Stoicism

Stoicism is an ancient philosophy which is concerned with one's concrete way of life. The good life, according to the Stoics, is marked by virtue (arête), and not by fleeting mental states (of pleasure and pain). Virtue (arête), here, should be understood as patterns of human excellence. Stoic philosophy, therefore, focuses on concrete practices in excelling in the art of living. Here, I'll mention three major themes: stoic mindfulness, mortality, and hardships. Let's begin.

Stoic Mindfulness:

Epictetus starts his book, The Art of Living, by stating: “Some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.” This is called the dichotomy of control. The idea behind this dichotomy is to accept whatever is not within control as facts (leading to inner tranquility) and focus all your energy on the things you can control (leading to outer effectiveness).

As an example, imagine a soccer match. You, as a player, are in control of your own performance. You have a very limited influence on the performance of your team members. You have no control over the actions of the members of the opponent team, or over the mistakes of the referees, or the weather, and so on. These externals should not rule over your mind. Instead, you should understand them, only to improve your own performance. And, the outcome of the match is something you can only partially influence. You do your best and let the outcome emerge. Hopefully the preferred outcome, but you're not attached to it. This parallels the so-called outcome independence, applied to the whole of life.

"Wherever you find yourself and in whatever circumstances, give an impeccable performance." (Epictetus)

Mortality:

As an important application of the dichotomy of control, we must realize that our mortality is something beyond our control. It is a fact that we're going to die. A Stoic accepts this fact and governs his life in light of this fact. From the perspective of death, he clarifies what matters for him in life, takes responsibility for his life, and directs all his energy on the endeavors he deems worthy--since our finitude decisively differentiates significant pursuits from mindless trivia and necessitates disciplined focus to prevent waste. "Carpe Diem" is the resulting maxim.

“When we view things from the perspective of death, it is impossible to let a single one of life’s instants pass by lightly. ... The thought of death confers seriousness, infinite value, and splendor to every present instant of life. “To perform each of life’s actions as if it were the last” means to live the present instant with such intensity and such love that, in a sense, an entire lifetime is contained and completed within it.” (Pierre Hadot, The Inner Citadel: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius)

“As Seneca understood, to free yourself from fear you must work backward. You start with the thought of your mortality. You accept and embrace this reality. You think ahead to the inevitable moment of your death and determine to face it as bravely as possible. The more you contemplate your mortality, the less you fear it—it becomes a fact you no longer have to repress. By following this path, you know how to die well, and so you can now begin to teach yourself to live well. You will not cling to things unnecessarily. You will be strong and self-reliant, unafraid to be alone. You will have a certain lightness that comes with knowing what matters—you can laugh at what others take so seriously. The pleasures of the moment are heightened because you know their impermanence and you make the most of them. And when your time to die comes, as it will some day, you will not cringe and cry for more time, because you have lived well and have no regrets.” (Robert Greene, The 50th Law)

Hardships:

For Stoics, hardships are opportunities to exercise virtue/excellence, to grow our capacities. We shall seek to flourish in the midst of life's challenges. From the perspective of the dichotomy of control, hardships are most often caused by things beyond our control, but how we handle them is within our control--and that's where value resides.

Life is full of challenges, and happiness/fulfillment should be found in overcoming and growing through them. Manliness, itself, is judged based on how one deals with life's challenges. Indeed, when we contemplate the lives of great men who inspire us, they are the ones who undertake and rise above great challenges: that's what makes them great and inspiring. As Seneca declares: "Manliness gains much strength by being challenged."

"Whatever stands in the way becomes the way." (Marcus Aurelius)

Although not a Stoic himself, Nietzsche magnificently summarizes the attitude: "Ask yourselves whether a tree which is to grow proudly skywards can dispense with bad weather and storms." We shall seek the heights, and welcome all that comes with it.

Conclusion:

I believe Stoic philosophy can benefit us all. It is a philosophy of self-mastery and resilience. I talked about three major themes, yet there's a lot more to explore. I'd advise all you guys to incorporate Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus into your reading program. Robert Greene's The 50th Law is also full of Stoic themes and references, if you prefer a more contemporary exposition. And do not forget about practice.

“Philosophers advise us not to be contented with mere learning, but to add meditation likewise, and then practice. … If, therefore, we do not likewise put into practice right opinions, we shall be nothing more than expositors of the abstract doctrines of others.” (Epictetus)