A Brief Introduction to Stoicism

Stoicism is an ancient Greco-Roman philosophy founded in 3rd century B.C that sought to lay out a practical guide of reasoning for navigating through the trials of everyday life.

Stoicism mainly focuses on three fields of study: physics (study of the world), logic (how to reason about the world), and ethics (how to live).

Greek Stoicism (the early Stoa), founded by Zeno of Citium, was an abstract philosophy that almost exclusively dealt with the theoretical and intangible studies of logic and physics.

Roman Stoicism (the late Stoa) differed from Greek Stoicism in that its primary focus was on ethics. Roman Stoicism became a practical discipline–a way to live.

When we think of Stoicism today, it is the utilitarian take of the Roman Stoics that is implied.

The Cardinal Virtues

  • Wisdom (right thoughts)

  • Courage (boldness in the face of fear)

  • Justice (right actions)

  • Temperance (self-control)

The goal of life is to be free of suffering by reaching a state of apatheia (“freedom from passion”). This was to be achieved through strict adherence to the cardinal virtues.

Beliefs

  • External things cannot directly harm us. It is our estimate of them that does.

  • Human beings are social by nature, with social obligations.

  • Not to dwell on things outside of our control.

  • Living properly is to live in accordance with nature.

  • There is a rational order to the universe; all events and processes are interdependent and have a specific purpose.

  • Indifference to pain and pleasure.

  • If the mind hasn’t been harmed, you can’t have been.

  • Death is merely a process of nature.

  • Nothing is unendurable.

Meditations

As a philosophical exercise, Emperor Marcus Aurelius made it a habit to write powerful maxims into a journal. This gave him insight into the proper actions one must take, and the thoughts he must posses if he is to remain free from suffering in the face of life’s misfortune and adversity.

This collection of philosophical reflections would later go on to become one of the most popular and influential books of all time: Meditations

Meditations was a favorite of many modern thinkers and writers, influencing the likes of John Stuart Mill, Descartes, Spinoza, and Adam Smith.

It offers timeless, straightforward advice on how to go about living a good life–a life consisting of thoughts and actions based on wisdom, courage, justice and self control.

Personally, I re-read Meditations every 6 months or so. I always keep it close by as a source of reason and clairvoyance when faced with any issue.

These are the passages from Meditations that I always come back to; they have influenced me the most throughout the years:

1) On the Shortness of Life (5:33)

"Soon you’ll be ashes, or bones. A mere name, at most–and even that is just a sound, an echo. The things we want in life are empty, stale, and trivial. Dogs snarling at each other. Quarreling children–laughing and then bursting into tears a moment later. Trust, shame, justice, truth–gone from the earth and found only in heaven.

Why are you still here? Sensory objects are shifting and unstable; our senses dim and easily deceived; the soul itself a decoction of the blood; fame in a world like this is worthless.

–And so?

Wait for it patiently–annihilation or metamorphosis.

–And until that time comes–what?

Honor and revere the gods, treat human beings as they deserve, be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Remember, nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood–nothing else is under your control."

Analysis

Everything in this world is in a state of constant flux.

Everything we have ever come to know is merely a manifestation of our own perceptions.

Nothing is certain, therefore, make the best of your time in this life to take care of the things that are within your control–your thoughts and actions, patiently awaiting your end without fear or trepidation.

2) On Seeing Things For What They Truly Are (6:13)

"Like seeing roasted meat and other dishes in front of you and suddenly realizing: This is a dead fish. A dead bird. A dead pig. Or that this noble vintage is grape juice, and the purple robes are sheep wool dyed with shellfish blood. Or making love–something rubbing against your penis, a brief seizure and a little cloudy liquid.

Perceptions like that–latching onto things and piercing through them, so that we see what they really are. That’s what we need to do all the time–all through our lives when things lay claim to our trust–to lay them bare and see how pointless they are, to strip away the legend that encrusts them."

Analysis

This practice that Marcus describes–the ruthless deconstruction of our perceptions into their base elements and purpose is an extremely powerful habit to have.

He describes this exercise further in another passage, “What it is–this thing that now forces itself on my notice? What is it made up of? How long was it designed to last? And what qualities do I need to bring to bear on it–tranquility, courage, honesty, trustworthiness, straightforwardness, independence or what? (Meditations 3:11)

Think about a time you really wanted a certain car.

You want this car so badly that it hurts. The problem is that it’s out of your budget.

You could go for the car that costs less and will save you money on gas, but it just doesn’t have the same aura of novelty as your dream car.

What is a car, other than a big metal sarcophagus with a little glossy paint, that harnesses the power of combustion to bring you from one point to another?

When you deconstruct things in this manner, you dissolve the grandeur that we, as humans, naturally tend associate with that which we desire.

This is a crucial step in freeing yourself from the slavery that we subject ourselves to by placing our objects of desire on a pedestal.

3) On Maintaining Composure (7:68)

"To live life in peace, immune to all compulsion. Let them scream whatever they want. Let animals dismember this soft flesh that covers you. How would any of that stop you from keeping your mind calm–reliably sizing up what’s around you–and ready to make good use of whatever happens? So that Judgement can look the event in the eye and say, “This is what you really are, regardless of what you may look like.”

Because to me, the present is a chance for the exercise of rational virtue–civic virtue–in short, the art that men share with gods. Both treat whatever happens are wholly natural; not novel or hard to deal with, but familiar and easily handled."

Analysis

What Marcus describes in the quote above is a perfect description of how a man should act in the face of adversity.

He should be fully in control of his inner impulses, calm in the face of any external threat or misfortune, always logically deconstructing the world around him and seeing things the way they truly are.

4) On the Nature of Human Life (2:17)

  • Duration: momentary.

  • Nature: changeable.

  • Perception: dim.

  • Condition of Body: decaying.

  • Soul: spinning around.

  • Fortune: unpredictable.

  • Lasting Fame: uncertain.

  • Sum Up: The body and its parts are a river, the soul a dream and mist, life is warfare and a journey far from home, lasting reputation is oblivion.

Then what can guide us?

Only philosophy.

Which means making sure that the power within stays safe and free from assault, superior to pleasure and pain, doing nothing randomly or dishonestly and with imposture, not dependent on anyone else’s doing something or not doing it. And making sure that it accepts what happens and what it is dealt as coming from the same place it came from.

And above all, that it accepts death in a cheerful spirit, as nothing but the dissolution of the elements from which every living thing is composed. If it doesn’t hurt the individual elements to change continually into one another, why are people afraid of all of them changing and separating?

It is a natural thing. And nothing natural is evil."

Analysis

We are closer to death with every single day that passes. All that we know, or will ever come to know will inevitably perish.

The things we want in this life are fleeting and uncertain. Pleasure, wealth, reputation, love…

We must therefore live out our lives with proper thought and action, avoiding cheap pleasures and being content with that which is allotted to us.

5) On Jumping to Conclusions (8:49)

"Nothing but what you get from first impressions. That someone has insulted you, for instance. That–but not that it’s done you any harm. The fact that my son is sick–that I can see. But “that he might die of it,” no.

Stick with first impressions. Don’t extrapolate and nothing will happen to you."

Analysis

Our minds have a tendency to jump to the worst possible scenario when faced with any sort of problem.

Your boss calling you into his office probably doesn’t mean he’s going to fire you.

It’s probably not your fault that the cashier at the coffee shop was being impolite.

No, your headache probably isn’t brain cancer.

Jumping to conclusions does no good and just adds unnecessary stress.

Instead you must leave it at “first impressions.”

“My boss is calling me into his office.” “The cashier is rude.” “My head hurts.”

“Think of how many times that which was expected did not happen, or how many times that which was not expected, happened?” – Seneca

Conclusion

Go read Meditations. The book is an essential source of wisdom that still holds true today.

It is in the public domain, so there are free copies all over the internet. I prefer to have a physical copy to highlight passages and to keep close for whenever I need guidance.

Luckily, you can get a copy of the book these days for cheaper than a pack of gum.

Read it piece by piece, digest it, internalize it.

The wisdom of the Meditations changed my life and it can change yours too.

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