to take a moment and contemplate the world in a different way. The stoics presented an empowering, engaging, and enduring philosophy that continues inspire us to this day. Try on a few of the quotes, read some of the writings, and take the action steps below to give the philosophy a test drive.
What is it?
An ancient Greek school of philosophy founded at Athens by Zeno of Citium. The school taught that virtue, the highest good, or what they called eudaemonia (translated as happiness or blessedness), is founded on how the moment presents itself, rather than being controlled by the base desires of seeking pleasure or avoiding the fear of pain. Instead, the Stoics said that you can use your mind to understand the world and fulfill your potential by working together with nature rather than fighting it.
To find out a couple of exercises on how to do this, skip down to the action items.
Who?
If you want to read more about Stoic philosophy, I encourage you to go straight to primary sources, as many of the texts are accessible reading and free in the public domain. Check out:
Epictetus - Discourses
Seneca - Letters of a Stoic
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
If you’re looking for a more modern interpretation and example of stoicism put into practice, check out
Viktor Frankl - A Man’s Search for Meaning
James B. Stockade - Courage Under Fire
For an excellent survey:
William B. Irvine’s - A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
Quotes (to get your juices flowing)
“Remember to conduct yourself in life as if at a banquet. As something being passed around comes to you, reach out your hand and take a moderate helping. Does it pass you by? Don’t stop it. It hasn’t yet come? Don’t burn in desire for it, but wait until it arrives in front of you. Act this way with children, a spouse, toward position, with wealth—one day it will make you worthy of a banquet with the gods.”
—Epictetus, Enchridion, 15
“Just as when meat or other foods are set before us we think, this is a dead fish, a dead bird or pig; and also, this fine wine is only the juice of a bunch of grapes, this purple-edged robe just sheep’s wool dyed in a a bit of blood from a shellfish; or of sex, that it is only rubbing private parts together followed by a spastic discharge—in the same way our impressions grab actual events and permeate them, so we see them as they really are.”
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.13
“Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue—if you care for yourself at all—and do it while you can.”
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.14
“You have proof in the extent of your wanderings that you never found the area of living anywhere—not in logic, nor in death, fame, or any indulgence. Nowhere. Where is it then? In doing what human nature demands. How is a person to do this? By having principles be the source of desire and action. What principles? Those to do with good and evil, indeed in the belief that there is no good for human being except what creates justice, self-control, courage, and freedom, and nothing evil except what destroys these things.”
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.1
Action Items
#1: What you have will be gone
At various times during the day, think to yourself that all you have will be gone. Take a single thing and consider it for a moment. For example, what if your home was destroyed? What if your loved one lost? What if you lost your job. What if you lost a limb?
The point of this thought exercise is not to bum you out, but rather provide a pillow of gratitude.
Considering above, for example, if I think of my home being destroyed, I begin to appreciate all that I have within these walls. If my spouse dies, as sadly as that will one day happen to us all, I appreciate the few hours on this planet that we share together. If I consider for a moment my company going out of business, I start to appreciate the customers I have, my colleagues, and all the daily joy my job brings me. And if I think about losing a foot or a hand, I would start to think of what joy the simple pleasure of running or of strumming my ukulele.
Live with what you have and all the riches you have. But remember, they are yours and not you.
Take action: just for a moment, consider one item, person, condition gone. You might only consider it for 10-15 seconds. If you feel so compelled, meditate on it for a bit. Then consider the joy in what you do have.
Action Items #2: This is the last time you’ll do something
Consider that this will be the last time that you do something. So many activities in our life will be the last time. My children are both grown up and I never realized that last time when we would walk hand-inland through the park. There was a last time that that small hand reached into mine, but it’s gone.
I was lucky enough to gain insight into the importance of this when I was young. When I was in college, I took a year off and traveled around Europe with my backpack. I met such wonderful, exceptional individuals. But quickly, I realized as I traveled to the next city, that for most of them, this would be the last time in my life to meet them.
We all die. And with that, that will be the last time. Is this the last time you'll eat this particular food, speak to this person, walk this street, visit this city? So many moments come into our lives and then naturally flow away unnoticed. This exercise asks you to take notice.
“At every moment keep a sturdy mind on the task at hand, as a Roman and human being, doing it with strict and simple dignity, affection, freedom, and justice—giving yourself a break from all other considerations. You can do this if you approach each task as if it is your last, giving up every distraction, emotional subversion of reason, and all drama, vanity, and complaint over your fear share. You can see how mastery over few things makes it possible to live an abundant and devout life.”
—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.5
Take action: again, just for a moment, think through if this were the last time you do something-- take a shower, sip a coffee, answer an email, post on Instagram, kiss a loved one, hug a friend--that this may be the last time you do it. With he pandemic, many things we took for granted did come to reality that it could be the last time.
Action Items #3: Journal in your Commonplace Book
The Stoics thought that recording your actions so powerful. I stress the importance of writing in your Commonplace Book. Take a moment to record your thoughts, observations, feelings. The act of writing clarifies your thoughts and feelings, names them and creates a record for them so you can go back and learn from them.
Here are a some more Stoic quotes to prompt you. Select one a day that speaks to you and then take 10 minutes and write continuously without stopping. Write whatever comes to mind. After 10 minutes stop. At the end of the week, go back and look at what you’ve written. Do you see any insights? Patterns? Action items?
How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?
—Epictetus
Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.
—Marcus Aurelius
You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.
—Marcus Aurelius
Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.
—Epictetus
You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
―Marcus Aurelius
Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.
—Seneca