Stoicism - Ultimate Handbook To - Thomas Beckett

Introduction
Chapter 1: History of Stoicism

Zeno’s Philosophical Approach
Stoics and God
Stoic Teachings
Chapter 2: Epistemology
Chapter 3: Core Philosophies
Control What You Can
Emotions Are Within
Your Responses Are Your Responsibility
Honesty Is a Virtue
Hope Springs Eternal
Knowledge Will Save You
Mindfulness is Important
Morals Not Awards
Letting God
Every Day Is a New Day
Chapter 4: Cardinal Virtues of Stoicism
Wisdom
Courage
Equanimity
Self-Control
Chapter 5: Keeping Calm – A Few Stoic Principles
● Self-Mastery
● Find a mentor
● Failure is just a step in the “cha cha cha” of life
● Read to educate yourself
● Be honest with yourself
● Be aware of what you spend your time on
● The phone is a tool
● Recognize what you can’t control
● Live a principled life
● You can’t control other people
Chapter 6: Stoicism Today
Stoicism’s Friends
Modernity’s Salve
The Universality of Stoicism
Stoicism in Religion
The Strength to Take on Life
Leading the Way
Chapter 7: Does Stoicism Matter Today?
An Overwrought, Oversharing World
The Global Village
Chapter 8: What Stoicism Helps You With
Stress
Judgment
Anger
Worry
Insecurity
Disappointment
Chapter 9: How to be a Stoic
Read
Greater Understanding
Company on the Journey
Way of Life
No Zealotry, Please
Join a Group
Everyday Practice
Meditation
Chapter 10: The Relevance of Stoicism in the Modern Day
The World is Still a Difficult Place to Live In
Stoicism Is Compatible with Modern Religion
The Universal Stoic Soldier
Stoicism is Designed to Help Leaders
Chapter 11: How Stoicism Can Help the Entrepreneur
Stoicism Allows You to Filter Your Thoughts
Stoicism Allows You to Start Each Day Fresh
Stoicism Allows You to Act with Purpose
Stoicism Gives You Patience
Stoicism Allows You to Enjoy the Present
Stoicism Helps You Remain Original
Stoicism Helps You Deal with the Possibility and Occurrence of Failure
Chapter 12: How Stoicism Can Make You Happy
Stoicism Allows You to Rationalize Death
Stoicism Helps You Deal with Suffering
Stoicism Allows You to See the Truth about Your Opinions
Stoicism Helps You Engage with the World
Stoicism Allows You to Enjoy What You Have
Stoicism Allows You to Be Virtuous
Stoicism Allows You to be Happy without Consuming
Stoicism Gives You Mental Fortitude
Stoicism Allows You to Block Out What Other People Think
Stoicism Allows You to Offload Bad Habits
Stoicism Allows You to Be Selfless
Stoicism Allows You to Practice Being Happy
Stoicism’s Answer to Childhood Trauma
Stoicism Allows You to Change Your Behavior
Stoicism Can Help You to Deal with Mental Illness
Chapter 13: Stoicism and Mental Health
1. Articulate Your Life’s Purpose
2. Maintain a Gratitude Record
3. Living with Boundaries
4. Disengage
5. Develop Resilience
6. Your Life Is “on loan”
Chapter 14: The Essence of Stoicism
Moral Development
Chapter 15: Reconsidering Stoicism
Chapter 16: Stoic Fundamentals
Chapter 17: Incorporating the Primitive Principles of Stoicism into Modern
Aspects of Contemporary Life
Chapter 18: 9 Ways to Stop Being Upset by Others!
Final Word
Positive Psychology and Stoicism
Key Highlights
Conclusion

Stoicism:
Ultimate Handbook to Stoic Philosophy,
Wisdom, and Way of Life
Thomas Beckett

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Contents
Introduction
Chapter 5: Keeping Calm – A Few Stoic Principles
Chapter 9: How to Be a Stoic
Chapter 10: The Relevance of Stoicism in the Modern Day
Chapter 11: How Stoicism Can Help the Entrepreneur
Final Word
Key Highlights
Conclusion

Introduction

It is no secret that our lives are what we make of them. While that is true, the
vagaries of life buffet us every step of the way, dislodging at least some of what
we choose and replacing it with misfortune. But we choose our response to
misfortune, also. How we respond to life’s twists and turns is what defines its
quality. How we choose to confront the many challenges we face each day
defines our quality as people.
This core philosophy of life is, however, not generally popular, as many would
prefer to blame external factors for the quality of their lives. While there is much
in life beyond our control, our response to factors we can’t command is a vital
component of our quality of life. There are those who think their destiny has
already been sealed and there is a higher power above all of us that doles out our
fates. But there has been a lot of criticism of this theory, as not everybody
believes in the existence of a higher power.
Ancient Greece is universally regarded as the cradle of philosophical thought.

The Ancient Greeks sought to answer the eternal questions of humanity, trying to
make sense of a turbulent universe and the place of human beings in that
universe. Their work forms the basis not only of modern philosophical thought,
but also of Christian theology. Strands of Greek philosophy are also found in
other world religions. In fact, the thinking of the Greek philosophers can be
heard as echoes in most contemporary religious thought, regardless of the faith
in question. The impact of Athens resonates also in political and economic
thinking and its reach is well beyond what any of the ancients likely believed
possible. Greek philosophy is most certainly the intellectual foundation of
Western civilization in many concrete ways.
The Greeks introduced the world to several philosophies about to life and
religion. They taught us so many things that human beings used in order to
evolve into mature individuals, capable of taking on the ways of the world and
coming out victorious when faced with adversities.
The Greeks did not just preach but also led by example. They showed the world
how a mere thought could help develop the answer to many questions that
burden the human mind. Heraclitus, from the metaphor of fire, envisioned a
universe in constant flux. Plato, from the allegory of a cave, posited that
introducing people to his philosophy of eternal forms would free them to see
beyond the vague shadows available to them without it. The Ancient Greek
philosophers and their contributions to human development cannot be
underestimated. They were giants and their philosophical writings continue to be
overwhelmingly current.
Stoicism is one of the gifts of ancient Athens. Stoicism continues to have a

philosophical draw for many, with its emphasis on the importance of detaching
from one’s emotions in order to live a life of virtue and to develop one’s self as a
moral being.
In the English language, the word “Stoicism” means to present a veneer of

unemotional detachment and acceptance of what life throws at us. Unlike many
ancient philosophical terms, this one is close to the meaning of the original.
Stoicism sought to rein in the emotions of its followers in order that they might
master them. This would free them to dedicate the energy they expended on
managing their emotions to the pursuit of virtuous living. In the Greek context
(as seen in Aristotle), virtue was believed to be an ultimate social good. It was
not necessarily concerned with sexual mores only, or with doing good deeds.
Virtue, rather, was seen as the condition of competence toward fulfilling a role in
society which supported its success. At the center of Athenian society was the
family, which Aristotle saw as a microcosm of society, in which each member
modeled a particular type of virtue which benefited society as a whole. The
formation and development of personal virtue, in that context, implied that each
and every member of society contributed uniquely, via the particular and well-
developed virtue they were embodiments of. Virtue was said to proceed from
reason and reason was believed to be at the disposal of all people, not only the
intellectual elite. Aristotle, while often accused of relegating women to a state
outside the reach of reason, actually expressly stated that they were able to
develop virtue to their apprehension of reason. This was a major departure from
the thinking of his day and perhaps the terms he couched these assertions in
reflect the restrictions of his contemporaries’ thinking in the matter.
In believing that virtue was the ultimate end of a life well-lived, the Stoic school
established a primary feature of Greek society (albeit via a philosophical
proposition which was not as potent a presence as the concept of virtue and its
role in Athenian society). The Stoics believed, essentially, that errors in
judgment caused our destructive emotions. They also believed there was a
dynamic relationship between freedom and cosmic determinism. In other words,
free will and fixed cosmic destiny were not entirely incompatible, as other
schools of thought suggested. Chrysippus, who followed Zeno, posited a causal
determinism that was rooted in the actions of the individual.
The Stoics were focused on individual behavior as a determining factor in

destiny and the ability of individuals to arrive at the desired state of virtuous
living.
They focused mostly on how a person behaved, rather than nitpick through what
he said. Apart from Zeno, Seneca and Epictetus were the prime Stoics of their
time who emphasized the belief that being virtuous was enough for a lifetime of
happiness. Stoicism consisted mainly of subjects like logic, ethics, morals, and
monistic physics. But, of course, the most important element of all these was
ethics, which will be discussed in further detail in the forthcoming chapters.
As a philosophy, Stoicism takes a hard look at destructive emotions. Stoics feel
that self-control and fortitude can help overcome the damaging and detrimental
effects of negative and/or intense emotions. Evolving into an unbiased thinker,
with the ability to detach from life in order to see it objectively was at least part
of the philosophical school’s goal. What Stoicism aimed to achieve was
improvement of the individual’s morals and ethics as well as teaching followers
to develop their innate tendency to virtue as their primary goal in life. While
adopting a deterministic perspective, Stoicism looked to the individual as the
driver of the quality of his life and destiny.
Stoicism’s intent was to move followers toward leading a life that would allow
them to tap into their fullest potential. Freed of the intensity of human passions
and emotional attachment, Stoic teaching demanded that its adherents look at the
world around them in a detached manner, instead of becoming victims of
emotional responses to its unpredictability.
In this book, we look at the Stoic philosophy in detail and seek to understand
how it can help us in this day and age. We’ll explore how Stoicism can be
adapted to modern life and help us approach it with less anxiety, greater
detachment, and thus greater success at living in it.
I hope you enjoy reading this exploration of Stoicism and I thank you for
choosing this book.

Stoicism, as a discipline, was propounded by Zeno of Elea in 308 BC at Athens,

Greece. Zeno was born in 335 BC and came to Athens around the time that he
proposed the theory, already in his early forties. Referred to by Aristotle as the
founder of the dialectic, he is most widely remembered for his paradoxes. While
it’s rumored that Zeno was originally a follower of the Cynical school of
philosophy, this has been denied by later scholarship on the issue.
The Stoa Poikile (the painted porch) became the locus for the teachings of Zeno
and a gathering place for his followers, also giving the philosophical school –
Stoicism – its name. From this location in the Athenian agora (marketplace)
Zeno taught his followers. As part of his teaching, he expounded on Greek
grammar (albeit in a scientific manner), vocabulary, logic, physics, ethics, and
theology. According to the core of Stoicism, it was believed that the goal of life
was virtue and high morals. All other things, like emotion and feeling, were
extraneous and a hindrance to the pursuit of a life of virtue, in Zeno’s estimation.
Emotions, he taught, were the offspring of people’s thoughts. He believed that by
changing the manner in which people thought about life events, they could
detach from negative and harmful emotions, reducing suffering toward
improving their lives. For Zeno, life was not so much what people made of it as
how they thought about it.
All human beings need something to believe in, which helps them progress in
life. If there was nothing in life but work, marriage, and child rearing, our days
would seem endlessly boring. So every day, we wake up in pursuit of greater
happiness and with the sole aim of having more than what we already have. We
look beyond the horizons of the mundane world for greater meaning, asking
ourselves “Is that all there is?”
In looking beyond those horizons, our inner lives come to the fore. We seek
answers to eternal questions, wrestling with them in the depths of our beings,
hoping to bring forth a reason for it all. Why are we here? Why do we die? What
is the purpose of this life? Sometimes the answers we come up with fail to
satisfy. That’s usually the case, in fact.
Since the human animal developed the power of introspection, it has sought
answers to these questions. Each challenge we face in our finite lives – the death
of loved ones, the birth and rearing of children, illness, adversity – leads us to
ponder the whys and wherefores. Philosophical thought is a natural outgrowth of
the questioning nature of the human being, a systematic means of apprehending
the world around us and how it works. Philosophy is a means of exploring the
nature of the universe and our place in it, toward putting our finger on the point
of it all. As questioning, thinking, speaking beings, humans have always sought
to find meaning in the midst of an uncertain life.
The philosophical impulse has been part of us since the moment we were able to
take time out from the business of survival and stare into the hearth, pondering
our lives. Our reaching for innate purpose and how it impacts our understanding
of life was studied by Zeno of Citium, a philosopher in the Hellenistic period of
ancient Athens. What he taught his followers was essentially a means of
controlling their responses to life in order to become vessels of exemplary virtue.
Zeno’s Philosophical Approach
Zeno’s philosophies had a profound impact on the theory of movement, but these
were not to really take root until the Renaissance, in mathematics. His most
enduring legacy, though, is in his assertion that human emotional life was a
profound challenge to living a life of virtue, due to the destructive impact of
human passions on objective thought. In Athenian society, there was a
widespread taboo against those who preached their ideals in public, but Zeno
broke that taboo and decided to preach about his philosophies at public
gatherings, so that more and more people could listen and avail themselves of
the benefits of Stoicism. This democratization of philosophical thought is
another of Zeno’s lasting legacies. Zeno brought private intellectualism in the
public square, quite literally.
Zeno believed that human beings could be so obsessed by and stuck in their own
modes of thinking that they allowed this tendency to manifest in out-of-control
emotions, like envy and jealousy. Although it was not Zeno’s intention to forbid
his followers an emotional life, he believed that it was possible for people to
control their emotions through their thoughts.
His fundamental proposition was that “man conquers the world by conquering
himself.” Rooted in another word that readers will find familiar, “apatheia,” or
the idea of self-mastery, was at the center of his teachings and was expressive of
the belief that emotional detachment should be the goal of all virtuous people.
An “absence of passion” (which he considered to be a threat to a life of virtue,
achieved through rational thought) was the end goal for followers of Stoicism.
Unlike the modern incarnation of the Greek in English (apathy), the original
word points to a rejection of the subjective nature of emotional influence. An
absence of passion, in Zeno’s thinking, could be a void through which a life of
rational and objective thought could provide followers with access to a higher
understanding of the moral universe and ultimately, superior virtue. By breaking
the emotional habits of a lifetime, the followers of Stoicism were freed from
them and the negative results they generated in their lives. We’ve all done it –
spent hours, even days, brooding about a problem in our lives we had no power
to change. Crying over spilled milk and shutting the barn door after the horse is
long gone are all too familiar features of human thinking patterns. Zeno believed
that it was in everyone’s power to get rid of destructive, time- and energy-
wasting emotional habits.
In mastering one’s emotions and physical demands, Zeno taught that wisdom
could properly be developed by claiming its rightful place in the mind of the
Stoic practitioner. Pain and pleasure could be mastered in meditative practice,
and the influence of emotions arising from these psycho-physical phenomena
could be quelled. In this assertion, Zeno saw limitless potential for the ability of
human beings to rationally reflect on the nature of the world they lived in and
attain superior wisdom and, thus, virtue.
“Kathekon” (which may be loosely translated as “fitting or righteous action”) is

also attributable to Zeno. Unlike the term “orthopraxy” (right action or practice,
as the outgrowth of religious indoctrination), first used in 1851 as a way of
describing a similar effect, Kathekon refers to fitting action as parallel to the
laws of nature, determined through observation as an outgrowth of the practice
of apatheia (see above).
Zeno also believed that the universe was an integral totality, which was
comparable to God, but that does not signify God, essentially. The school of Elea
advanced the viewpoint that the nature of the universe was unchanging (in
contrast to Heraclitus, who posited a universe of eternal flux) and static in
nature. Its central claim was “all is one.”
Zeno suggested that two powers were in play at any given time, being the active
realm and the passive realm and that these two powers existed in a dynamic
tension that held the whole together. The passive realm consisted of all those
items that lie passive until provoked into action, only when they are pressed to
do so. The active realm, on the other hand, consists of all those things that
operate automatically, and run their own, natural course unless provoked and
modified to run a different course. Both powers were the result of immanent
(indwelling) Divinity, in which and by which the universe existed and operated.
So, all human beings are products of both these realms, working in dynamic
tension with each other, forming an immutable whole, which is Zeno’s static and
fixed universal model.
Zeno also believed that all happiness lay within the individual and preached this
philosophy specifically to those who sought joy in external sources. He believed
that Stoicism would help people realize genuine happiness and that its
propositions would end unnecessary anxiety and uncertainty, bringing followers
peace.
Cleanthes, a disciple of Zeno, went on to further develop the tenets of Stoicism

and refined its philosophical propositions to appeal to a wider audience. This
made the philosophy more accessible and more easily applied by a greater
number of people. In essence, Cleanthes further popularized and diffused Zeno’s
Stoic model.
Cleanthes of Assos succeeded Zeno (following his death) as one of the founding
fathers (scholarchs) of Stoicism, around 262 BC. He took Zeno’s work forward
and developed Zeno’s worldview in a more populist direction, creating of it a
more religiously-informed ideology. In so doing, Cleanthes made a very
interesting comparison - he likened the universe to a human being, and the stars
to the human soul. Cleanthes proposed that both the universe and the human soul
were concentrations of spirit and that both were deemed worthy of worship.
Apart from the development of Stoicism, Cleanthes was also highly praised and
renowned for a hymn dedicated to Zeus, which described his comparison theory
beautifully in verse and further popularized Stoicism.
Cleanthes’ soaring ode to a universal, omnipotent god (in the person of Zeus)
pre-figures concepts and wording found in Christianity and its father, Judaism.
It’s particularly reminiscent, in tone of address, to the Christian Lord’s Prayer.
For example, Zeus is referred to as the “King of Kings,” bringing order to a
chaotic universe (as is seen in the first two books of Genesis). There is also a
reference to Zeus making “the crooked straight,” which pre-figures the person of
John the Baptist as the herald of the Christ, in the incarnational figure of Jesus of
Nazareth.
And the parallels don’t end there. In the heart of Stoicism are early echoes of
later Christian thinking, particularly t the Church father, Augustine. Augustine’s
entreaty to Christian practitioners in his Confessions, to “treat food as medicine”
and to forego sexual pleasure, is strong parallels to the Stoic exhortation to
subdue the passions in the practice of apatheia. We will discuss more about
these fascinating similarities between the Stoic philosophy and other religious
systems later in the book.
As time progressed, more and more people adopted the Stoic philosophy,
making it their way of life.
Moving along in the Stoic philosophical evolution, we arrive at Chrysippus of

Soli, who, following the death of Cleanthes, succeeded him as scholarch of
Stoicism in 230 BC. He did not strictly follow the philosophical trajectory of his
predecessor, choosing to highlight the work of Homer and Hesiod. He was
instrumental in bringing a semblance of academic order to the study of Stoicism,
providing it with a structural foundation. He absorbed the theory and teachings
of his masters seamlessly and added his own expertise to the subject.
The logical expertise of this second founder of Stoicism (as he is known,

although he was actually the third scholarch) was realized in his command of the
disciplines of ethics and physics. His systematic approach resulted in the first
system of propositional logic, which sought to more fully understand humanity’s
role in the universe. The Stoic dedication to determinism continues in
Chrysippus, as does the appeal to free will operating within that universal
structure of pre-ordained fate. Chrysippus further developed the rejection of
destructive emotions and the Stoic practice of apatheia as central to the
philosophy by systemizing a therapeutic solution to them, drawing followers
toward a mastery of their passions in logical and achievable sequence. It was the
second founder of Stoicism who caused the philosophy to become one of the
most influential of its time, for centuries to come, throughout Greece and the
Roman Empire.
In 185 BC, Panaetius of Rhodes wrote extensively about Stoicism, creating of it

a popular philosophy that the elites of the day took a great interest in. Panaetius
was responsible for introducing the philosophy of Stoicism to Rome, where he
lived and wrote until 129 BC, when he returned to Athens. The renowned
Roman, Cicero, is known to have drawn heavily from Panaetius’s best-known
work, On Duties, as his primary reference in the production of writings under the
same title.
Panaetius’ philosophical departure from proto-Stoicism resides in his

apprehension and (at least partial) rejection of the practice of apatheia. In
contrast to the earlier Stoics, he regarded some emotions as being well in
keeping with natural law and even commanded by it. He placed a certain value
on pleasurable emotions and physical sensations, which was probably one of the
more appealing elements of popularized Stoic philosophy among the elite classes
of the day. The evolution of the central Stoic proposition (that the emotions were
better harnessed in the service of virtue) was softened by Panaetius. The reduced
rigidity of the philosophy made of it a contemporary “pop psychology” version
of its former self and thus, an object of popular infatuation for a moneyed class
seeking novelty.
We now encounter two later Stoics Panaetius (185-109 BC) and Posidonius
(135-50 BC). The later Stoa period includes teachers such as Seneca and
Epictetus. Seneca’s theories were peppered with the eclecticism that had
originated in the writing and teaching of Panaetius of Rhodes.
Born a slave in what is now Turkey, Epictetus represented a return to the

classical teachings of Stoicism. His unwavering determinism supported his
embrace of early Stoic apatheia and its abandonment of human passions in the
conduct of life. He returned to the detachment advanced by Zeno and upheld
Stoicism as a way of life guided by philosophy. Epictetus also held up personal
responsibility as a cornerstone of an ethical, virtuous life. This return to the
classical precepts of Stoicism had a reinvigorating effect on the philosophy.
Would it surprise you to learn than Marcus Aurelius was also a Stoic? In fact, the
Roman emperor was the last of the Stoic teachers. In 4 BC, Seneca and Marcus
Aurelius took up the subject and conducted extensive research on it. This was
also a period when Stoicism was slowly fading as a popular fashion, mainly
because of its popularity. It was a victim of its own success, in essence. Stoic
philosophy became common property among the masses and was eventually
absorbed by Neoplatonism. This effect had already been hinted at in Panaetius of
Rhodes, considered in his day indistinguishable from any of the contemporary
Platonic thinkers.
It was Marcus Aurelius and Seneca who gave the world contemporary, late
Stoicism, which was an extremely refined version of the original philosophy. It
was possible for all people to adopt it, not just the elites. Both Marcus Aurelius
and Seneca lived as they thought – with great self-mastery and emotional
control. The Emperor kept a daily account of his personal development in the
philosophy of Stoicism. Seneca famously thought only of his wife and children
and how they would be affected by his death, when Emperor Nero called for his
suicide.
Seneca also believed in the active practice of misfortune and taught that
followers should set aside several days each month for the purpose of
experiencing poverty. In deliberate self-denial, Seneca believed it was possible
to neutralize the emotional dread of it and thus master the anxiety most people
have of reduced fortunes.
Marcus Aurelius wrote that in choosing not to feel as though you’ve been
harmed, you wouldn’t have been harmed. His understanding of Stoicism as a
philosophical guide to life is evidenced in his daily writings. That was an
extraordinary undertaking for a man who, at the time, was arguably the most
powerful man in the world. With access to the riches of the Empire, untold
power, and deified status (Roman emperors were considered gods), it’s quite
striking that Marcus Aurelius would pursue such a practice, at all. That he did
this each and every day is difficult to believe, but a historical fact, nonetheless.
Stoicism’s influence in the ancient world ended decisively in the 6th Century. It
was at this time that the Holy Roman Emperor, Justinian I, closed all the
empire’s philosophical schools. As the Roman Empire had, by this time, adopted
Christianity as its state religion (under Theodosius in the 4th Century), Justinian
feared the influence of the schools as rivals to the established religion of Rome.
In the mid-1500s, Neo-Stoicism arose in Europe. Founded by the Flemish

humanist, Justus Lipsius, Neo-Stoicism was a syncretic philosophical ideology
which melded Christianity with Stoic philosophical precepts. This was a new
school of thought, which built on proto-Stoicism’s central thesis: that obtaining a
mastery of one’s emotions and controlling them was the key to virtuous and
fully-realized living. It went as far as to suggest that instead of focusing on one’
emotions, it was ultimately more advantageous to focus on God. The Neo-
Stoicism of Lipsius advanced the notion that human beings should submit to
God in order to adequately subdue their passions and gain mastery over their
physical urgings.
Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, is said to have been one of the most potent
influences on the development of Stoicism. In fact, observing him keenly is at
least part of what led Zeno to formulate proto-Stoicism. Socrates, as we know,
was a very calm person who did not allow the ways of the world to affect him
negatively. He remained calm, even in extreme adversity. This is what prompted
Zeno to begin formulating the basis for Stoicism.
Today, modern Stoicism boasts thousands of followers and their numbers

continue to grow. People who follow the philosophies of Stoicism claim that this
practice improves their lives immeasurably. There are many people who vouch
for its ability to not only help followers navigate unfortunate circumstances
calmly, but also to improve the quality and focus of their lives. It’s important to
understand that it’s not a miracle drug or silver bullet. Stoicism demands
concerted effort and focus from its followers in the application of its teachings in
order for them to impact their lives positively. This book will help you
understand the Stoic philosophy and presents it as a possible framework for the
kind of life you’re hoping to live.
Stoics and God
The Athenian Stoics believed in a universal, omnipotent God. Although the very
basic philosophies and virtues of the Stoic religion do not actively mention God,
it is assumed that praying to God on a daily basis can help a person adopt the
Stoic religion with ease. The very basic philosophies and virtues of the Stoic
religion do not expressly mention God as monotheism perhaps understands
Divinity. But the notion of all being one in early Stoicism, as well as currents of
thought throughout its development (in particular, the personification of Zeus as
omnipotent God in the hymn of Cleanthes), point to a core acceptance of the
Divine machination of the universe. They also point to is the notion of Divine
immanence, which may indicate a panentheistic (all is in God) understanding of
Divinity.
A further indication is the notion that meditation on a daily basis is prescribed. A

God inherent in the natural order, which is the source of the law Stoics believed
was to be followed in the pursuit of virtue, has led experts to believe that
Stoicism adhered to a panentheistic worldview. But there is no consensus on this
assertion, with a rival school of thought ascribing a naturalist pantheism (God is
in all and immanent in the natural world by way of the material, natural world).
In common with Christianity, Stoicism claims that the universe has at its center a
Divine reason. In Greek the word for this is “logos”. In the Christian Scriptures,
God in Christ is referred to as the logos. Marcus Aurelius, in particular, brought
forward the view that humanity is God’s ultimate incarnational reality (an
interesting parallel to the Christian claim of God incarnate in the person of Jesus
of Nazareth). Aurelius claimed that the “logos spermatikos” (or “seed of Divine
reason”) was indwelling all human life, as only human beings possessed its three
attributes – life, desire, and reason. To the Philosopher King, all humans were
“fragments of God” for this reason. This statement hints at a more panentheistic
understanding of Divine immanence. If humans are “fragments of God,” then the
universe resides in God as the greater reality, as opposed to God residing in all
things via material agency.
The parallels to Christianity (and perhaps making Christianity’s debt to Stoicism

all the more evident) are numerous, but Stoicism actually makes an appearance
in the Christian Scriptures, themselves. In the Acts of the Apostles (17:28), the
Apostle Paul quotes the Stoic philosopher, Epimenedes the Cretan, writing of a
God in whom “we live and move and have our being.” This is a baldly
panentheistic construct which is not only shared between Christianity and
Stoicism philosophically, but explicitly, in the quotation cited. The incarnational
aspects in Aurelius serve as undeniable parallels to the Christian idea of God
incarnate in the person of Jesus, as Christ.

Stoic Teachings
Early Stoic theory focused on the materialism of the Monist school of

philosophy. In Monism, the created order (and God’s immanence), was realized
in the material (pantheism). Emotions were also materialized, as they manifested
as physical reactions like blushing, smiling, laughing, crying, grimacing, etc.
The early views of Stoicism may well have been described as pantheistic by
virtue of their materialism, which means that a Divine or otherworldly presence
indwelled the material, animating it. A reflection of the philosophical constructs
of the day, it’s not difficult to see how early Stoicism’s apprehension of the
Divine presence evolved through time to arrive at reasonably well articulated
panentheism – even in the pages of Christian Scripture.
There were two kinds of matter, according to the Stoics: That which can be seen
and touched, and the finer matter, which cannot be seen, but only sensed. This
was more like a breath or spirit or a Divine entity whose presence could only be
felt and imagined and which held everything together. These types of matter
were also given different names to go with their properties: logos (Divine
reason), pneuma (Divine breath), and pronoia (Divine providence). The Stoic
philosophers turned to mythology and ancient texts, and also to allegorical
interpretations of sayings and theories to fine-tune their new and emerging Stoic
philosophy. Of course, their naming of God followed the Pagan construct of the
day, as a means of acculturating and adhering to the philosophy to its social
context. For instance, Hera (ERA) becomes air (AER) and GEMETER (Earth) is
derived from DEMETER. So successful was this naming convention that even
early Church Fathers, like Clement and Origen, adopted it for their theological
purposes.
According to Stoicism, human nature harbors both types of matter described

above. The soul was believed to consist of eight distinct parts, comprising the
five senses and two types of power - generative and leading. But this is not to
say that Stoic principles negated free will. Free will has always been associated
with higher intelligence and a higher form of cognition. Stoic wisdom took into
account this extremely vital aspect of a functional human mind, along with its
tenets of happiness and inner peace, adhering at its earliest layer to the notion of
free will, even in the face of cosmic determinism.
All said and done, Stoicism stood for happiness. That was its major goal then
and remains its major goal now. Stoics firmly believed that happiness is the
result of inner peace and a lifelong formation of virtues and values. Since they
negated extraneous thoughts, feelings, and emotions, they theorized that virtue
was intrinsic, or ontological; that it can’t be taken away from someone because it
is an essential feature of their humanity. Thus, if someone lived in accordance
with nature, caused no harm to others, led a quiet, peaceful life, reasonably and
with full passion and commitment with regard to his work, family, and social
context, that person was sure to attain happiness and contentment; the ultimate
goal of Stoicism. And the beauty of this tenet is that, once someone started
walking on this righteous path, he almost never strayed from it. Anyone can
embrace this philosophy at any age and from any walk of life. Its beauty lies in
its simplicity.
Let’s get back to Zeno and Cleanthes for a minute. Zeno, as we know, was the
founder of this school of thought. He and his disciple, Cleanthes, tried to
formulate fundamental principles of this new and exciting theory. They focused
on the active and energetic nature of the mind. When Chrysippus appeared on
the scene, he polished the theory further by stating that the soul was akin to
pneuma, a fire-like substance, constantly burning brightly and illuminating other
matter around it. Pneuma was also associated with higher mental processes and
cognition. To take the theory to another level altogether, pneuma was likened to
Zeus, the ultimate God in Greek mythology.
God occupied a very special place back then, as now. But God was accorded the
status of an artistic and beautiful fire, which could create as well as destroy. The
fire was considered pure and sacred, which enveloped the entire cosmos and our
beings. As mentioned earlier in this book, the philosopher, Heraclitus, employed
the metaphor of fire to describe a universe in constant flux, stating that its
ontology was not subject to change, as its matter encountered flux. From a spark
came flame. From the flame came ash and smoke. The ash returned to earth,
with the process repeating eternally, never changing the essential nature of fire.
The Stoics, on the other hand, posited a fixed and immutable universe;
unchanging through eternity and fire of Divine nature.
The Stoics might have lived in ancient times, but their thoughts were definitely
modern. They viewed the world as one big living organism. Just as God was a
pure pneuma, the human soul was equated with a magical mixture of air and fire.
They referred to it as “refined fire” or “aether.” This dual-quality fire was said to
envelop humans as well, and was viewed as a part of the soul, which was
seeking benediction from heaven, from Zeus, and the cosmos. Ultimately,
according to Stoicism, the human soul would merge into the cosmos. Stoic
beliefs also taught people that the soul was a part of God, residing within human
bodies, and showering intelligence and wealth upon us. The four elements of
nature - fire, air, water, and earth - were properly explained in the philosophy as
well. Earth and water were supposed to be heavy, dense and entirely in the vice
of passivity. Air and fire were thought of as light, transient elements, with a deep
connection to science, arts, and anything to do with intelligence and activity. The
Stoics held the belief that both sets of elements were needed to nourish the soul
and make it bloom.

Still confused as to the real meaning of this philosophy? Well, it’s rather simple,
if you think about it. Stoicism advocated the idea that thorough reasoning was
the key to attain knowledge. Reason, the Stoics believed, was the avenue to the
Stoicism’s longed-for virtue, the key to happiness.
The human brain is an amazing organ. It has the innate ability to ascertain
whether an impression is correct or incorrect, and whether or not we should
approve of or reject it. This also enables it to distinguish between representations
of reality from those which are fallacious or fanciful. Of course, the degree to
which this is accomplished varies from experience to experience, but it is an
established fact that clear comprehension and conviction are attained only by
verification of the judgment.
Many books and treaties have been published on the subject, one of them being
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. It reiterates the basic
principle of Stoicism. Stoicism has been around since ancient times, and is just
as relevant today as it was back then. It propounds a list of techniques and
guidelines that allow people to slowly decrease, diminish, lessen, and ultimately
eradicate everything negative about their lives. Emotions such as anger, jealousy,
fear, hatred, and dissatisfaction are all slowly eliminated from one’s being
through sound reasoning and logic, paving the way for positive and uplifting
emotions like joy, love, happiness, contentment, etc., thus bringing total peace
and equanimity to society as a whole.
The core belief upon which Stoicism lays its foundation is simple: having a
meaningful life by overcoming discontent, desire, and unbridled human
passions.
What does this even mean? People everywhere have wants and desires. They
fulfill one, and go on to the next one. They believe that, by fulfilling their
desires, happiness will be theirs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each
satisfied desire brings with it the next one, in a seemingly unending and
insatiable chain of desire and longing. There is no end to this. People continue to
chase the elusive perceptions of what constitutes happiness all their lives, and
end up no better off than when they began. This is an unfortunate waste of the
goodness of life. So, what’s the trick here? How do we begin to find happiness
within ourselves and our surroundings, without depending on material things in
life? We can do this by overcoming our passions. Ask yourself; is what you seek
a want or is it a need? What we need and what we desire are two different
matters.
Some things in life can be controlled, and some cannot. Worrying endlessly
about the many variables and exigencies of life beyond our control will only
cause untold misery, tension, and anxiety. Why worry when something is not in
your hands? Stoicism teaches us to do a thorough and complete job of the
situation or thing or activity we can control, like doing our job or taking care of
our parents and children or building or creating something. A tornado is not in
our hands, nor is the result of the next election. By learning to separate desire
from need and what’s within our control from what’s not, we can take a vital step
toward inner peace and happiness.
Another activity that will raise your happiness quotient is interaction with other
humans. The Stoic school of thought firmly advocates that, as social animals, we
need and crave each other’s company while limiting the interactions to playful,
fun activities that engage the mind and body. Refrain from envying the status
and fame of others around you. This can result from constantly seeking the
company of other people. It’s been said that familiarity breeds contempt and so it
is with social life.
And what to do when you encounter ill thoughts and insults from those around
you? Detaching yourself from the slight and examining its importance in the
great scheme of things is a good way to start, but there are two ways in which
you can proceed: If the insult or comment is true, you have a chance of making
yourself a better person. Thus, an objective reading of the perceived slight is in
order, even before you arrive at a judgment about its validity. If it’s false, you
don’t lose anything and can go about your daily business, because it doesn’t
matter to you. Your response is entirely within your hands and the Stoic’s
response is no response at all. This defuses the sting of the insult. Calm, rational
examination of the importance of the slights, gossip, and insults that others can’t
help but fling at us, casts them as what they are – completely uninteresting to us.
Thinking stoically means not allowing the little annoyances in life to set you
back. While some become frustrated with taking one step forward and two back,
Stoics will think of this as the “cha cha cha” of life: a dance. Your response to
the world around you is within your control. By not permitting your response to
events, personalities and challenges to dominate your thinking and by not
allowing your emotions to rule you, you claim the peace that Stoicism promises.
This represents a fundamental shift in the manner in which many of us think. We

don’t think, if the truth be told. We react. We fly off the handle. We cry. We
worry. We flip the bird to the driver who cut us off.
But there’s a better way to live. We can master our passions. We can choose to
walk away from conflict, to ignore negative voices around us and to transcend
the challenges we face in life with determined calm. This is the way of the Stoic
and that way is available to all who are willing to work on changing the manner
in which they respond to life and its bumps and grinds.

Stoicism features several philosophical cornerstones. These core ideas are the
very basis of the philosophy and are intended to help you understand what it
takes to walk in the way of the Stoics. It’s a way of life and not something you
should take casually (unless you’re just a tourist in the land of Stoicism, which is
fine, too). In this chapter, we explore some of the core teachings of this
philosophy.
Control What You Can
The very first proposition is that you come to an understanding about what is in
your control and what is not. Not everything in the world is within your ability to
change, improve, or control. Some things, you have to accept, are part of a
greater reality in which you exist, but which is not subject to your will. Say, for
example, that your anger is in your control but external forces provoking it are
out of your control. You need to understand that your response to whatever it is
that has provoked your anger is within your control. It’s your choice how you
answer that. Your response can’t be blamed on your circumstances. It’s your
personal responsibility to manage your reactions. That’s because your emotions
are the product of your own thoughts. Your thoughts are your own, regardless of
what’s occurred in the world around you. You are their master and you are
responsible for them.
Emotions Are Within
This is one of the most important philosophies of Stoicism. The Stoics believe
that emotions are to be detached from externals and are solely created by our
own thoughts and feelings. Most people believe that their emotions are the result
of what they see and hear from the outside world. But how can the world create
your personal emotions? It can only create thoughts, which can stir emotions.
But if you control your thoughts (in response to external stimuli), then you can
control your emotions. It’s incumbent on you to look inside yourself, in an effort
to examine the emotions that arise from your thoughts in response to what’s
going on around you. What’s within you is yours to control and the world may
not be blamed for your personal passions.
Your Responses Are Your Responsibility
Your responses (actions arising from emotional responses) are also your
responsibility. This means that the emotions arising from your thoughts that give
rise to your actions (for better or worse) are all linked and dependent on one
another. It is all within your control, regardless of the event that has precipitated
the thought-emotion-action.
Life is full of ups and downs. There’s no question of that. But your responses
can either lift you up or pull you down. Too often, our passions rule us,
precipitating inappropriately out-of-proportion responses that make us look
overly emotional. Self-control is the mother of the kind of life you are hoping to
live. When you have a command of the thoughts that give rise to inappropriate
emotions and the actions they are capable of producing, you will also become
the master of your destiny. This is the free will aspect of Stoic determinism. Life
is going to happen, but how it happens is somewhat up to you, relying as it does
on your actions in response to difficult situations.
Honesty Is a Virtue
Although you are free to choose the virtues you wish to base your life on, it’s
best to treat honesty as your life’s primary virtue. Honesty brings out the best in
you. Lying fills you with the dread of discovery. It forces you to desperately try
to remember what story you’ve told various people and if those stories match. It
brings worry and invites catastrophe into your life. Choosing honesty as a
primary virtue permits you to release worry and to replace it with the knowledge
that you have chosen the path of virtue in a world of deceit.
It’s important that you maintain a consistent and close relationship with someone
who is just as trustworthy and honest as you are and that you nurture this
supportive relationship over time. Having a reliable sounding board will provide
you with a means to gauge your ethical soundness and provide you with support
when dishonest or less than honest alternatives present themselves as more facile
than the path you’re pursuing. The buddy system is an excellent way to enhance
your journey toward reduced attachment to negative thinking and the emotions
and acts that can result from it. A second opinion is always of great value and
provides you with an objective voice when you’re in doubt.
Hope Springs Eternal
Hope is a virtue, as it’s an eternal spring you can drink from and also share with
others. Hope is a virtue that leads you on in life, even leading you through those
times that challenge and can even break you. The hope that life will get better, or
even just continue, leads you through those times. We all have episodes in our
lives when hope seems elusive. Fostering hope as a virtue is one way to build
internal resilience to the vagaries of an unpredictable life and to nurture
detachment from its mutable nature.
The Stoic philosophy teaches that in knowing the worst, you may better
appreciate the best. Building on that knowledge reminds you that life is ever-
changing and that it’s full of mountains, as well as deep valleys. Walking
through all these highs and lows at the same pace is a Stoic virtue. Being less
attached to outcomes and more attached to how you react to life, as a whole,
builds you up and makes you less vulnerable to unexpected contingencies. You
have to hope for the best and keep going. It is not important to analyze all the
fine details of your losses, because they matter so much less in the face of the
hope you have. Hope tells you that change being the nature of the world is
acceptable, because if the nature of the world is change, then challenge can turn
to triumph overnight. Triumph and challenge are essentially the same creature.
They are two sides of the same coin – life and thus[1], have the same value to
you.
Knowledge Will Save You
Knowledge is your salvation. Read as much as you can and spend time in the
company of those who are wise and who know more than you do. Gather as
much knowledge and information as you can from the wide variety of sources
that are available to you, and go through them in detail to refresh and update
your memory from time to time. Turn off your television and turn on your mind.
The time you spend watching television is wasted. It’s much better spent on
nurturing your mind. Your knowledge and reasoning skills will help you increase
your self-worth. You’ll begin to appreciate the role of knowledge in your life as
something to be turned to in times you’d least expect it might serve you.
Knowledge will improve the overall quality of your life and relationships. Fill
your mind with it.
Mindfulness is Important
The Stoic philosophy stresses that you must remain indifferent to the various
situations in life, but that mindfulness and living fully in the moment are of
paramount importance. Mindfulness refers to being completely present in each
moment and understanding what’s happening around you. Even if you’re
presented with a negative situation, you need to remain indifferent but mindful
and fully aware. You can’t be ignorant of circumstance, as this will cause you to
become a passive bystander. It is well and good if a bad situation has passed you
by without your knowledge of it, but you need to be as aware of life going on
around you as possible. Mindfulness is a window to understanding the world
objectively, seeing it for what it is, and making the decision not to allow it to
impact your way forward. It’s a practice that demands you be fully aware of all
that is positive, as well as all that is negative, in order to be able to fully detach
yourself from outcomes. You are an observer and processor of information,
whether that information suits you or not.
Morals Not Awards
Stoicism teaches that life is to be measured through the application of virtues,

morals, and right action. These are an end in themselves; you are not seeking a
reward for practicing them. They are the reward and the purpose of your life.
Rewards are only temporary and will not help you remain happy forever. You
need to count the number of virtues and morals you’ve dedicated your life to and
question your adherence to them as your measure of life’s value. By living a
virtuous life, freed from the oppression of emotions and attachments, you are
living your reward. Virtue is its own reward.
Letting God
At any time in life, if you feel someone has emotionally parted from you, it’s
important that you accept this is as the “new normal” and choose not to brood
over the departure, analyze it, or give in to despair. Once someone starts to show
signs of not being emotionally invested in a relationship with you, accepting that
decision and not clinging to the relationship, or questioning the motives of the
departing person, is another value that detachment from negative emotions has
for you. You are spared unnecessary suffering. Even if the departing person tries
to hurt you, you must be completely in command of your emotions and as
indifferent as possible. You must tell yourself that nothing they do can affect you
and that you will only listen to your objective thoughts on the matter, refusing to
give in to negative thoughts that feed unwelcome emotions that lead to suffering.
Every Day Is a New Day
Each morning, you start fresh. You literally hit the refresh button in your head
and start all over on the new day. Don’t dwell on the possibility of a negative or
unpleasant situation repeating itself. Even if it does, you will have the
knowledge to deal with it. But be on the lookout for opportunities that will help
you increase your knowledge base. Don’t hold on to anything for the next day
and forget about it as soon as it’s resolved. Once you’ve objectively unpacked it,
put it away. You must be optimistic and move beyond negativity and misfortune,
doing your best to be as rational and indifferent as possible.
These form the core concepts of Stoic philosophy, translated to a modern

understanding of the original intent. Clearly, these are practical ideas and, while
they’re a challenge to our emotionally driven understanding of the world, it’s
obvious to me how embracing them could change lives and reduce suffering.
We’ve discussed some of classical Stoicism’s similarities to Christianity, but if

you’ve read through the concepts outlined above carefully, you’ll also see some
key elements of Buddhism peeking out at you. Detachment and the resulting
reduction of suffering is a clear parallel to Zen Buddhist practice, for example.
The benefits in terms of peace and happiness must be the commonality between
Stoicism and these two great World faiths. For me, this only underlines the
efficacy of the philosophy as a guide to living.

Zeno, as we’ve discussed earlier in this book, introduced Stoicism to ancient

Athens. In those times, there were some core virtues considered by the Greeks to
be indispensable to the order of a successful society. These virtues were instilled
as the cardinal virtues of proto-Stoicism and Zeno propounded them as the
pillars of Stoic philosophy.
Following is an account of proto-Stoicism’s four cardinal virtues.

Wisdom
Wisdom is the first cardinal virtue of Stoicism. Wisdom, as we know, is a crucial

virtue for everyone to pursue and something that can help increase our
understanding of life, its beauty, and our place in it. Wisdom is regarded as a
cardinal virtue because it can help people lead a better life, by helping them
make the right choices for themselves and those around them. A wise person will
look at all factors in any given situation, analyzing it through different lenses. He
will then form an opinion about it and remain detached from the outcome.
Action informed by wisdom is measured and appropriate.
There are many stages to pursuing the virtue of wisdom. The first stage is self-
knowledge. You have to know yourself well enough before you can begin to
develop wisdom. You must understand your own learning capacity before you
embark on the profound project of growing the “sophia” (wisdom) which
already resides in you, longing for nurture. Once you are well acquainted with
your own learning style, you can begin training yourself in the apprehension of
wisdom. Wisdom is more than knowledge. Wisdom is understanding and
experience.
Experience will make you wise, but only if you allow it to seep into your
consciousness as learning. Most of us subconsciously make many decisions, but
it’s important that we help our conscious minds and our subconscious minds
unite. Once they reach the same plane, we are given the precious opportunity to
make better decisions based on a more unified consciousness. Our wisdom will
shine through and help us make the right choices at the right times; choices that
are informed by our experience, processed by understanding all our lives as
learning.
There is no limit to how much knowledge you can obtain in your life. Every day
should be a learning day and you must try and learn as much as you can from
each and every experience. You must then filter out unnecessary information and
allow only what’s important to remain with you. With time, you will know
exactly how to do this. The habit of filtering your knowledge will help you
understand how to categorize what’s going on around you, arriving at the kernel
of importance in all that occurs in your life and the world around you, without
dwelling on peripherals that don’t concern you.
Courage
The second cardinal virtue of Stoicism is courage. Courage is a virtue that

increases your resilience for those times when the winds of life buffet you.
Courage is a virtue that manifests both physically and intellectually.
Physical courage is your body’s ability to withstand challenges that demand a

physical response. By maintaining your health mindfully and intentionally, you
will be prepared for whatever life throws at you. Challenges can range from
dealing with physical pain and disability to undergoing surgery, or even a natural
disaster in which you have to fend for yourself. No human being is perfect, but
knowing that is a byproduct of courage. Acknowledging our weaknesses and
working to build them up is a big part of developing the virtue of courage.
Struggling through with determination is courage made manifest, whether the
challenge is physical, intellectual, or spiritual. Working toward optimum health
is a challenge in itself and there is great virtue in both the effort and the result,
which is physical readiness to meet all challenges with resolve.
The next form of courage is mental, or intellectual, courage. The strength of your
will is your ability to control your thoughts and the emotions and actions that
result from them. Nothing in life is permanent and knowing that is courageous.
Knowing that flux is inevitable prepares you for the change that will come,
regardless of how stable we believe our world is. Nothing remains constant and
everything changes, in due season. This is the law of nature and of life. The
Stoic approach to that reality is employing the virtue of courage as a means of
being prepared for what comes when things change. What you have today might
not be available tomorrow, including those you love and your material
belongings. This is why Stoicism teaches that attachment is the root of suffering,
just as Buddhism does. By understanding the temporal nature of life, you have
become a more courageous and resilient person, detached from a clinging
relationship that brings unhappiness, even misery, into your life.
Equanimity
Equanimity is emotional balance and the ability to maintain composure through

even the most difficult situations. An outgrowth of self-control, equanimity is
born of dedicated practice. It permits the detachment of the self from the
temporal nature of life, allowing it to live in the world you’re creating, the world
of virtue and the acceptance of life’s unpredictability.
In Stoicism, the Greek word apatheia is used to describe this state of being,
whereas the Roman word is closer to the modern English word, aequanimitas.
Both describe a natural state of balance resulting from a concerted effort and
practice to manage thoughts and emotions that result in the ability to face all
circumstances with a similar attitude – for all circumstances have a similar
value. Marcus Aurelius’s model for equanimity was the natural world, which the
Stoics believed to be the model for human life. The natural world is, above all,
cyclical. In understanding the cycles of nature, we can better apply ourselves to
understanding the nature of life itself, with its cycles, (both fallow and fruitful)
and its laws, which are neither good, bad, nor indifferent.
Self-Control
Temperance is the ability to maintain balance in your life and person and that
involves self-control. This is a cardinal virtue, as self-mastery is one of
Stoicism’s primary goals and teachings. Balance in your life creates balance in
your world and this is achieved through the mastery of excessive passions.
Tempering your thoughts and emotions will temper your actions and the result
will be peace and equilibrium.
Self-control also involves abstaining from bad habits. Stay away from
substances, situations, people, and actions that have the potential to affect you
negatively. Leading a temperate life is a reward in itself, as it’s better for you all
around. Excising the negative means excising habits that do you only harm.
The cardinal virtues form a strong foundation for the practice of philosophical
Stoicism as a way of life. By embracing them, the positive changes in your life
will be apparent. Modeling the best version of you is possible through the
mindful practice of Stoicism’s cardinal virtues. This will also set an example for
those around you which will resonate strongly as the kind of life they may want
to lead. If everyone in the world would concern themselves with the conscious
living out of virtue, it’s undeniable that the world would be infinitely more
livable.
Chapter 5: Keeping Calm – A Few Stoic

Principles

What good is all the philosophy in the world if it can’t teach us how to live
practically? What do humans all over the world want?
How to live fulfilling lives, with peace, happiness, and love?[2]

How to keep improving ourselves, so we become better and better?
Do Stoic principles teach us how to do these things? I believe they do.
Let’s read how that is.
● Self-Mastery
In mastering ourselves, our thoughts, and our emotions, we take control
of what we believe are external factors, but which are really the result of
negative thoughts and the emotions they drive. By actively working to
master our intellectual responses to events around us, we become able to
detach from them. This is not to imply that we become apathetic (in the
modern and not the Stoic sense of apatheia). Rather, we choose to
become more analytical about life and its mutability, and become less
attached to outcomes. This is a life improvement which supports
increased happiness and peace.
● Find a mentor
Everyone needs someone to look up to, seek advice from and share
thoughts and ideas with. This could be a neighbor or coworker, a parent,
friend, or superior. Anyone, really, can serve as a mentor. Choose
someone with similar interests in the pursuit of virtue and self-mastery;
someone with a spiritual wisdom you aspire to yourself. This person can
be a valuable guide as you build your virtue and learn to master
yourself.
● Failure is just a step in the “cha cha cha” of life
It’s natural to feel lousy about failure, but as a Stoic, you know it’s going
to happen, right? By understanding that failure is just another learning
experience and by becoming less attached to outcomes, you will
understand that failure is not half the catastrophe you once thought it
was. Without failure, you will never know yourself as a person or the
stuff you’re made of. Treat failure as just another step in the “cha cha
cha” of life and it will seem like exactly what it is – just a part of the
whole from which you can learn and grow. The Stoic practitioner isn’t
attached to outcomes and permits failure to have as welcome a place in
his life as success does.
● Read to educate yourself
Read books about great leaders in world affairs, politics, and spirituality
who changed the world by being in it. Educate yourself about their
achievements. Read also about world religions and spiritual movements.
Nourish yourself with knowledge and seek to glean from what you learn
those things that will support you on your own quest for virtuous living.
● Be honest with yourself
Many a time, we hide behind a veneer of artificiality and delusions,
especially when confronted with decisions we don’t want to make, or
people and emotions we’d rather not tackle. Be honest with yourself.
Challenge your thoughts, dissect the emotions that flow from them, and
know yourself better. Examine yourself daily to ensure that you’re
growing and not going backwards. Jesus of Nazareth said “know
thyself” for good reason.
● Be aware of what you spend your time on
When you have “spare” time, what are you doing with it? Video games?
Social networking sites? Mindless internet surfing? Television viewing?
In order to develop yourself, prioritize your activities. Be aware of the
time you’re spending in pursuits which aren’t moving you closer toward
your goals of self-mastery and virtuous living. Self-awareness and time
management are aspects of virtue you need to pay close attention to.
Wasting time represents a deficit in self-mastery.
● The phone is a tool
Let’s face it, we all spend way too much time on our phones. People
can’t seem to tear themselves away from their smart phones, as if their
life depended on checking out the latest app and the latest feed every ten
minutes. Put it away for a while. Don’t let it distract you while you’re
working or having dinner with your family, or spending time with
friends. People are more precious than machines. Machines are meant to
be used. People are meant to be loved. You don’t need to be a Stoic to
figure this one out.
● Recognize what you can’t control
As mentioned earlier, some things are beyond our ability to control.
Don’t be anxious about these things. Don’t worry about them. Why?
They’re beyond your control. Stoicism is about creating and reaching a
profound level of inner peace and happiness. To achieve this, keep a
firm leash on your emotions when dealing with the unexpected and
unwanted. Your happiness does not depend on external sources. Find it
within yourself and accept those things that you can’t change as what
they are – external.
● Live a principled life
Of course, living in this big, shiny, distracting world, surrounded by
untold wealth and temptation, it’s easy to stray from the path of right
action. But living a life led by ethics, principles, and values is richer and
more fulfilling than a life filled with stuff and money. You can’t take it
with you. When you die, your values and your principles will be talked
about more than your wealth or your position on the Fortune 500 list.
● You can’t control other people
Other people’s rudeness and misbehavior isn’t your concern. People
who can’t keep a leash on their less pleasant side are to be pitied – they
know not what they do. But you do. A person who follows the Stoic path
will never react emotionally to a negative action or word. He knows that
the other person’s behavior is not in their hands. He can’t control the
other person’s speech or actions. So there’s no point worrying about
them. They’re external matters that have no impact on the happiness of a
Stoic.

Far from being a dead philosophical stream, Stoicism is a relevant, modern

system for living philosophically that benefits people who adhere to its tenets, all
over the world. Its answers to the modern problems of stress and professional
burnout, for example, have been beneficial for many seeking to live happier,
more peaceful lives. Stoicism’s rejection of emotional responses as the answer to
the world’s challenges is also a discipline that many have found worthy of
undertaking, discovering that psychological detachment from matters beyond
their control promotes greater wellbeing.
In this chapter, we look at how Stoicism is easily applicable in today’s day and
age and why it may be the life solution you’re seeking.
Stoicism’s Friends
Each year, the University of Exeter in England hosts Stoic Week. This popular
event draws thousands of Stoics and those curious about Stoicism to explore the
ancient philosophy’s applications to modern life. The conference also examines
data collected from participants in order to determine if Stoicism actually
improves the quality of their lives. Statistics gathered at the most recent Stoic
Week indicate that participants reported a 9% increase in positivity and an even
higher decrease in negativity – 11%. The data also revealed that, after only one
week of intentional Stoic philosophical practice, participants experienced a 14%
increase in overall wellbeing and happiness. Fully 54% of respondents polled by
Stoic Week believed they had become more virtuous by following Stoic
principles.
That’s more than half!
Stoic Week events are spreading like wild fire. Grand Valley State University
held its first Stoic Week recently and other academic institutions are involved in
examining Stoicism’s claims against modern life and how they might impact
those who live it. And Stoicism is showing up in some pretty unlikely sectors,
with some pretty unlikely adherents.
LL Cool J? Check. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Check. The NFL? Really? Yes, really. Ryan Holiday’s book, The Obstacle Is the
Way, has sold 100,000 copies and has been translated into 17 languages. For an
Ancient Greek philosophical school that started in a marketplace porch in
Athens, that’s not bad.
In the world of sports, each game is a new game. Players focus on what they can
control in the context of the game. Factors that are beyond their control are
ignored. They endure pain and injury without complaint, powering through their
circumstances with one thought in mind – getting back on the field and trying
again. Sound familiar? That’s because all these features of the sporting mind are
rooted in Stoicism.
Holiday’s book (and its title) is based on a quote by Marcus Aurelius,

expounding the obstacle as the way (as opposed to in the way). The message is
that obstacles form us. They make of us who we are and also that, as stated
earlier in this book, failure is our teacher and just as great a friend to us on our
journeys as success is.
The huge popularity of Holiday’s book in the NHL is no surprise. That world is
populated by people who accept defeat as a learning experience; who don’t
obsess about what’s beyond their power to control. There is a natural Stoicism in
the world of football that has responded to Holiday’s book with great
enthusiasm. Only those unaware of the parallels between the sport and the tenets
of Stoicism should be surprised by this.
Stoicism, even over the past several years, has grown as an area of interest all
over the world. There’s even a large, online community called the New Stoa
(after that long-ago porch in the Athenian agora). Somehow, its ancient
philosophical propositions are resonating with people in the 21st Century. In a
world spun out of control, it provides a philosophical approach to life that quells
the fevered chaos around us. Stoicism’s time would seem to be right about now,
for that reason.
Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci recently wrote a blog post about Stoicism that
he’s now developing into yet another book on the subject (I told you it was
having a revival). His blog, entitled "How to Be a Stoic," struck such a chord
with readers that it went viral. Pigliucci warns that modern Stoicism might
become yet another handy self-help pseudo-fix. He sees Stoicism for what it is: a
way to manage the uncertainty of life and our responses to it. Further, Pigliucci
sought out Stoicism for its approach to the inevitability of death. We will all die.
That truth doesn’t mean we should seek ways out of it. There is no way out of it!
Hoping for some magical eternal life after death is unhealthy and fails to
acknowledge our role in the quality of our lives. Rather, the inevitability of death
is an invitation to live our lives more fully and above all, more mindfully.
Impending death is our invitation to a richer life and all it offers, through the
acceptance that it will come and that we’re called to make the most and best of
the time we have on this earth.
Modernity’s Salve
It is no secret that life has become so hectic and harried these days that people
don’t even have the time to breathe properly. But why is everyone so busy? Well,
to make more money! People try and amass as much money as they can, in order
to immunize themselves from the vicissitudes of life. They work day and night
to gather as much wealth as possible and forget that they’re just human beings.
In a world of rampant consumerism, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in it; to
sacrifice the quality of our lives to the fruitless pursuit of a security that doesn’t
really exist.
The Stoic philosophy is a salve for modernity. Applied with serious intent, it can
make anyone who chooses to do so more mentally and spiritually strong. Stoics
don’t look to the outside world for happiness or validation. They understand that
these effects are internal and dependent on their own apprehension of the world.
Stoicism’s rise took place in a very different world. Before the industrial age,
before the 24/7 news cycle, television, the internet, the telephone, or widespread
literacy. But now it resonates much more deeply in our world, in which we’re
continually being given sources of anxiety, as the television blares.
Stoicism’s teachings – pointing out the value of virtue over all other values – is
an answer to consumerism and its excesses. By looking within for what we need
to answer the world’s challenges and learning to detach from outcomes, we can
much more effectively navigate the turbulent waters of the 21st Century. Our
focus is easily shaken loose in confrontation of climate change, the mass
displacement of people, famine, and perpetual war. We can’t do anything to stop
any of these realities, but we can master our reactions to them. We can do what
we can in our own lives to contribute to solutions. We can detach sufficiently to
look at the world objectively and with the eyes of wisdom and not panic, dread,
or fear.
The Universality of Stoicism
Stoicism has a global appeal that makes sense in any number of cultural
contexts. Its undeniable universalism makes it applicable in any time and any
place, to any person. Because it specifically addresses the individual’s
relationship with the greater world, it speaks to all people in all times. Its loose
panentheism also presents a viewpoint of Divinity which divorces it from
monotheistic, prescriptive religious practice in a manner that makes it attractive
to people who might otherwise reject a systematic philosophy toward more
fruitful living. Stoicism is even compatible with religious practice, as an
auxiliary lens through which to look at the world, and it can enhance the
practitioner’s understanding of the tenets of whatever faith he practices.
All people yearn to find a better way of living in an uncertain world. Some look
to a life after this one as a means of doing that; hoping that their suffering in this
world will be rewarded by an eternal life free of it in the next. What Stoicism
offers is a way of living in the present time, with virtue being the eternal reward.
That virtue, being attained through self-mastery, fulfills the question of how we
might live with change – even catastrophic change. Stoicism provides us with
the tools we need to accept external factors, for better or worse, by detaching
from undesirable and damaging emotions, in favor of acceptance. Acceptance is
not resignation. Acceptance is understanding that we are unable to change
anything but ourselves and our response to ever-changing circumstances.
That focus on the internal evolution of the practitioner is Stoicism’s greatest

appeal. It promotes peace through individual change. As it’s often said, people
want change, but they don’t want to change themselves. It seems like such an
impossible project to take on in the midst of our busy lives. But Stoicism offers a
way to do this that develops the self and makes life genuinely more livable for us
and those around us.
In whatever corner of the world we live, Stoicism can speak to our universal
need for balance and temperance in our lives, bringing contentment and a respite
from the anxiety that plagues so many of us.

Stoicism in Religion
As discussed earlier, the parallels between Stoicism and Christianity, as well as

Buddhism, are striking. The ideas of Marcus Aurelius, as we’ve shown, can even
be found in the pages of the Christian Scriptures. But in fact, Stoicism is
compatible with and its tenets can be found embedded in most of the world’s
religions.
Like Stoicism, most religions emphasize the need for people to detach
themselves as much as possible from worldly pleasures and to look inside
themselves for happiness. You may currently be a member of a faith group.
Consider that you’re already practicing at least some of the teachings of Stoicism
as part of that faith. Consider that many of the ideas put forward by Stoic
philosophy form a part of your religious practice. The ancient world was a
melting pot of cultures and religions, so it’s inevitable that the ideals of the
Greek world and its philosophers would continue to be heard in the canons of
our various faith traditions in various ways. This is particularly true of Stoic
philosophy. Stoicism is uniquely compatible with faith practice, due to its
philosophic emphasis on self-mastery and examination and the jaded eye it casts
on an emotional attachment to the temporal. This world will pass away, but the
words of Stoic philosophy will not pass away (to paraphrase Jesus of Nazareth).
With the rise of Christianity and the subsequent decline of Greek Stoicism via
the actions of Justinian I, Stoic ideals found a home in that faith tradition. Today,
Alcoholics Anonymous (a quasi-religious organization founded on Christian
ideas), employs a prayer which rather starkly and succinctly sums up Stoicism in
a few brief lines:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, to change the
things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”.
The Serenity Prayer so efficiently encompasses the message of Stoicism, that it

might have been engraved over that porch in the agora by Zeno himself!
It’s notable that the Stoics were, essentially, monotheists in their interpretation of
Divinity, in the tradition of Heraclitus. While, unlike Heraclitus, the Stoics
believed that the universe was of an immutable nature and not typified by
constant flux, it’s clear their concept of God was a unified one. Employing the
pantheon of their time, their philosophy included the belief in Divine reason
(logos) at the center of the universe. The Stoic universe was dependent upon that
Divine reason and existed through its immanence. This belief also exists in the
three great monotheistic faiths born in the ancient Near East: Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam.
What’s interesting about Stoicism, though, is that God has no competition. There
is no demi-urge, yetzer hara, or force of evil in its philosophies. There is only the
logos and its benevolent ordering of all that is, in immanent presence. In
contrast, Christianity’s “Devil” and Judaism’s Ha-Satan (carried over to Islam as
Shaytan/Ibli) seems to be a holdover from henotheism – the belief in a personal
God greater than other, competing gods. Even the concept of the Trinity in
Christianity seems something of a challenge to the monotheistic concept of God.
Stoicism, it might be argued, is thus more fundamentally monotheistic as a
philosophy than the three major monotheistic faiths. But that’s a big argument
about something we can’t change, so in true Stoic fashion – we’ll elect to leave it
at that!
Similarities between Zen Buddhism and Stoicism are also quite striking. For
example, the emphasis on mindfulness (being in the present moment) is a central
feature in both systems, as well as detachment toward the elimination of the
suffering caused by anxiety, grief, fear, and worry. Both Stoicism and Buddhism
posit an increase of virtue through meditation and subsequent analysis.
Essentially, these systems are strikingly similar and a detailed exploration of
their equivalencies would serve as a useful exercise to increase your knowledge
and understanding of Stoicism’s aims.
The prescription for equanimity or balance is common in most faith practices in
the world, in one way or another. Yoga, Hinduism, and Judaism all hold up
balance as something to be strived for, as the hoped for end of disciplined self-
examination and the mastery of emotions.
Searching for Stoicism’s influence in the religions of the world is a fascinating

area of study that can illuminate systems of belief for us, as we journey toward
increased virtue. Knowing where it’s been and how it’s evolved and left traces of
itself behind, is one way of seeing its universal nature and positive influence on
the world, as a whole.
The Strength to Take on Life
We can all be weakened by life’s ups and downs, but that effect depends on our
way of viewing challenge and change, as Stoicism teaches. A moment of
weakness can deteriorate into a lifetime of regret, if we allow it to. But by
applying Stoic ideals to the conduct of our daily lives, we can reduce or
eliminate the ability of change and failure to impact us the way it does people
who believe life is a battle to be waged and not a journey to be enjoyed.
The mental and physical strength developed by combat soldiers depends on

many Stoic principles. Focus on the possible, the calling on of inner resources
and courage all make it possible for these men and women to approach the field
of battle without fear. Life needn’t be a battle field, but some of what soldiers
draw on in order to engage in combat is what you need to live life without
anxiety and fear. Part of that is remaining hopeful, while understanding that
outcomes can’t always be controlled. All we can control is the input and that
input should always be everything we have to offer. We can only offer
everything when we’re not distracted by worry and an inappropriate focus on
external factors we can’t change.
Leading the Way
With its focus on individual responsibility and the attainment of virtue, Stoicism
lends itself particularly well to being a way of living for those who hope to lead
in their communities and workplaces. By developing your ability to remain calm
and detached in the eye of the storm and to analyze what’s going on around you
with Stoic equanimity, you will model key leadership qualities.
Through your life and the way you live it, others will see you as someone worthy
of trust and emulation. By modeling the Stoic philosophy, you will draw others
toward its benefits and in so doing, increase the practice of personal
accountability and the increase of virtue through mindful detachment from
temporal affairs.
In a society obsessed with money and the accumulation of goods, as well as

relentless competition, Stoicism offers hope to those suffering in the midst of
this dysfunctional culture. It offers a way of living with it, while remaining
somewhat apart from it. Although we’re all creatures of the society and culture
we live in, it’s not incumbent on any of us to participate in the excesses that
attach. In fact, those of us who are courageous enough to step back from our
attachment to temporal matters and things, provide a lighthouse of reason by
which others might find their way to a less attached and thus happier, more
peaceful way of living.
A Stoic leader, it should be noted, stands with and not above those he leads.
Leadership is, above all, servanthood and servanthood is an ontology of sacrifice
to others. It’s not authority. Authority is bowed to. Leadership is lived out in
equality and radical community which acknowledges the personal accountability
of each person. Leadership is humble, willing, and available to help point the
way forward, but never by fiat or coercion.
Leadership is exemplary and suggestive. It shows others what a well-formed

human being consists of and how that human being behaves when placed in a
leadership position. Stoic leadership, then, is dedicated to the betterment of
others by way of the demonstration of the value of virtue as the goal of a life
well-lived.

Stoicism was wrought in the crucible of Alexander the Great’s sweeping

conquests. His sudden death threw the ancient world of the Stoics into turmoil.
What could be a more fertile ground for the introduction of a philosophy that
offered a means to find inner peace in the eye of a social and political hurricane?
For the ancient Athenians, Stoicism’s promise lay in its prescriptions for living
through the turbulent times in which they found themselves. It didn’t promise
“pie in the sky when you die.” Rather, it taught followers that their quality of life
was in their hands, despite all the turbulence around them.
The similarities of those times for Athens and our times are more than obvious.
The world is increasingly unstable, threatened as it is with catastrophic weather
occasioned by climate change, terrorism (both domestic and foreign), and food
insecurity for billions of people, all over the world. The world of Athens may
have been smaller and not gifted (or burdened, in the alternative view) with the
technological wonders of the world that we live in now. It’s undeniable, though,
that events immediately preceding the rise of Stoicism were instrumental in its
diffusion and eventual popularity, well beyond Athens.
Many of us feel helpless in the face of current events. We know we can’t change
them. But do we know we can change ourselves in order to make more sense of
them? Do we know that our inner life is our responsibility and that its quality
determines the quality of the fullness of our lives, even in confusing times?
Stoicism teaches us that we can aspire to this, just as it taught the ancient
Athenians the same. The appeal of this philosophy lies in exactly the same
features that attracted Zeno’s followers to that porch in the agora: a way to live
without fear, by developing our inner lives in relationship with the world around
us. Not against it. In relationship with it.
It's the quality of that relationship and its potential to help us make sense of life
that appeals to people today as much as it did to followers in Zeno’s time.
By recognizing the temporal world for what it is—unpredictable and even
hostile, at times—we serve ourselves by detaching from the need for control that
gives rise to fear and anxiety. We can lose it all and yet still have access to the
rich internal life we’re enabled to build by following the tenets of Stoicism.
An Overwrought, Oversharing World
How many people share Facebook status updates telling anyone who cares to
read them what they ate for lunch? How they’re feeling in any giving moment?
Rants of a highly personal nature appear on Facebook as people vent their
negative emotions. Those emotions have to go somewhere, so why not Facebook
– in front of millions of people!
Stoicism offers us a way out of our self-obsessed, fearful addiction to giving in
to our emotions. Posting a status update is an action that arises from thoughts,
which turn to emotions and become an action we may well regret later. It seems
the world is longing for a retreat from the realm of the duck-lipped selfie, the
overwrought Facebook self-revelation, the obsessive texting on our omnipresent
prosthetic, the mobile device. Stoicism represents just such a retreat.
The Global Village
Technology may have brought us closer together in terms of communication and

travel over enormous distances, but the world’s new smallness also seems to
have given rise to an unfortunate tendency to tribalism.
Recent events in the USA are a good example. The increase in xenophobic
sentiment, fueled by the rise of ISIL in the Middle East and the terrorist attacks
in Paris, has opened a can of tribalistic worms which is not making life on earth
any easier. Presidential candidates fan the flames, making hatred based on
religion popular in a way it hasn’t been since the days of the Third Reich.
In such times, a philosophy that rejects tribalism and calls people together under
the auspices of the Divine reason at the center of the universe is more than
welcome.
Stoicism is, in fact, the first philosophy known to have actively fostered
universal acceptance of people unlike ourselves. Philanthropia (brotherly love)
originated in Stoicism. When practiced intentionally, as a way of life, the
concept of accepting others as they are (because we can’t and don’t have the
right to change them) and living in peace with them is a powerful one. This idea
has untold resonance in our times of division, hatred, racism, and xenophobic
fear of “the other.”

Stoicism is a way of life. It’s a way into yourself and your way of interacting
with the world and with others.
Human beings are vice- and neuroses-riddled creatures, prone to all manner of
mischief and destructive behavior. It’s clear that mischief and destruction aren’t
the best way to live a happy life, so having the ability to modulate our vices and
behaviors is both beneficial and necessary. Self-mastery allows us to work
toward such modulation of our vices or neurotic responses and thus better
manage our presence in the world.
Stress
Stress is an unfortunate feature of modern life. It affects us all to some degree.

But stress is a reaction to our emotions, as they arise from our thoughts, and
anxiety is where it’s born. Anxiety is a state of extreme worry (even obsession)
about contingencies that may or may not happen. Anxiety can also be rooted in
past events that we haven’t made peace with.
Many people spend a great deal of time wrestling with anxiety about any number
of things. When will the electricity bill come and will the money be in the bank
to pay it? Is my wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend cheating on me? Am I going
to lose my job? Am I going to get sick? Sometimes our anxiety stems from a
realistic concern. Often, though, anxiety results from an irrational fear of the
unknown. Anxiety can prey on people’s minds to the point where they have to be
medicated to reduce its deleterious effect on their lives.
But anxiety can also be induced by our media-saturated lives. All around us are
messages about not being good enough, not having the right stuff (or enough of
it), not having enough money, terrorist attacks, burglaries, rapes, murders, and
other mayhem that fills the coffers of media giants. Our fear is what generates
the money in those coffers. Like a perpetual train wreck, information comes at us
in big, scary, moving pictures, prompting us to lock our doors against the rising
tide of evil and insanity all around us, threatening to climb in our windows in the
dark of night.
No wonder we’re neurotic!
The Stoic meditational discipline invites followers to confront their anxieties as

part of their daily process of arriving at a place of self-mastery. The
“premeditatio malorum” is the act of contemplating the worst case scenarios that
might occur from potential incidents during the course of the practitioner’s
impending day. In pursuing this course of meditation, the practitioner sees the
potential incident as being indifferent, but at the same time “not preferred.” The
notion becomes rooted in the practitioner’s mind that, while the incident may
occur in even its worst possible incarnation, it’s not a source for anxiety. Rather,
acknowledging the fact it may occur frees the practitioner from anxiety about its
potential. The potential has been examined and deemed of no more importance
than if it weren’t actually realized. It is just another facet of what is, or may be.
By imagining the possibility of undesirable events, the practitioner is enabled to

reduce the anxiety and stress people feel about them. Anxiety is not permanent
and is entirely within our ability to defuse.
Judgment
Mass media have increased the pressure many of us feel to be superficially

beautiful. This pressure has increased the anxiety of millions of men, women,
and children around the world to conform to unattainable, media-driven
standards of physical attractiveness. Beauty is not, in the Stoic view, an aesthetic
value, but an intellectual and spiritual value born inside the individual.
Understanding this in a world of superfice and veneer is challenging but, by
developing the inner life, it’s possible to transcend media’s influence and the
judgment of other people who are, in turn, influenced by that judgment.
Indifference to judgment applies to many other areas, but the 21st Century’s
focus on consumerist models of perfection presents judgments based on
superficial beauty as a good example. You are not subject to the judgments of
others, because you are indifferent to them. The judgment of others is an external
factor that doesn’t impact your inner life. You’re not attached to it because you
can’t change it. You can only choose not to be affected by it.
Stoicism’s focus on the responsibility of the individual practitioner lies in his

response to external factors and the judgment of others (regardless of what facet
of you is being judged) is just another, irrelevant external factor. Water off a
duck’s back, my Stoics!
Anger
There is a good reason that rage is one of the Bible’s seven deadly sins. It is a
toxic emotion with enormous destructive power. Rage, or anger, is the emotional
equivalent of the nuclear option. It is mutually assured destruction. It is
intercontinental ballistic devastation on a global scale. It’s not good for you or
anyone around you.
Modeling self-mastery of the passions, mean not losing your temper. That’s the
result of managing the thoughts and their emotional offspring that lead to you
losing it. Anger is a big one. It’s the one that’s most likely to boil over and burn
everyone in the immediate vicinity and Stoicism knows that this is true. The
mastery of emotions leading to displays of rage and anger should be at the top of
your list of goals as a Stoic, because such displays stay in people’s minds for a
very long time and can create needless suffering.
Worry
Worry is common to us (especially those of us who are mothers). But it has

absolutely no purpose. All worry does is affect your sleep, your health, and your
peace of mind. It changes nothing. All it does is make you unwell.
Pretending you’re not subject to worry is not useful, because taking this position
does nothing to address the negative impact of the worry that is actually there.
Rather, it’s important to defuse the worry by analytically working through the
issue you’re worried about. Asking yourself the right questions and then
resolving to file the problem under “things you can’t change” is the right answer.
It’s the Stoic answer. You cannot change the outcome. You can only change the
input and that is your thinking around the source of your worry and the
emotional offspring of that thinking.
Again, the meditational practice of visualizing the problem as a scenario in all its
possible permutations is the Stoic’s way of facing down anxiety and worry. By
foreseeing the worst that can happen, the Stoic is liberated from worrying about
it. He already knows that any number of outcomes could be in play and accepts
them all. The input, within his control, is acceptance.
Today’s Stoics (like the philosopher, Pagliucci) often put this meditational tool
into practice, but note that it’s recommended only for those who are able to
confront some of the more disturbing aspects of visualizing the worst that might
happen. Being prepared not to obsess about the scenarios you’re visualizing is
key to the method’s success and, if you’re not ready to go there, it’s suggested
you don’t. You are the best judge of your readiness to employ it.
Insecurity
You could well say that insecurity is one of the most virulent diseases of modern
life. The world is full of other people, competing for the same jobs, the same
lifestyle, and the same positions at universities. Many of us live in a state of
precocity occasioned by globalization and its reduction of available jobs. There
are thousands of people out there doing the same job you are, making the same
moves, and on the same life trajectory. Just the thought of all those unknown
competitors can make people feel insecure and doubt their ability to stay on
course – even their ability to keep their jobs, their homes, and their lives as they
know them.
But Stoicism teaches that outcomes are indifferent and that the significance we
attach to them is really a product of our thoughts. When we see outcomes as
possibilities that have no particular value, except what we might learn from
them, they stop being important. The wisdom that Stoicism propagates assists
people in developing not just self-confidence, but also indifference. So even if
there are a hundred people in the race for a desired job, the Stoic will not be
bothered and continue doing what he does, with no attachment to the outcome.
There is no insecurity, because there is no attachment to the outcome. If the Stoic
gets the job – great! If the Stoic doesn’t get the job – also great!
Competition is a fact of life. Choosing not to engage in the vicious, sharp-

elbowed jockeying for position should be the fact of your life, as a Stoic.
Attaching too much importance to achievements that are indifferent to the true
quality of your life is the road to suffering, not virtue. Virtue looks past the
temporal to what really matters, which is how you respond.
Disappointment
The Stoics believed that although human beings could create their own
happiness internally, fate was essentially determined in a static and immutable
universe. Operating within that framework, though, we can change ourselves and
how we respond to the limited nature of free will and the world in which we
exercise it.
Throughout this book, we’ve reminded you of the Stoic prescription to accept
those things you can’t change and to change what you can: your internal life and
the emotions that guide your responses to external factors. Your fate, while
perhaps determined, is impacted by the manner in which you approach what’s
ahead and faces you in this very moment. Your command of the moment and
your mindfulness about how you are active in it are where your free will meets
your destiny. It’s the part that’s completely under your control. You, however, do
not control the universe, so disappointment is an emotion that not only doesn’t
serve you, but fails to acknowledge that you’re disappointed about things you
can’t change. Transforming disappointment into acceptance is powerful, as it
lifts up your life as a resilient one, able to know happiness when others are
miserable because of life’s little smacks in the face.
So no matter what the situation or outcome is, it’s what it is. Only your input
matters. Only your response matters. Disappointment is suffering, and indulging
it fails to move you along the path toward your goal of enhanced virtue.
Chapter 9: How to be a Stoic

By now, I’m sure you understand what Stoicism is all about and what impact it
can have on the life of someone who follows its precepts. In this chapter, we
look at how you can become a Stoic practitioner.
Read
The very first thing you should do is to read as extensively as possible on the
topic. This will help you understand the scope and evolution of Stoicism and
what to expect should you decide to adopt the Stoic philosophy. Apart from this
book, you should read other books and articles on the subject to acquaint
yourself with what Stoicism is and what it has to offer you. You must understand
the views of each of the early Stoics to know how you can adopt the philosophy
in order to lead a better life. Understanding not only the foundational aspects of
Stoicism, but also its evolution through time, is important to gaining a thorough
understanding of the philosophy.
Greater Understanding
Once you are acquainted with the Stoic philosophy, you should analyze it from
all angles and ask yourself how you might contemporize it to the realities of your
life. Similarly, don’t blindly accept what you’re told by others about Stoicism. In
the Stoic tradition, that responsibility lies with you and no one else. You need to
apply your own thoughts and understand the philosophy from your own, unique
perspective. Even if you have conflicting thoughts, it’s important that these
factor into your understanding. There is no use adopting a philosophical
guideline for living that’s deposited and not properly understood by you, the
practitioner. Blind adherence is the antithesis of Stoicism, which lifts up personal
accountability and self-reflection as core values.
Company on the Journey
It is always a good idea to have a partner in exploration. That means you might
want to find a friend who’s also interested in Stoicism to come with you on the
journey. This can be your partner, a sibling, a friend, or a relative. An adventure
with a friend is a lot more fun, to be sure. Having a sounding board to share
thoughts and ideas with is always useful. Talking to someone else about your
studies will also further motivate you to take the subject seriously and explore it
in detail.
Way of Life
Being interested in philosophy and taking it on as a lifestyle are two different

things. While each is worthy in and of itself, it’s important that you decide early
on what you want to do with what you’re learning. As an interest, Stoicism is an
important area of philosophy, worthy of study. As a lifestyle, it’s a life-changing
exploration of who you are and what you’re doing in the world. Seeking is just
as valid as practicing, as all learning (in the Stoic tradition) is good learning. In
between those two possibilities, there’s dabbling, which may just be a waste of
time for you, as this is not a pop psychology alternative. This is the real thing –
philosophy as a way of life.
No Zealotry, Please
Remember to always do everything in moderation. Zealotry is not virtuous and it

will not help you get where you’re going. The enthusiasm of “converts” is often
short-lived, with the demands of life-changing disciplines losing their shine as
their demands become more apparent with time. Take your time with
approaching what represents a shift in the way you plan to live your life. Set
yourself monthly and weekly goals and follow a plan for your development.
Move to the next goal only after you have attained the previous one and aim
high each time, but don’t overshoot. Don’t feel pressured to get to where you
want to go overnight. The zeal of the “convert” can be heartwarming and even
inspiring, but spiritual burnout is a loss for everyone, especially you.
Join a Group
You can choose to join a Stoicism study group. This will help you get a better
insight into the philosophy and how it can manifest in your life. You can interact
with both experienced and new practitioners and understand Stoicism in a deeper
way. You can look for a group in your area and join with like-minded people in
your stoical explorations. Check online for groups in your area. If you don’t find
one, you may want to start one yourself.
Everyday Practice
As with any life practice that you hope can improve the way you move through
the world, your daily practice is the key to success in knowing growth. It should
be the center of your life, as its impact on your life and how well you live it
depends on your dedication. Rome wasn’t built in a day (or Athens, for that
matter), so be kind to yourself, acknowledge you’re in the midst of a growth
project, and take your time getting to know and understand the philosophies
you’re applying to your daily life.
Meditation
Meditation is a great way to focus on the principles of Stoicism and has always
been prescribed as a support to its practical application. Pursuing meditation
along Stoic lines will help you absorb the lessons you’re learning and move you
forward. While this may seem odd at the beginning and somewhat foreign to
you, daily attempts will make it easier every day.
Chapter 10: The Relevance of Stoicism in the

Modern Day

Since the concept of Stoicism is based on ideology developed in antiquity, there

is much discussion about whether these ideas are relevant to human society as it
is today.
Human civilization has evolved considerably since the fall of Greek civilization,
but the concepts of the Greek philosophers who developed the very idea of
Stoicism have proven to be timeless.
This is because, while civilization has advanced, society has not. We have
developed advanced medicines that have made the likelihood of dying of disease
far lower than it used to be only a century ago. We now travel in efficient
machines at unbelievable speeds.
Yet, for all of these technological advancements, our mentalities have not
progressed much further beyond what they used to be. We still face problems in
our daily lives. Although the nature of these problems might be vastly different
from those experienced by people living in Ancient Greece, we still deal with
these problems in largely the same ways.
The emperor of yesterday is today’s CEO, obsessing about the quarterly

financial statements. The Ancient Greek fishmonger worrying about how to
provide for his family is very similar to the blue-collar worker living paycheck
to paycheck.
Hence, Stoicism can be just as relevant in the modern day as it used to be during
the ancient time when it was invented. In order to further describe in what ways
the philosophy of Stoicism can be considered useful in the context of modern
life, this chapter has been designed to discuss in detail what specific aspects of
Stoicism the modern man might benefit from.
What follows is a list of five basic arguments that posit how Stoicism and
modern life are fully compatible.
The World is Still a Difficult Place to Live In
War and violence continue to plague the world. Refugees number in the millions.
Climate change drives people from their homes as the glaciers melt, the oceans
rise, and catastrophic weather events destroy entire cities.
We’ve been at war with each other since Cain killed his own brother. In fact, the
Biblical flood was occasioned by the increase of violence on the face of the
earth. God simply got fed up with it! In the midst of terrible violence, ideologies
about how to cope with them are born. Systems of dealing with hardship can
only occur after hardship has been experienced. They arise naturally as a way of
helping us understand the world, its unpredictability and how we should respond
to its many challenges.
The same is true of Stoicism. Created in the wake of Alexander the Great’s
bloody conquest of Asia, Stoicism arose as the result of Greek civilization’s
unwelcome involvement in the violence and upheaval of the times. A great deal
of suffering was experienced by the people of Greece and this molded the very
ideology this book is dedicated to.
Hence, Stoicism was made in a war-torn time very similar to our own. We have
become dichotomous in the way we react to trauma in that we either grieve with
abandon or we repress what we are feeling and retreat within ourselves.
Stoicism offers us a third pass. It allows us to be indifferent to suffering, to take

it as just another fact of life. It helps us to understand just how pointless the
reaction to hardship is, and in our indifference we are able to truly deal with
what life has in store for us.
Stoicism was in many ways an answer to those decades of conquest and conflict.
It was a way for people to deal with hardship and violence by approaching
trauma and crisis in a more balanced way and rational way.
Stoicism was born in the crucible of a war-torn time very similar to our own. As
the people of Athens did in their time, we respond to trauma and chaos by either
repressing our emotions, or completely breaking down. Stoicism offered the
people of Athens a better way of organizing their thoughts, toward an emotional
mastery that increased their resilience in the face of catastrophic events.
Stoicism offers us a new way forward. It allows us to be indifferent to suffering,

to take it as just another fact of life. It helps us to understand just how pointless
our emotional reactions to hardship are. In the Stoic ideal of apatheia is the seed
of a better life, lived in the acceptance of life’s vicissitudes.
If there is one defining aspect of our modern civilization, it is that we are

becoming increasingly aware of how different each of us is from one another.
The world has become so much smaller with the rise of technology that makes
travelling halfway across the world a matter of hours, instead of weeks or
months. While this has drawn us closer together in some ways, in other ways it
has divided us.
When Alexander of Macedon went on his conquest of Asia, Greek civilization

was introduced to a cornucopia of new cultures that were vastly different from
their own. Prior to these bold conquests, the only cultures well known to the
Greeks were regional ones similar to the one they lived in. The conquests of
Alexander introduced the Greeks to cultures as foreign as those of Egypt and
India, which meant that this was a time of great xenophobia.
This is another aspect of that time period that makes it similar to our own.
Stoicism’s answer to the xenophobia that can result from cross-cultural exposure
(due to the innate human tendency to indulge in tribalism) was philanthropia.
Now, as in those times, this principle can help salve a troubled, angry, and
violent world.
One of the core tenets of Stoicism is acceptance. This means that the Stoics of
Ancient Greece accepted those who were different from them as a philosophical
imperative. Stoicism can thus serve a very useful purpose in modern society,
where we are faced with such a diverse panorama of human life. Philanthropia
and the practice of accepting life and people as they are promise a better
foundation for society than the one we’re currently working with. For example,
the response to the Syrian refugees, which has caused such an eruption of
xenophobia globally, would be very different were Stoic principles to be applied.
To be able to love one’s fellow man and accept humans the way they are is a
truly admirable quality, and is universal regardless of what era you are living in.
Stoicism, in teaching acceptance, precludes xenophobic responses to the “Other”
in our midst, commanding that we extend brotherly love to all we encounter. In a
world grown so small, this seems to be an imperative we can no longer ignore.
Stoicism Is Compatible with Modern Religion
A common argument against the integration of Stoicism into modern society is

that it is a dead philosophy. What critics don’t seem to realize is that Stoicism
continues to live in the world’s religions and political systems. Its influence
continues to inform people all over the world in these areas and others.
If we take the top four religions of the world, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and
Judaism, we find that they all have multiple connections to Stoicism. Judaism
was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, as was its offshoot Christianity
(something we’ve already discussed in some detail). Islam was greatly
influenced by both Christianity and Judaism. In the pages of the Qu’ran, we find
almost precisely the same account of Joseph and the wife of Potiphar, for
example. In Hinduism, the cardinal virtue of equanimity is highly regarded also.
When Alexander of Macedon reached India, his people were introduced to the
Hindu concept of peace and serenity through meditation. This concept
reverberated through the academic elite of Ancient Greece, who called on it as a
Stoic practice.
The common thread among all of these religions is that they all essentially
preach love of mankind. Their main tenet is the concept of brotherly love; that
each human being is intimately connected to the other and intrinsically valuable.
Additionally, all modern religions preach that humans should control their most
basic urges. To give in to these urges is to relinquish something that sets the
human animal (according to Marcus Aurelius, himself) apart: our reason. The
abandonment of self-control makes beasts of human and leads to suffering,
violence, and chaos. It’s for good reason that the mastery of emotions and
actions is a commonly held tenet of all world faith systems.
With the influence that Greek philosophy has had on the religions of the world,
you can be sure that if you practice a religion, you will be applying the tenets of
Stoicism as part of that practice. With love for one another being such a common
theme in every religion, you can be sure that applying Stoicism to your daily life
will seem completely natural and complementary to your existing practice.
Adding the principles of Stoicism to your religious practice will deepen and
enrich your understanding of your faith.
The Universal Stoic Soldier
The way of the military is the way of discipline. To live in the manner that the
men and women of the military do is to embody many of the central ideas of
Stoicism. Living life with such immense discipline allows you to take control of
your thoughts, your emotions, your actions, and your focus. The military
ideology incorporates exercise, early days, and hard work. A good soldier goes
to the field of battle knowing it’s very possible that he will die or be wounded.
This thought he controls. He doesn’t allow it to guide his emotional response to
the prospect of battle. He marches through his feelings with courage, as though it
was just another day. He understands that the battle, even the war, may be lost.
He detaches himself, putting one foot in front of the other, dedicated to being
where he’s needed.
Stoicism arose as a part of the outfall of the learning experience the Greeks
underwent, following one of the most brutal and extensive military campaigns in
the history of the ancient world. It was inevitable that the precepts of Stoicism
would encompass the ideal traits of the warrior, set against the backdrop of
recent history.
In the Western World, we’ve become increasingly sedentary, growing soft, lazy,
and overweight, as a result. We feel entitled to the increasing luxury we live in,
demanding that the world remain at room temperature at all times, occasioning
the over-use of amenities like air conditioning. We lounge like kings on our
overstuffed sofas, passively consuming television. Perhaps a dose of the pseudo-
martial discipline of Stoicism might do many of us some good.
Stoicism is Designed to Help Leaders
For the final reason I’m presenting about Stoicism’s relevance to modern society,
we are going to discuss a rather strange but incredibly important aspect of
Stoicism. It was a remarkably progressive philosophy in its Ancient Greek
context.
Ancient Greek society was arranged in such a way that upward mobility was
rather difficult to achieve in any meaningful way. The only way to get rich was
to be born that way. Criminality was the only other avenue, but would not gain
the criminal status or power.
Stoicism challenged the rigid hierarchical order of Greece, claiming that all had
access to reason and thus, virtue. It also democratized philosophical thought,
bringing Stoicism and its precepts into the midst of the agora, the heart of
Athenian society. Making philosophy available to people outside the favored
privileged upper echelons gave all those willing to listen the opportunity to learn
a way to form themselves differently; to aspire to a richer inner life. It may not
have enabled the poor to climb out of their financial circumstances or social
profile, but it provided a way to deal with those life circumstances
philosophically.
Our society, rooted in universal ideals of equality, gives us an advantage that

people in the ancient world didn’t have. We have access to Stoicism as a means
not only for understanding our lives, but also for improving them. We don’t live
under the social hierarchy of the Ancient Greeks and thus our application of
Stoic models toward enhancing our social and financial standing is unlimited.
The progressive nature of Stoicism was well ahead of any competing

philosophies or religious constructs of its time. Even Christianity was to suffer
for centuries from rigid hierarchy and, in some sectors, it still does. Stoicism,
with its universally applicable tenets, is accessible by all people, regardless of
economic status, religion, ethnicity, or gender.
Chapter 11: How Stoicism Can Help the

Entrepreneur

Of all of the areas of modern society that Stoicism can help one deal with, none
is perhaps as significant as the world of the entrepreneur, an individual who
creates and develops businesses primarily as an independent.
This world, filled to the brim with unimaginable stress and hardship, requires a
great deal of Stoicism. This chapter has been designed to describe in detail how
you can apply Stoicism in your life an entrepreneur and become better at
pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams.
Stoicism Allows You to Filter Your Thoughts
If you are an entrepreneur, you already know that the average workday of an
entrepreneur encompasses a wide variety of different tasks. The nature of these
tasks can be so diverse that an entrepreneur often ends up getting lost in all of
the noise, unable to decide what to work on or what needs to be worried about.
After all, as an entrepreneur you are responsible for a number of administrative

tasks. Additionally, you are responsible for a number of creative decisions that
will decide the future of your company. Then, there are staffing, payroll,
promotions, and inventory duties.
It’s easy to lose track of what’s important. Stoicism allows you to run your
thoughts through a strainer, in order to see what’s really crucial and in need of
your attention over the course of your busy days.
By applying Stoic principles, you will be able to create an organizing system for
your thoughts. You will be able to see what is preventable, what is manageable,
and what is simply outside your control. You will be enabled to focus on what’s
truly important, without wasting time on things that you can’t change.
Stoicism Allows You to Start Each Day Fresh
As an entrepreneur, you know there are good days and bad days. Even though
the good days generally outweigh the bad, you are responsible for so many little
details in the running of your enterprise that you can make yourself miserable if
you don’t take control. Stoicism can help you do that.
Getting caught up in the drama of the previous day’s challenges is something

you can certainly address. This habit can get in the way of your effectiveness in
approaching the next day and the day after that. Stoicism allows you to
compartmentalize tasks, by sifting through them analytically. Part of this process
is deciding to let challenges be what they are. You learn from them and then you
move on. Examine what you might have done better, but don’t cling to the
annoyance any given challenge has caused you. This allows you to move on to
the next day and its challenges fresh to the fight.
Letting go is a good skill for entrepreneurs to learn. Problems you weren’t able
to solve to your satisfaction may require shelving so you can get on to more
pressing matters. Getting stuck in perfectionism and obsession is a familiar
entrepreneurial challenge. You’re an entrepreneur because you love what you do,
though, so remember to set aside whatever’s getting you stuck so you can get
back to running your enterprise.
Stoicism Allows You to Act with Purpose
Part of being an entrepreneur is the ability to act decisively. Decision-making is

a huge factor in the successful running of an operation and doing it in a timely
and effective manner can be a challenge for some.
There’s always the temptation to make decisions too quickly without properly
considering alternatives. Taking your time to assess the direction your decision is
taking and assessing its appropriateness is a step that can’t be neglected.
Stoicism allows you slow down, take stock, and act from a well-informed
overview of the decision’s soundness.
Stoicism and its analytical aspects can help you calmly and objectively analyze
all the facts in play and make decisions that are sound, well-informed, and
effective.
Stoicism Gives You Patience
The curse of the entrepreneur also happens to be one of the most valuable
aspects of the entrepreneurial personality: impatience. An entrepreneur needs
things to happen quickly, to allow them to keep moving. They’re people of
action.
But not everything happens at the speed we’d prefer. Some things need time to
ripen so that they’ll be as successful as they possibly can be in terms of your
operation and its needs. Many entrepreneurs don’t like to wait, and their
impatience leads to them rushing processes that would have been better left to
chug along at their own pace.
Stoicism facilitates the building of a patient psyche that allows the modern
entrepreneur to sow seeds and wait for them to grow and bear fruit that has been
given adequate time to ripen.
The entrepreneurial Stoic will be able to patiently wait for the fruits of his labor
and, in the bargain, address other tasks while that’s happening. Patience is a
virtue and virtue is what you’re after, right?
Stoicism Allows You to Enjoy the Present
We’ve established that entrepreneurs are impatient. They’re so focused on their

goals that they often don’t slow down long enough to take in the scenery along
the way. But here’s the thing: You’re living your dream. How much more
enjoyable would your life be if you could find a way to focus on the journey and
forget about the destination?
If you’re doing well, then what’s the rush? If it’s true that you love what you’re
doing, then why not enjoy it? Sometimes, entrepreneurs become addicted to the
challenge and fail to be truly mindful of the pleasure they’re deriving from doing
what they do. The Stoic practice of mindfulness and being present in the moment
can help entrepreneurs with this tendency.
Practicing Stoicism can make your life as an entrepreneur less stressful, more
intentionally focused and less harried. You’re a human being. You need to live a
life which is not solely concerned with your enterprise. While your complete
attention to it may be required at times, that can’t be the totality of your life. Life
is short and the roses to smell are many. Take the time.
The most important thing you’re going to realize, if you apply Stoicism to your
entrepreneurial efforts, is that you are already right where you’re supposed to be.
You are living your dream and you’re living the life you want for yourself, doing
what you truly love. There’s something to be said for that and Stoicism will help
you name it, claim it, and live it every day with mindful intention.
Stoicism Helps You Remain Original
One major stumbling block that many entrepreneurs encounter is the inability to
be original. Entrepreneurs carry their mentor’s interests and worldview with
them more than many of them know and they permit these to color their own
creative efforts.
We get so used to imitation - something that is far easier than true originality -
that being original might seem an alien concept to us. That's why we see product
and service duplication in the marketplace. Formulaic answers to consumer
needs are easier, by far, than applying original solutions to those needs.
In order to become more original as an entrepreneur, you can apply the concepts
of Stoicism to your daily routine. They will allow you to objectively analyze
your core values and the creativity that flows from them, and they will allow you
to know yourself and your creative impulse more intimately.
As a result of this objective analysis, original ideas will start coming to you more
frequently. You will be able to compartmentalize your thoughts in such a way
that you can sift your thoughts and your daily task schedule more efficiently.
This will allow you to be more efficient in your creative process also, and bring
forth original ideas instead of recycling formulaic models that fail to set you
apart as the entrepreneurial standout you are.
Stoicism Helps You Deal with the Possibility and Occurrence of Failure
A true entrepreneur takes risks. In order to acquire the maximum return, the
maximum risk must be taken. As a result, entrepreneurs experience a lot of
failure over the course of their careers.
How an entrepreneur deals with failure is a key factor that determines whether or
not you survive in the world of business. Steve Jobs, billionaire Apple computer
genius, was kicked out of his own company, but he survived and thrived.
A lot of would-be entrepreneurs are unable to handle failure. They become

disheartened and lose the motivation they need to thrive in the world of business.
They just pack up their marbles and go home. That’s not what an entrepreneurial
Stoic does.
The main principle of Stoicism is control of one’s emotions. If you fail, applying
the principles of Stoicism will allow you to take intellectual charge of your
emotions and see the situation from an objective point of view.
Instead of crumpling into a heap, you will be able to unpack what led to the
failure in question, analyze it, learn from it, and keep going. Each failure
increases the possibility of success for your next attempt, because having failed,
you’re aware what you need to do and not do, next time. Stoicism allows you to
see failure as a learning opportunity and gift.

Finding a common thread in human nature can be tricky, but if you had to pick
one thing that every single person on this planet wants, it is that they want to be
happy.
An important way in which Stoicism can help people is by helping them to

define happiness. Although the definition of happiness can vary greatly from
person to person, it is safe to say that if somebody is able to rationalize their
existence and accept it the way it is, they will be able to achieve at least some
small measure of happiness in their lives.
Reaching a state of contentment with the reality of life and all it entails is a
fundamental value in Stoicism. Once contentment has been achieved, you will
find that happiness is only a step away. From all you have learned about Stoic
philosophy in the pages of this book, you can learn to be content with what is
and from that contentment, derive happiness.
This chapter is all about how these concepts can work within the context and
concept of happiness for the modern human being. The various aspects of
Stoicism that can contribute to happiness are mentioned here, along with
descriptions of what aspect of Stoicism each benefit is derived from.
Stoicism Allows You to Rationalize Death
The concept of death is scary, and is possibly one of the only fears that can be
considered universal.
We all fear our lives ending, even though every single one of us is aware that
death is inevitable. People in the West have a particularly strained relationship
with death, preferring that it not be spoken of or thought about. This is a very
unhealthy approach to death. It’s just another phase of life and exists as part of
life in every cell of our perishable bodies.
The reality of death often becomes a major roadblock to true happiness. Many
are unable to accept the fact that our lives are destined to end at some time in the
future. This can prevent the full enjoyment of life in the here and now.
The ideology of Stoicism is extremely effective in helping you attain happiness,

as it allows you to accept the thought of death. It allows you, through meditative
practice, to go so far as to envision your own death and, in so doing, to accept it
and live with it.
Stoicism counsels that all people should become intimate with death, allowing it
into their lives, in its rightful place. Death is universal and completely beyond
your ability to control, which means that worrying about it is a waste of time.
Better that you should invite it in, ask it to take a seat, and take a good long look
at it. Death as a friend is much less frightening than death as a shadowy
unknown. Making friends with death is a way for you to more fully enjoy life in
the moment, in all its unpredictable glory.
Stoicism Helps You Deal with Suffering
Just like death, suffering is an inevitability of human life. We go through pain,

we suffer hardships, and through it all we accumulate mental baggage that can
cause depression and unnecessary further suffering.
One thing many of us don’t realize is that much of our suffering comes not from
events themselves, but how we deal with those events. Our thoughts and
emotions are the root cause of suffering. They determine our response to it and
that is something we have a choice about.
This is one major aspect of life that following the ideals of Stoicism can help
you with. Since Stoicism’s most important feature is the control of our emotions,
suffering loses its power over us when we practice it intentionally, with a view to
managing our responses.
The energy we expend on tears, recriminations, and perhaps years of brooding

and self-pity in the wake of a life disaster can be spared. Instead of becoming
paralyzed with grief and unable to deal with either what has happened or what is
happening now, you will mindfully detach from the emotions the event has
provoked. You will intellectualize whatever has the potential to impact your
emotions negatively and rationally assess the reality of your situation.
Stoicism Allows You to See the Truth about Your Opinions
Being opinionated is certainly not a bad thing. However, in a world of grey

areas, you may find you’re confused. Everything isn’t as black and white as
we’d like it to be. Many of your opinions, over the course of your life, will be
thrown into question. Your beliefs will be assailed by the world. The process of
examining beliefs and opinions is one which requires self-knowledge and
honesty.
This can lead to a great deal of unhappiness, because you may, at some point,
need to examine some of your beliefs, even those you hold onto with all your
heart. Life can make a fool of you and prove that your dearly held opinions are
no longer valid, from an objective standpoint. As we live, we grow and Stoicism
demands an open mind to examine ourselves and to arrive at an understanding of
the value of our opinions and beliefs.
The beauty of Stoicism is that it allows you to confront the truth in all things.
This includes the truth of the things that surround you but, more important, it
includes the truth about yourself. Stoicism promotes applying reason to our
beliefs, and one’s personal beliefs are not exempt from that reason, as you
determine the quality of your life, under the Stoic aegis.
As a Stoic, you will be able to discover whether the things you believe are truly
worth believing in, because the principles of Stoicism have been designed to
facilitate the understanding of the logic that lies behind beliefs and ideology. By
unearthing the logic behind your beliefs, you will be able to see the heart of the
matter and question the validity of your beliefs.
To see your opinions laid bare before you is a gift. It will show you whether you
are right to believe in them staunchly, or whether it would be better to examine
them through the faultless lens of reason. You will either discover that your
beliefs are built on the quicksand of prejudice, or perhaps that you were right to
hold them all along. Either way, you’ll be happier, having objectively examined
the basis for your beliefs.
This can be particularly useful if you’re struggling with belief in a Divine power.
Although Stoicism is not, by any means, some magical method of discovering
whether a God exists or not, it can certainly allow you to see whether the way
you worship God is logical, or whether it makes your life better, or in fact serves
the world you live in. Stoicism teaches the practitioner to model an ethical way
guided by logic and reason and if your beliefs fall outside the confines of that
discipline, they’re more likely than not invalid.
Sometimes we hurt the people around us through actions we believe are done in
the name of God and therefore righteous. Such actions are more often done in
the name of religion than God, and Stoicism will allow you to see whether
performing these actions is just or not.
Stoicism Helps You Engage with the World
A major problem humanity has begun to face in this day and age is that we are
constantly hiding ourselves behind our screens, placating ourselves with the
illusion of connection while slowly forgetting what it is like to truly connect with
another human being.
There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. If you are the kind of person
who does not wish to interact much with people, that is perfectly within your
rights. However, a frequent problem is that we become so introverted that we cut
off real connection with other people altogether. Instead of finding connection
with other people, we find it in our mobile devices.
Interaction is not the same as connection. Superficiality is not genuine. By

hiding behind our screens, we avoid the primal need for social contact and
connection that is a feature of human life.
The hallmark of a Stoic is the ability to connect with people. By controlling your
emotions to the extent that you can quell negative thoughts and judgments that
separate you from genuinely and authentically connecting with other people,
you’re freed to see others as they are. You can see yourself as you truly are by
virtue of your Stoic practice and that’s the basis for freeing yourself to see others
as they are (and not as you want them to be).
By practicing Stoicism, you will be able to get over your fear of what other
people think of you. By the same token, you’ll be freed from the human
tendency to judge others. You will be able to enjoy other people for what and
who they are, because you’re enjoying yourself in the same way. The ripples
flow outward.
Stoicism Allows You to Enjoy What You Have
Humanity’s perpetual dissatisfaction with its current state has long been a
popular topic of philosophical debate. It is both the impetus for our most
astounding innovations and the cause of our most deeply rooted sense of
unhappiness: the longing to attain the highest level of our human potential.
You will have noticed this in yourself as well. One of the biggest reasons that
you are unhappy is that you don’t like where your life is at the moment. You
might even have noticed that there is no change you can make in your life that
will make you happy. In whatever way you choose to live your life, you are
going to be unsatisfied and that compels you to seek change for the better.
But it’s not your fault. This longing for improvement is an evolutionary feature
that has been put in place to facilitate constant innovation, which leads to human
evolution and development. However, the discontented nature of human
existence is a feature of our race that holds it back. Regardless of our
achievements, the quest for happiness never seems to meet its end.
By practicing Stoicism, you will gain the ability to see that wherever your life is,
it is where it is supposed to be. If there are areas that require improvement, as a
Stoic you will be automatically drawn toward improving them as an outgrowth
of your practice. Once you have achieved your optimum self, Stoicism will
allow you to feel contented and sated by the quality of your life.
Stoicism Allows You to Be Virtuous
We live in one of the most morally compromising periods in history. It is perhaps

unique that we live in a time in which we are simultaneously more aware of the
rights of others and, at the same time, are more willing than ever to ignore these
rights in order to secure better lives for ourselves, at the expense of others.
Indeed, the standard of living in the past century, particularly in the last two or
three decades, has gone up considerably, to the point where we are able to enjoy
luxuries that people in the past could never have imagined, and we look at these
luxuries as just standard parts of human existence – even as our rights and
entitlements.
However, this comes at a cost to others, which is why, no matter how much we
have, we remain unhappy. This is probably why depression and mental illness
has become so prevalent in recent years. We’re aware, at least on some level,
that our abundance is had at the cost of the discomfort and suffering of others.
By applying the principles of Stoicism, you will be able to see that what you are
doing is making the world a worse place to live. The instinctive sadness inherent
in living a life that you know is costing other people their quality of life is your
conscience telling you that you need to live a more virtuous life; a life in which
your happiness is not achieved to at the expense of others.
Once you have arrived at this level of understanding and mindfulness, you WILL
be able to change your life for the better and, in the process, begin living a more
virtuous and happy life.
Stoicism Allows You to be Happy without Consuming
In this day and age, we live in a way that humanity has never lived before. For a
lot of people, the problems of hunger and day-to-day safety no longer apply. If
you are reading this book, you probably live in an area of the world that is more
or less free of war and violence. You are also probably never going to go hungry
in your life, and you probably have access to incredible luxuries (such as
technology) that allow you to control the temperature of your home, choose
where you live, what you eat, and what you spend your “disposable income” on.
These are luxuries that continue to elude many in the world.
This makes you very different from humans who lived not too long ago. Even
two centuries ago, the main goal in almost everyone's life was to secure a safe
environment for themselves and for their loved ones and to be able to keep
themselves free from hunger. That’s because the world used to be a lot more
violent before laws were put in place to protect civilians.
Luxuries such as the technology you have access to that alters the temperature of
the room you are sitting in were unheard of. The best you could hope for was a
fire to warm you at night. Maintaining that fire would have required a significant
amount of work on your part.
Even amenities that you don’t think of as luxuries (such as hot water that flows
from a tap with a simple twist) were considered precious and reserved only for
the rich. To have a tub of hot water was a real treat, and you absolutely could not
waste a single drop of that water because it would take a long time to heat more
of it. To have a device that constantly sprays you with a stream of hot water
would have been a luxury that even a King would not have been able to afford
only a hundred years ago.
Yet, despite all these luxuries, the vast majority of people are not happy. That’s
because we’ve been taught that the only way we can ever really be happy is to
purchase, consume, and then rinse and repeat.
This is a rather sinister trick that the elite have played on us. They have created
holes within us and have told us that we need to buy things in order to fill these
holes. There was a time when we were told that we all had a “God-shaped hole.”
We’re now told that we have a “product-shaped hole,” as consumer culture has
supplanted the life of introspection and contemplation that was once considered
a value for human beings to seek out.
The problem is that we only briefly fill the emptiness within us by consuming
what corporations have to offer. Once the high of the acquisition has worn off,
we revert to the sadness that has become the norm these days, which results in us
feeling the need to consume once again. It’s a vicious cycle that spares no one in
these times.
By applying the principles of Stoicism, you will be able to logically ascertain

what true happiness is and what is simply a placebo. After a few days of
practicing Stoicism, you will see that your current path will not provide you with
happiness, and you will be able to slow your consumptive lifestyle and fill the
hole you feel within you with more wholesome balms, such as family and
friends.
Stoicism Gives You Mental Fortitude
Mental fortitude in all things is a very useful quality to possess, but the level to
which Stoicism boosts this attribute cannot be ignored. The strength of your
mind is limitless and Stoicism places this reality at the forefront of its practice.
You already know how you can circumvent the stress of modern life by applying
the principles of Stoicism, but the benefits of practicing Stoicism extend far
beyond these basic concepts of stress relief.
It’s a commonly known fact that humans don’t use even two-thirds of our brains,
even when they’re functioning at maximum capacity. This means that we have
an incredible potential to grow our mental prowess by accessing parts of the
brain we don’t currently use to their full potential right now.
By applying the principles of Stoicism, you probably won’t be able to access

every available corner of your brain, but it will certainly become easier for you
to access more of it than you were able to before.
Whereas, you might not currently have access to more than 30 to 33% of your
brain, by applying the principles of Stoicism, your brain’s capacity, through the
adherence to its self-reflective prescriptions, will grow exponentially. This
significant boost in brainpower will allow you to more fully realize your human
potential.
With this increase in intelligence, you are also going to develop a more receptive
personality, in terms of happiness and understanding its deep presence in your
life. A deeper understanding of how things work will allow you to enjoy life
without worrying about matters you don’t understand and can’t control. This will
contribute significantly to your overall happiness.
Stoicism Allows You to Block Out What Other People Think
One of the most significant roadblocks to happiness is the fear of what other
people will think about you. Social anxiety is extremely common these days, and
it ends up making us avoid the things we really want to do.
By worrying about what other people think of us, we stop ourselves from ever
being truly happy. We start to work toward what other people think we should
do, and this is one of the worst things that we can do for ourselves. The influence
of others' opinions can be corrosive and essentially destructive in the pursuit of
peaceful living. What others think of us has absolutely no significance.
People are perpetually unhappy, which means that they are never going to be
happy with you. If you spend your life trying to please people, trying to live the
way other people want you live, you are never going to achieve any meaningful
level of happiness in your life. They are not living your life. You are living your
life. The opinions of other people are external to your happiness and completely
irrelevant.
Instead of trying to be the way other people want you to be, you need to start
living the way you deserve to live: by being who you want to be. This way, the
only person you will have to satisfy is yourself, significantly reducing the
potential for suffering.
By pursuing Stoicism, you will be able to ignore what other people think,
because you will have instilled in yourself the ability to reject the external
stimuli that provoke suffering. A Stoic understands the true meaning of
happiness, and the true value of self-worth. Once you start valuing your self-
worth over what other people say about you, you will start experiencing true
happiness in a way that you never believed possible. In Stoicism is the ability for
you to detach from the arbitrary opinions of those around us and to live in the
comfort of your own self-knowledge.
Stoicism Allows You to Offload Bad Habits
Have you ever noticed that moths are attracted to flames? You might find it odd
that a creature would be so enticed by something that can only offer it
destruction. However, if you think about it, people are not so different from
moths.
Cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, and junk food are all injurious to human health. They
offer temporary highs through their stimulation of chemicals in our brains
associated with sensations that mimic happiness, but they do not provide long-
term happiness. The high fades almost instantly, leaving you wanting more.
This is how addictions are formed, and these addictions prevent us from being
happy because we are essentially slaves to something that we can’t control in
any way. And, when we can’t control factors in our lives, we become the victims
of suffering, anxiety, and regret and these are the antithesis of the Stoic way.
Bad habits are short-term solutions, but Stoicism allows you to see the longer
view. It permits one the luxury of looking into the future in order to ascertain the
consequences of short-term, ersatz solutions to long-term happiness. The beauty
of Stoicism is that it allows you to see things as they truly are.
As a Stoic, you are not going to be fooled by something that makes you feel
good for a few fleeting minutes, hours, or even days. Stoicism will show you
that what you are feeling is temporal and temporality is not a value. It’s an
instant that will pass without edifying you. Stoicism will assist you in ridding
yourself of bad habits so that you can live a more fulfilling life; a life that makes
you happy in ways you never would have believed possible before encountering
this highly practical and fulfilling philosophy.
Stoicism Allows You to Be Selfless
One of the previous points in this list was that living for yourself is an important
part of being happy. People who demand things of you are not worth your time,
because they are simply projecting their own unhappiness and dissatisfaction
with life onto you.
However, the dynamic changes completely for people who truly love you. You
might want to do things for people you love but find yourself unable to because
you are too selfish. This is human nature, and this impulse is very different from
trying to please others in order to be happy.
By pleasing others for yourself, you are being selfish. However, being selfless
and acting for the happiness of others, without regard for your own happiness, is
a truly beautiful thing. It may seem like a rather odd way to be happy in the short
run, but the truth is that, in the long run, being selfless and doing things for
others is one of the most significant ways in which you can attain happiness.
Being selfless means showing true love for other people. It allows you to form
much more stable and loving relationships in your life. As you already know,
truly connecting with other people is one of the best ways to be happy. Caring
for the welfare and wellbeing of others is a way to find happiness, because it
takes you out of yourself and your individualized needs.
As a Stoic practitioner, you will be able to see exactly where your happiness
ends and someone else’s begins. Stoicism will show you how you can be
selfless, but more importantly, it can also show you when to be selfless. Being
selfless for the right people is an important element of the discernment that
comes with Stoic practice. Continued and intentional Stoic practice will lead you
to an understanding of precisely when it’s appropriate to model selflessness and
prevent the suffering that comes from being “the touch.”
Stoicism Allows You to Practice Being Happy
Unless you suffer from serious mental illness, one of the main keys to being
happy is deciding that this is how you’re going to be. Too often, people deny
themselves happiness because they feel that they don’t deserve it. This is a sad
reality, as happiness is the birthright of all human beings.
The belief that we’re undeserving of happiness can come from a number of
sources, from self-pity to an innate feeling that happiness is beyond our capacity.
This effect can be attributable to any number of factors in our lives. It is highly
destructive to believe that one does not deserve happiness. Some of us live with
childhood trauma, the result of adults who took their dissatisfaction with life out
on us, leaving us feeling as though we were deficient in some way. There are
many other reasons, but the upshot is that we are all born for the happiness of
life, without exception. It’s our human legacy.
An important part of being happy is practicing being happy. This may sound
odd, but if you understand the concept behind this technique, you will find that it
is indeed very useful, and can be effective if applied properly.
Practicing being happy means instilling in yourself the belief that happiness is
something you deserve. It involves realizing that the things people have said to
you in the past, things that may have made you feel unworthy of happiness, are
untrue. The best way to practice happiness is to apply the principles of Stoicism,
which will allow you to look at your situation objectively. Once you begin doing
this, you’ll find there is absolutely no reason that you do not deserve to be
happy.
We all deserve to be happy. It’s our birthright as human beings and the ultimate
reason for being alive. Life is happiness and Stoicism acknowledges this reality
by teaching practitioners to work around life’s difficulties mindfully.
Stoicism’s Answer to Childhood Trauma
Another roadblock to happiness is childhood trauma. Childhood trauma comes

in many shapes and forms, the most obvious of which is abuse, whether
intellectual or physical. However, a single moment of abuse is not the only thing
that can stop you from being happy. Long periods of continuous abuse while
growing up can damage your psyche.
Unhappiness in your adult life might stem from the way you choose to deal with
this childhood trauma. A lot of people repress the memory of abuse, and others
might not believe that they have been abused at all. The latter of these two
strategies for dealing with childhood trauma stems from the fact that society has
a very specific view of what abuse is. If the abuse you went through did not
conform to what society classifies as genuine abuse, you might not feel you’ve
been abused at all. You might even feel that you’ve imagined your abuse. You
might even feel that the abuse you suffered is your fault, which is even more
damaging, as this belief can result in lifelong dysfunction.
As you already know, Stoicism facilitates an objective analysis of every aspect

of your life. This includes moments in your past: moments that might have
traumatized you and which continue to impact the quality of your life without
you even realizing that this is the case. One of the most important things the
practice of Stoicism can help you with is recognizing that you were abused and
in that recognition, finding ways to heal.
Stoicism can also help you unearth repressed memories from your childhood and
come to terms with them. Either way, Stoic practice can help you overcome the
long-term effects of childhood trauma. With the support of therapy, you can start
living a full and happy life, through the practice of Stoicism.
Stoicism Allows You to Change Your Behavior
As a result of childhood trauma, a difficult life, or just certain aspects of your

personality, you might not have the ability to interact as well with others as you
would like. This is a polite way of saying that you might be abusive to other
people in some way, as an outgrowth of the abuse you have suffered yourself.
You may act out in social interactions, or with your family, in ways you don’t
completely understand. Stoicism can assist you by teaching you to examine your
motivations and get to the bottom of your behavior, finding the root in trauma.
You are a human being with a conscience, after all, and although you might lash
out at people, chances are that you feel guilty about your behavior afterwards.
From a purely objective standpoint, you are affecting your own happiness by
preventing the people around you from being happy and from interacting with
you in a normative way.
Whether you realize your own abusiveness toward others or not, in such
situations it is very important that you apply the principles of Stoicism to your
life. It has already been established several times over in this book that Stoicism
allows you to objectively analyze every aspect of your personality.
This means that when you practice Stoicism, you will be able to realize rather
quickly whether the way you are behaving is acceptable or not. Realization is
half of the solution, but Stoicism doesn’t meet you halfway. Stoicism provides a
blueprint for life which is readily applicable in every context.
Once you have realized that you are being abusive toward the people you love,
Stoicism will allow you to change your behavior. Whenever you begin to behave
in a way that hurts others, as a Stoic practitioner, you will immediately stop
yourself and simply choose not to behave that way instead. It is in this way that
you will be able to achieve true happiness in your life. Due to the introspective
aspects of Stoicism, which call on practitioners to create internal change over
demanding external change, you will find that your internal landscape creates
space for the world around you to conform to it.
The most important facet of this particular benefit that Stoicism provides is that
it allows you to make other people around you happy as well. By making others
happy you will create a positive environment for yourself. As with the Butterfly
Effect, you will see the ripples that originate as your internal changes move
outward in concentric circles that improve the context you’re living in.
Stoicism Can Help You to Deal with Mental Illness
Mental illness is another roadblock to your happiness. Fundamentally, it’s

beyond your control. It is important to note that medical intervention is an
absolutely essential part of managing and even overcoming mental illness, as
such illnesses are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, for the most part.
Another aspect to overcoming and managing mental illnesses is therapy. The

effect of therapy is, however, somewhat subjective. A lot of people still feel as
though their mental illnesses are taking too much of a toll, and even a
combination of medicine and therapy cannot help them fully recover.
The problem a lot of people face is that they are unable to maintain medicinal
and therapeutic prescriptions, which leads to relapse. This is often caused by the
mental illness itself, which can prevent sufferers from maintaining a regular
schedule. The erratic nature of mental illnesses thus makes it difficult to achieve
a sense of stability and happiness, even if professional help is enlisted.
As a follower of Stoicism, you will be able to objectively apprehend that

medicine and therapy are necessary tools in the project of managing mental
illness, but you will also be equipped with internal resources that these remedies
can’t provide. You will have access to your interior life and no medical therapy
can assist with such an intensely personal process. The road to happiness is
fraught with obstacles, but there is no better way to get over these obstacles than
applying the principles of Stoicism to your life.


You’re thinking, “Wait a minute. A school of philosophy for health and

happiness? How come?” Well, your skepticism is understandable. Read on to
gain a better understanding of this aspect of Stoicism.
Stoicism is all about finding happiness and peace within. If you’re continually
stressed out about your job, your marriage, your kids, the surroundings, what’s
happening in Iraq - how will you ever find peace and happiness anywhere? The
good news is, you can take tips from this wonderful school of thought to turn
your life inside out and emerge a better human being, who is content and happy
from within.

1. Articulate Your Life’s Purpose
Another dearly held belief of Stoicism is that if you don’t know what your
purpose in life is and what you’re good at, what makes you happy, the entire
world is enabled to take a shot at you. You need to own your life. What are you
doing each day that aligns you with your calling in life? Are you taking the right
steps in that direction? What is your passion? What drives you? What can you do
without becoming bored? That is your calling. Stoicism does not tell you what
your purpose is; you need to figure that out by yourself to become the person
you want to be.

2. Maintain a Gratitude Record
Make a sincere point of expressing and feeling gratitude every day of your life.
Not just figuratively, but literally. Jot down experiences for which you are
grateful, for the positive circumstances you have enjoyed or the benevolent
attitudes you have encountered. As Stoicism teaches, we maintain and gain
serenity when we are aware of the inner pendulum at work. You need to look
around you and count your blessings. If you have food on your table, a roof
above your head, a family that loves you, if you are able to read and write, if all
your limbs are in perfect working condition – you can consider yourself an
extremely lucky person. You belong to a privileged class of people. Learn to be
grateful for these things. You did not earn them, you did not ask for them, and
you may not even deserve them, yet you enjoy them. Many people in this world
would love to take your place, as their lives are not as blessed as yours is. So be
grateful and work toward making the world a better place with every small step
you take.
3. Living with Boundaries
Don’t confuse boundaries with walls or enclosures that serve to isolate you from
society. Boundaries, in this context, mean limited resources at your disposal,
such as energy and time, and how best you can utilize them to your advantage.
You have to filter out the relationships, endeavors, and activities which drain
your energy and time, and instead focus on those which nourish your equanimity
and aid with your quest of seeking wellbeing and inner peace. Don’t be ashamed
to be selective. No external force or person or thing can alter your inner being.
And you are certainly not responsible for any of them. Stoicism teaches that you
can’t achieve inner peace by obeying every wish and whim of other people or
events. Stay true to yourself. Follow your unique path. Know your bliss.
4. Disengage
Our tendency for attachment to people, places, and things, as well as life
situations, makes life difficult. In the long run, detachment from these factors
and realities will help you achieve inner peace. Because, according to Stoicism,
it is not the external factors that decide your happiness and wellbeing, it is what
you are inside. It’s imperative to understand that life can be great even when we
don’t get everything we want. Do you really need a bigger house or car, or the
latest gizmo on the market? Are you trying to impress someone? If that is the
cause of your behavior, then it will only create a vacuum in your life. This is not
the path to inner happiness. Of course, when it comes to people and
relationships, letting go is much harder. But remember this - nothing in this
world is permanent. Anything that is born has to die. There are no guarantees in
life except death (and maybe taxes). Once we get this into our heads, we will be
in a much better position to appreciate what we have and to work toward
enjoying it to the fullest.
5. Develop Resilience
What does resilience mean in terms of the challenges we face in the modern
world? Mental toughness, certainly. But we also need to be physically resilient.
With huge advances in transit, water systems, food, centrally heated and cooled
homes, people have become rather soft. We can’t imagine what it’s like to live
without any of the afore-mentioned luxuries. We need to get out of our comfort
zones and start doing something that will expose us to the elements of nature. Go
mow your lawn yourself or climb the stairs, or hike in the wilderness.
Developing physical as well as mental strength is one of the keys to survival and
certainly, one of the keys to happiness. How can we love ourselves, if we are
content to allow our bodies to turn to mush?
6. Your Life Is “on loan”
Life existed long before you were born, and it will continue to exist millions of
years after you die. You are but an extremely tiny speck in the grand scheme of
things. The universe doesn’t depend on your existence. So be grateful for the life
you currently have. Make the best of it. Develop your inner peace and help
others obtain theirs. Make sure your life is of a quality by which your values and
principles are remembered long after you’re gone from the face of the earth.
Make your life worth the space you take up on the planet. Don’t just exist. Live!

The soul of Stoicism lies in its simplicity. It fundamentally teaches that human
beings are rational beings, composed of body and soul. The leading part of the
soul is the coherent, logical, and sane part of the human being, found in the
heart. The other parts radiate out of it; for instance, the visual part of the soul
connects with the eyes. But for our intents and purposes, we concentrate on the
leading part, the soul. It is the seat of impulses and representations of the being
as a whole.
Herein lies the difference between humans and other animals. Animals act and
react purely on instinct and impulse, with no prior thought process. They act
according to their convenience and what suits them at any given point in time.
Animals seek survival as their primary impulse, without regard to impact on
their surroundings. They seek to continue existing, by whatever means
necessary.
Throughout its long history, Stoicism has advocated two basic principles of its
philosophy:
- Certain things and events are not in our control, so it’s pointless to agonize over
them and to get agitated when they occur.
- Negative emotions and passions need to be eliminated from our consciousness

for the optimum chance at living a happy life.
True happiness, according to Stoic belief, arises from detachment. Freedom from
emotions, wealth, status, and negative thought processes translates into real
happiness and joy. Stoicism also places great importance on moral development.
Of what does moral development consist, exactly?
Moral Development
We do not exist in a vacuum. We play a multitude of roles in our daily life. As

husband, wife, daughter, son, sister, brother, friend, student, teacher, mentor,
guide, tinker, tailor, soldier, and spy, there is no shortage and no end to the roles
we play. The number of roles might be fewer when we’re children but, as we
ascend to adulthood, this number increases exponentially. There is a set of rules
and a code of conduct for each of these roles and we learn them as we grow up.
And this forms the basis for moral development.
There are certain “appropriate actions” that are compatible with each role and
age group. A three-year-old crying in an ice cream store because they have run
out of chocolate chip is appropriate, while the very same reaction from a ten-
year-old might be deemed highly unsuitable and childish. There is a protocol to
be followed when one enters a certain age bracket and anything outside the
boundary of the set protocol will undoubtedly invite ridicule and scorn.
Developing one’s self, with regard to morals, values and principles, forms a
critical and crucial part of growing up and also adheres to Stoicism.
The final stage of Stoicism is naturally happiness and the unremitting glow
engendered by inner peace. People rarely reach this apex while growing up, as
they are surrounded by material things and needs and wants that prevent them
from discarding external measures of happiness for internal yardsticks (the fruit
of introspection). A person who has achieved that state of inner contentment and
bliss lives a life full of virtue and cheer.
No doubt, Stoics recognize the various aspects of life with respect to poverty,
ignorance, disease, death, and other attendant ills, but they choose the life-giving
aspects that stand in opposition to these factors: happiness, health, knowledge,
goodness, and peace. The value of the negative features is virtually zero. These
are termed “rejected indifferents.” The ones that are chosen, the positive realities
and characteristics, are known as “preferred indifferents.” Stoics choose the
preferred indifferents and opt for making their lives richer by acting on them.
For example, negative emotions like fear, lust, and distress are deemed injurious
because they harbor and give rise to false beliefs about what constitutes
happiness and the conduct of a happy life. In the same vein, delight is often
mistaken as a preferred indifferent, but in reality, we feel delighted when we get
what we covet or gain something that we have lusted after.
The essence of Stoicism teaches us to discard superficial, negative activities,

emotions, thoughts, and feelings and replace them with affirmative, life-giving,
and constructive emotions. Stoicism prefers those values which help us grow as
humans.
Okay, so we’ve been harping about how wonderful Stoicism is for our day-to-
day functioning, and adopting it as a path to gain insight into ourselves and
attain true inner happiness one day. But is there a flipside to this?
Studies done on emotion regulation and memory have brought new facts to light.
Those studies conclude that, while attempting to banish painful thoughts and
feelings from their mind, humans think twice. Instead of completely discarding
them from their lives, humans seek and adopt adaptive strategies to deal with
their pain. They might associate with people who have had similar experiences
or seek social support or conceal their true emotions or engage in cathartic
activities. Engaging in cathartic activities is another coping mechanism.
Many similar studies conducted at Stanford University have pointed to

interesting aspects of the human psyche when seen from the standpoint of Stoic
philosophy. Take the case of suppressing negative emotions. When people stifle
and repress their negative emotions, their memory takes a hit. However, when a
process called “reappraisal” is introduced as a means of processing negative
emotions, memory is not impacted. This is very reminiscent of the manner in
which Stoicism suggests that we deal with negative emotions. In recognizing,
analyzing, and re-contextualizing them, we’re enabled to frame them in their
proper light.
Articles published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology reveal

that the manner in which people control and curb their negative emotions has
widespread implications for their overall psyche. Their self-esteem takes a
beating. On the other hand, most people rely on their intuitive bag of tricks to
keep their negative emotions in check, which further damages their inner being.
But not all strategies are equal. Re-enacting the situation or reconstructing the
scenario might help somewhat. Others might take refuge in building something
with their hands, yet others might lock themselves up and refuse to talk.
Different emotional strategies have different impacts on cognitive functioning,
especially the memory. Stoicism values inner peace and happiness, which are
continually shattered by the coping mechanisms people adopt.
Self-monitoring behavior, wherein people keep a strict leash on their behavior

and do not allow themselves to express any negative emotions, also backfires,
according to Stoic philosophy. Healthy, rational, and analytical expression of
negative sentiments is necessary to build a calm and wholesome inner being.
Studies by Richards and Gross (University of California) suggest that jurors’

memory for evidence and facts presented during a trial has a direct connection
with their demeanor in the conduct of judicial processes. The memory might be
impaired by their efforts to appear calm and composed. This is an interesting
speculation on the link between sub-vocal self-monitoring and verbal memory.
In other experiments dealing with health and relationships, researchers have

dealt with expressive suppression in conjunction with memory for social
interactions, which have far-reaching ramifications for interpersonal
relationships. For example, people in a relationship were asked to discuss
conflicts, and those who suppressed and hid their expressions displayed less
robust memory functions than those who did not. Of course, certain situations do
call for restraint and the containment of negative expressions and emotions, but
it is certainly not healthy to suppress them in the long run.
Chapter 16: Stoic Fundamentals

Even though not many of us would ever think of
ourselves as Stoics or even as philosophers, we possibly
can remember meeting someone who spent a lot of time
delving into this field of thought. Yet Stoicism may just
offer a more down-to-earth approach for those who
would like to take a look beyond the perimeters of a
sensible philosophy.

Stoicism does not involve realms of confusing
speculations and vague possibilities. It tries to construct a
real-life path that will aid people in controlling their
passions and do what should be done. It doesn’t invite
pointless argument. Once you see what it signifies, you
should have an understanding of the basics, anyway.

This is not to say that the philosophy of Stoicism doesn’t
have some base points you should learn. It tries to show
us that, in many instances, life is full of surprises, that it
is incredibly short and being sure and aware in our
journey is the best plan for our lives. It strives to make us
grounded and build inner strength and fortitude. It also
strives to illustrate just how much we rely on our
reactions and not on reason.

Some basic facts about Stoicism include three of its main
ancient teachers: Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca.
The most obvious difference from other philosophies is
that it applies to real life and how to live it. It is not lofty
and it aims to be sensible. It contests to help people
become innovative in business, a dependable friend and
person. The writings of Stoic thought do not make you
feel bad about yourself. It’s a method of meditating and
changing bad energy and negativity into tranquility and
practicality.

It isn’t difficult to pretend that Marcus Aurelius was not
essential as the Emperor of Rome. In those days if you
were an Emperor you were like a god to the people. You
were almost an object of worship and you had access to
incredible riches.

The Stoic writings are not excessively difficult to read or
even understand; they get you ready for living
philosophically by getting you to think practically and
correctly. They are made up of practices called mental
exercises and tend to ask you to rely on these little mental
workouts. They are as follows:

How to Practice Stoicism
When we are secure and things are going well is actually
the best time to get ready for a possible future time of
adversity and hardship. When we are at peace we should
realize and understand that misfortune may follow and
steel ourselves for the onslaught.

The philosopher Seneca, a man who never wanted for
anything, thought that folks should put a few days aside
after every four weeks to feel what it is like to be poor to
prepare themselves. Eat little, wear scruffy clothes, and
don’t luxuriate at home in any way. Make yourself face
what it would be like to experience poverty.

He didn’t suggest that the people simply bring to mind
about being poor; he wanted them to practice living it.
Seneca went on to describe how living in luxury is a type
of servitude as the person lives in fear that it will cease.
But if you live in poverty and get used to it, the
possibility of bad luck has no power over you.

Fear usually gets its power from our lack of knowledge.
Stoics say you should become at home and well used to
the things you fear and they will have less effect. Do not
be ignorant of what you fear. Then it makes sense that
things will not continue to bother you as much and you
can live anxiety-free to a better degree.

Take Control
Decide to be unscathed by a problem or situation and you
will be unscathed. One of the stoical exercises was to flip
the problem on its head. Then every misfortune turns into
a good thing.

In an example, they ask you to pretend that you are
attempting to aid a person in a dilemma and they are
being rude or cruel. But instead of being your enemy you
should think how they are, in effect, steering you toward
practicing new virtues like fortitude and acceptance. So
in this way a block becomes motivation and anything that
stops you from advancing, advances you.

The idea of turning a misfortune into an opportunity is
not unfamiliar ground. And it has been practiced and
praised my many other people. Whether it is part of their
overall philosophy of Stoicism or just happens to be an
aspect of the Stoic teachings is not known. But they are
valuable lessons nonetheless. It has been said that
successful entrepreneurs will use a situation as an
opportunity. A Stoic believes that just about all things
offer a chance to turn that situation around. Perhaps the
best way to say this is that no matter what it is, illness and
or death, scandal, loss of face, wealth or business, can be
turned around or on its head and used as a chance to
practice Stoic teachings and make best of the situation.
To a Stoic, there is really no good thing or unfortunate
thing. There remains only the way you perceive the
situation. And soon you will see you have control of
many situations in your life. You turn each downturn into
an opportunity to be or do better. Your life does not have
to be done after a bad situation; it can be merely a chance
for a new beginning.
Stoicism for Everyday Life
As we try to forge ahead in life and make something of
ourselves, we often have to overcome many blocks.
Admittedly, some of these blocks are external, such as
owning a car, securing a great job, acquiring or dealing
with friends and associates, etc. But there are also some
that come from within: shyness, understanding,
knowledge, fear that we can’t cut it, fear of loss of face,
etc. It is also hard to change our patterns and our desire to
step up and change. And it’s not always easy to. Stoicism
is something people can fall back on to help them focus
and become better. Some modern advanced companies
are even conducting courses in Stoicism to help their
workers reach better heights, build resilience and become
happier and more productive.
This incorporating of the Stoic’s system of philosophy in
the work place and for the workers might stir up
controversy and resistance. They may say it’s a bad idea
because it wastes the company’s money. But philosophy
as a useful tool for everyday life to get us through all
these obstacles is an idea that goes back to Ancient
Greece and Rome. Socrates believed that Stoic teachings
actually aided people in guarding and caring for their
inner souls. In the past, Stoicism has been a factor in the
success of quite a few different people. It has inspired
inventors, writers, tutorials and many entrepreneurs. Life
philosophy has proven itself over the years to help many
reach their goals, feel confidant and remain steadfast and
in control in adverse situations. It’s a wonderful system to
follow for anyone trying to get through stressful work
situations and it is an excellent guide for entrepreneurs.
Stoicism can shake us up and take us apart from the
tangled work force enabling us to think beyond the box in
all occurrences in order to become successful.

Seven Stoic thoughts to help in a crisis:

One) Realize that it isn’t the occurrence but our
interpretation of the occurrence that affects us negatively.
Because of this, we ought to concentrate on not viewing
everything in a negative light. Making everything
personal and maximizing it only feeds our negativity and
our adverse reactions. Why not do the reverse and try to
minimize any negative events?

Two) Try to be aware of any traps in our pattern of
thought that may make us jump on any situation and
interpret it in a bad light. One of the Stoic teachers of old
has said we must follow our familial or personal set of
values and not get waylaid by personal snags on the road.
Keep your eye ahead and try to recognize the patterns
that lead you to self-pity, etc. If affronted, try to interpret
the situation in a different way so you don’t become
affected by it. We should try to use any personal affronts
in a more positive way by deliberation. And we should
recognize that maybe we have a predisposition to over-
reacting to a certain interpretation of behavior from
others and so therefore we should examine it to make
sure we are not doing so again.

Three) Concentrate on what is actually within our
immediate realm of control and, if it isn’t, do not get
ruffled. Attempting this is a wonderful aid when we are
resolving to handle difficult conditions. Focusing on what
we can’t control is a futile exercise that wastes a good
deal of energy. We will prevent the feeling of being
useless, angry and at the mercy of circumstance. Harness
your thoughts into a controllable place on your side of the
line of control. You will be able to bring certain events
and your reaction to them back behind this line. The rest
of it you have to just let go. Taking this step will even
give a feeling of relief because you don’t have to go
through that huge amount of stress and emotion involved.

Four) Never become irrational in a situation or even
emotional for that matter. Wear your poker face at all
times because, not only does this put a reign on the
unleashing of irrational emotions, it also helps to calm
others. Set control stations in your mind so you can check
your reactions and decisions at regular intervals. This
technique has been used in daily situations even more
than you realize. For instance, a certain stock market
investor set up personal checks for himself to stay
reasonable in the case his investments they dropped too
low and also if they climbed too quickly. He did this
because he knew the emotion that ensued in the event of
a huge crash or a huge jump and he didn’t want to get
irrational and make the wrong move. There are many
instances where preventing irrational, emotional pitfalls
is part of the preparation for certain occupations. Leaving
it to proceed "by your gut" can lead to careless and
reckless practices that do not help any situation.

Five) The leveling question, “What is the worst case
scenario?”, assists us in confronting our fears and doesn’t
allow for wild speculation and ungrounded worry.

Asking this question makes us touch on what might
happen in our worst nightmares and already sets us up to
deal with it. In a way, you are practicing failure so it
doesn’t have a great effect on you. We’ve rehearsed it in a
way so it loses a little of its power. It’s like saying “so
what?” to de-emotionalize your feelings and bring on an
indifference, downsizing fear and shrinking the monster.
Learning to do this helps us shrug at things that could
take us over the top. Well, we didn’t get that particular
job or we didn’t land that sale—“so what?” Life will
continue. This technique actually acts as wonderful buffer
against disappointment.
Six) Reminding ourselves of the sobering thought that we
are going to die puts everything into the correct
perspective. We can think outside the box and realize that
everything will pass and everything inevitably gets
minimized or forgotten through time. This thought should
stop procrastination as well. If you want to do something,
do it now; you may not have much later. Thinking this
way can almost be a catalyst to action, as you should
bring to mind that you may be unable to do them at a
later date.

Six) We become what we do often as habitual humans. So
change will not come about unless we also repeat and
practice things as well as think differently. In this way,
you begin to fade the old habits into oblivion and
highlight the new ones to make them stronger. Practicing
our new habits of thinking positively and avoiding too
much emotion when it comes to things that affect us
negatively is the way to add Stoicism philosophy into
your life. Remind yourself of all the things you’ve
learned daily and set up check points along the way.
Chapter 17: Incorporating the Primitive

Principles of Stoicism into Modern Aspects of

Contemporary Life

Evolution, Revolution, Innovation, Modernization and Diversification:
Stoicism, meaning the principles and beliefs that life should be focused on self-
enlightenment, fulfillment, betterment, and happiness via strong yet simple
values, and morals, has been around for centuries. Its conception, in ancient
times, came at a time when life was simpler, with fewer distractions.
Transformations and diversification throughout consistent evolution are
inevitably inspired by mankind as a whole. Our desire to learn more, build more,
make things bigger and better, and to be as educated, knowledgeable, and
forward-thinking as possible has changed life and the way it is lived in ways that
were inconceivable to humankind in the days when the Stoic way of life began.
The development of transportation, mass production, political diversities, and
modern technology has inspired and necessitated adaptations to the initial
paradigms associated with Stoic-based principles.
Successful Parenting Practices by Virtue of Stoic Principles:
In this era that has embraced the "spare the rod, spoil the child" philosophy,
could it be that we are not only giving in to whims, overlooking bad behavior,
and rewarding mediocrity, but we are, in fact, praising our children too much? Is
it even possible to give a child too much praise?
In the past, Stoicism and the practices involving a person’s betterment have
supported a fundamental approach to praise. There are some historic figures
associated with Stoicism who would go so far as to insinuate that showing undue
praise could be frowned upon, as the following quote by Epictetus, regarding the
success of an individual practicing Stoicism, implies:
The marks of a proficient are that he censures no one, praises no one, blames
no one, accuses no one, says nothing concerning himself as being anybody or
knowing anything: when he is, in any instance, hindered or restrained, he
accuses himself; and, if he is praised, he secretly laughs at the person who
praises him; and if he is censured, he makes no defense. (Epictetus, n.a.)
Praise, according to Stoics of ancient times, has no sense of usefulness, no

worthiness in making an object or an act any better or more memorable, and can
almost be perceived as manipulative in nature.
The question however, in terms of Stoic principles, is not really about giving too
much praise, but rather giving praise where and when it is due.
The premise, according to practicing Stoics, that a child needs to be told how
good at something they are or how smart they are in order to gain a high level of
confidence or self-worth is over-rated. By giving a generalized compliment like
“You are so good at math” or “you have such a natural talent for sports” we may
be encouraging a child to unintentionally internalize the wrong message.
While it is important for children to feel pride and motivation to excel in areas
where they show a natural talent or a higher level of intelligence, by praising and
encouraging only the good behavior a child may be swayed to become too
focused on the “good” areas. The praise, while stimulating, may almost serve as
a discouragement of sorts to excel, learn, grow, or even TRY something
different; something they could eventually master, but may never even attempt
due to being focused on the aspects for which we have encouraged them.
Additionally, by praising a child for a success or triumph by saying “You‘re so

good at this” or “I‘m so proud of how well you…”, we, as adults, assume that
we are encouraging and building their ego. The issue with this assumption is that
in a child’s mind we could literally be setting them up to feel “not smart” or like
you may not be proud the next time they struggle or fail at something, whether it
is something new they are trying or something they have attempted before.
According to Stoic practice, instead of praising the child for each individual
scenario or accomplishment, we need to focus more on giving praise to the
process in which the child is involved in or practicing in the moment. This
makes the incident more a form of praising the child for taking on a project with
some level of difficulty, no matter whether new, difficult, simple, or tried and
failed. It enables the child to feel a sense of fulfillment at just having made an
attempt, trying various problem-solving techniques, showing determination and
motivation, and trying and perfecting until possibly achieving success over time.
So, as modern parents practicing the principles of Stoicism in terms of raising

our children, how can we apply the beliefs and values in terms of determination,
courage, and perseverance that are inhibited by the process of praising and its
negative effects and outcomes? More important, how can we succeed at this
while still incorporating a sense of pride, encouragement, respect, and
consideration that we, as parents in modern society, feel the need to instill in our
children regardless of our Stoic values? Again, we can turn to Epictetus’
expertise for a sense of comprehension within a seemingly complicated
dilemma:
Allow not sleep to close your wearied eyes,
Until you have reckoned up each daytime deed:
"Where did I go wrong? What did I do? And what duty’s left undone?"
From first to last review your acts and then
Reprove yourself for wretched acts, but rejoice in those well done.
(Epictetus’ Discourse 3.10.2-3)

According to this quote and the Stoic practice or theory, “Evening Meditation,”
supported by it, we need to engage in a family process each night that includes
gathering together, recounting the events of the day, discussing the details of
each event, our own reactions, responses, and choices we made, and any
struggles or failures we encountered. Then, after each individual has shared the
events and issues from his or her own day, the next step in the meditation
process involves turning over the information we have shared to the other family
members to consider, process, and evaluate. At this point, the more difficult part
(for some at least) of the meditation process with family begins as each family
member gives input, insight, advice, and opinions as to your reactions, your
decisions, and the way in which you handled the situations at hand. This process,
if in fact it remains in keeping with the true Stoic value system, does not include
praising members of your family for handling events well or being overly
efficient in regard to certain events you may have shared. Praise at this point,
when you have already experienced, dealt with, and recounted the events of your
day would be fruitless, a useless waste of manipulative words that would imply a
reward for good rather than support and encouragement to try something new,
different, or more effective tomorrow.
Embrace Stoic Practices to Adapt and Cope with Technology:
The changes, advances, and complete over-use and consumption of all things
technology-related has not only made it more difficult to adhere to the basic
premise of Stoic beliefs and values, but it has made it virtually impossible to
keep a constant, committed sense of family, communication, and personal
boundaries for millions. While we may strive daily to encourage our children to
put down the phones and take off the headphones and BE PRESENT in life, we
find even ourselves falling victim to the constant need to feel connected at all
times.
The mentality of “Keeping up with the Joneses” or wanting to have the best,
fastest, newest, most recent piece of the technology pie has become so mind-
consuming and all-encompassing that it seems as if society may, at times, almost
view objects as more important or more necessary than human beings.
Society has become almost co-dependent in nature in terms of wanting to remain

community-oriented, social, physically fit individuals while finding ourselves
becoming consistently absorbed in online technology and therefore connected to
everyone and everything while sitting on our couches, detached from the world.
We are so obsessed with being online with all of our devices (phones, PCs,
laptops, tablets, etc.) that we have come to a point where we live in an almost
constant fear of disconnection that actually triggers detachment. It is almost
surreal, yet very counter-productive in nature.
So, how do we use Stoicism and its principles to help us be less dependent on
our need to be connected to others and become more focused on being more in
tune with our own inner strengths, our own fulfillment, being more centered,
happy, and reflective? The answer is simple: We need to have the self-discipline
and determination to force ourselves and our loved ones to take a few moments a
day in which to DISCONNECT!
It is nothing to panic about and it is only temporary, but it is completely

necessary! Put down the cell phones, turn off the televisions, radios, iPods,
tablets, laptops, etc. If need be, just flip off the router that supplies your family
with its seemingly constant flow of worldwide internet. You will be amazed how
the simple act of turning that tiny little switch to ’off’ will get a reaction from the
entire family! You could spend hours trying to convince your family to come to
the family dinner table as soon as they "come to a stopping point." It can go on
for hours as we can all fall victim to just keep going and going, forgetting the
outside world, or the mom reminding you to come out of your internet-induced
haze, even exist.
In those few moments after taking the initiative to disconnect your family, by
whichever means you choose to utilize, they will all come out of their havens,
some confused by the lack of Wi-Fi, some actually squinting or rubbing their
eyes, in defense of the sudden introduction back into natural light. Undoubtedly,
someone may even be annoyed by the unexpected interruption, as they were
inevitably in the middle of the most important project, game, conversation, or
business call EVER. You can, however, rest assured that, if you begin to
incorporate this practice into your daily family and personal routines, the initial
adverse reactions will tend to minimize.
During these moments of self-induced internet outage, take a moment to

CONNECT with each other. Take these few moments or 15 minutes or half an
hour or however long you choose to communicate together.
Then, most important, use a few of these disconnected moments to reward

yourself with some alone time to reflect on yourself, on the events of your day,
to focus on actions taken, decisions or choices made, and how you handled the
day’s events. After recounting your own day’s storyline, take a few moments of
honesty and insight to ask yourself what you did right, what you could have
done differently, what you shouldn’t do again, and, most important, what you are
happy about, thankful for, and blessed to have.
You will be pleasantly amazed by what these few moments of disconnection can
do for your own sense of fulfillment as well as the betterment, happiness, and
cohesion of your entire family unit.
OK, now you may RE-CONNECT.
Enjoy the Satisfaction of Leading a Successful, Modern, Stoic Life:
Individuals who are committed to a way of life that is centered on fulfillment

and betterment can certainly continue to embrace their beliefs and thrive within
their core value system by incorporating reflection, modification, and adaptation.
The key to being successful at practicing a life in keeping with the values,
morals and ideals associated with Stoicism involves looking at the basics of
Stoic principles, in general. You can focus on ways to acclimate yourself and
your commitment level by accepting change as an inevitable part of life. By
simply recognizing and changing bad habits, limiting distractions and
surrounding yourself with people and things that limit stress and force you to
remain focused and center, you can incorporate your Stoic values and principles
into this ever-changing world and its people.
Chapter 18: 9 Ways to Stop Being Upset by

Others!

In this day and age, we quite often become upset at the way we are treated by
other people. This could be from others not saying thank you, not being
appreciative of something we’ve done from them, or even by being physically
assaulted or emotionally hurt.
When this happens, all you have to do is remind yourself of four questions that
are Stoic in nature. However, in order to get the most out of these questions, it is
important to have a crystal-clear awareness of the world.
What is my relationship to others?
When asked this question, Marcus Aurelius's answer was that we are made for
one another. A core belief of Stoicism is that the best way we can live is by
helping others. When we come into contact with other people, we should do the
right thing for them, even if they do not do the same for us.
What sort of person is upsetting me?
If someone is upsetting you, try to understand what kind of person they are.
Marcus Aurelius breaks the question down into smaller parts: What has caused
them to behave in this way and how much does their pride play into the act?
Stoicism tells that people with negative information will make a negative
decision.
Are they correct?
You should always look at yourself and ask this question. Although we may not
intend to, there are times when we make mistakes. We are human, after all.
Do I understand the situation?
Aurelius tells us that many times things will happen for reasons that we can’t
understand at the time and we should have all the information at hand before we
judge someone else’s actions. Stoics will usually say that they don’t know when
it comes to the question, "Are they correct?" We cannot always be sure about
where we are on our own journey to virtue, so how can we know where another
person is on their journey?
Everyone makes mistakes. You do. I do. If you want other people to forgive you
when you make a mistake, isn’t it right to offer the same forgiveness to others?
Our time on this earth is fleeting; no one knows when we will die. Do we really
want to spend the time given to us in this world to be spent dealing with anger,
impatience and other negative emotions when instead you could spend it happy?
No, you shouldn’t.
In Stoicism, everyone is accountable for controlling their own emotions.

Epictetus claims that most people are not disturbed about their circumstances,
but rather they are concerned about how they judge those situations. It is vital
that we understand that we cannot control how other people act, or what comes
out of their mouths; however, we can control what we do and what comes out of
our own mouths. Other people are accountable for their own actions; it is
something that is on their own conscience. Do not allow yourself to be upset
about what they say or do. Brush those concerns off and cease worrying about
what could happen. The way to do this is to tell yourself that what they say or do
has no reflection on you.
You choose to carry on feeling bad. You will discover that it is our anger and our
crying over what other people say and do that is more damaging than the actual
reasons that made us feel bad in the first place! The hurt only continues if you
allow it to. Release the worry about what they say and do and focus on your own
actions and words.
Marcus Aurelius tells that it is important to have good personality. Marcus
Aurelius says that if you come across the most impertinent man that you should
be “relentlessly kind” even if he attempts to hurt you. If you bear in mind this
attitude when you deal with everyone you meet then you will appreciate each
one of them. Nonetheless, Marcus Aurelius tells that you shouldn’t force being
nice or even fake being nice; instead, speak with honesty and without a trace of
resentment in your voice. Don’t embarrass them when they are with other
people; reprimand or rebuke them, but just speak to him/her directly, even if
there are other people around you both.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that these kinds of scenarios will stop any time
soon. Marcus Aurelius told us that we should memorize these points but, in
today’s society, it may actually be easier to write them down in a notebook or
journal. If you find yourself upset with someone, or because of someone, try
bringing your notebook out and read these points. You will remind yourself of
the practical outcomes from living according to Stoic beliefs. If you believe –
honestly believe – that everyone is intended to come together, working for the
benefit of all of us, then you can’t work in contradiction of this reality and still
think that you are being rational.
Why is contemplating your death important?
Like taxes, death is inevitable. Are you prepared for when you will die? What do
you think about death, your own death, and what part does it feature within your
daily life?
No matter how much you avoid thinking about it, you will die. Your parents will
die, your children will die, your siblings, your colleagues, and even the girl who
serves you coffee in your favorite coffee shop will die. With life comes death.
The ancient Stoic philosophers understood the significance of meditating on the
thought of your own mortal demise, in order to challenge the panic that the
majority of humans feel when it comes to their deaths. Epictetus tells that when
Roman generals returned after their military victories and during the
celebrations, the slaves would whisper “memento mori,” which means
“remember that you will die,” so that the generals would not get too above
themselves. There were a number of other techniques that Stoics implemented
because they thought it was vital to conquer this dread through self-control of
longing and loathing.
Memento mori is a phrase which has been incorporated into many artistic works,
from Renaissance paintings to modern art. This simple phrase has inspirational
for many artists and non-artists around the world, calling to mind a thoughtful or
theoretical attitude regarding our lives and subsequent deaths. This notion can be
seen in many works of literature, including Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol,
where the main character is visited by three spirits, leading to his changing his
moral personality. Indeed, this conception of the inescapability of death can be
found in many philosophies right into modern times.
The importance of rigorous training in order to conquer our anxieties regarding

our own deaths was a significant topic in Stoicism. Epictetus reminded his
followers that they should think about the enigma that the root of all evil in the
human world and pusillanimity is not really the inevitability of death, but our
fears surrounding it. It is the most damaging anxiety of all. If you want to live
the Stoic way, then Epictetus says you should train yourself to conquer this fear
of death because it is the only way to gain true freedom and liberation from your
desires and passions. Seneca claimed that if our fears of dying are
overwhelming, then death will come far too soon. He also said that whoever is
so scared of death will not do anything worthwhile during his lifetime. When
you learn to free yourself from the fear of death, you have un-slaved yourself.
Epictetus gives us an example of a brilliant role model just at the beginning of

the Discourses. The man in question was a Stoic believer named Paconius
Agrippinus who didn’t react when he was told of his own pending execution;
instead, he calmly enjoyed a pleasant lunch with his friends. When you read the
lessons in Stoicism regarding wanting and fears, and ultimately incorporate them
into your life, then you liberate yourself from all illusions and stumbling blocks
in life.
“I must die. If soon, then I die; whereas if a little later, I will take lunch now,
since the hour for lunch has come, and afterwards I will die at the appointed
time. How? As becomes the man who is giving back that which was another’s”
(Discourses, 1.1).
This quote from the Discourses states that it is natural for us to die; death is part
of nature, something that we borrow and then have to return after a period of
time. Death is something natural and as such, we should not worry about it or
see it as something out of the blue; rather, we should be ready long before death
comes to give up on life. This conception was quite popular with many
philosophy schools in the ancient world, even right up to the modern era.
Epicurus said that it is good to learn how to die. Although it may seem a little
odd to learn how to do something that will only happen once, it is actually a very
good thing to practice. If you are practicing how to die then you are in actual fact
learning to free yourself. When you have learned how to face death, then you
have freed yourself from everything around you; what could hurt you when you
no longer fear the prospect of your own death? Fear is what binds us, locks us
away; fear is a prison, we allow it to lock us away from enjoying life.
This central subject can be found throughout Stoicism. Indeed, there is a

particularly moving line in the Meditations where Marcus Aurelius says that real
philosophy is merely waiting for death with grace, since death is a natural part of
life and nothing to be frightened of. The Stoics recommended that you should
meditate on death in order to overcome this fear for, when you are freed of this
burden, then you are essentially changed. The wise man, Stoics say, is one who
lives his life and is not afraid to die, accepting life and death with poise when it
arrives. We control our own fortunes and enslave ourselves to others when we
place value in their influence. Cato, along with other Stoics, was held in great
esteem by many because he refused to give up his ethics when he was facing his
own death.
On the other hand, the concept of being unmoved by death is not adequate to
cause a personality or character transformation. The core values that make up
Stoicism are intended to be transformed into a conviction that calls for persistent
exercise on a day-to-day basis. From the moment we are born we love life and as
such it is understandable that we are scared of it coming to an end. Yet Stoic
beliefs tells us that we need to realize death in a more reasonable way, which
means that we need to overcome this notion of fear of the unknown. As a result,
Stoicism tells us that we should imagine our own demise regularly, numerous
times daily, in various ways and different stages of our lives.
When you go to bed you should do it being appreciative for what you have. Do
you have a roof over your head, food in your kitchen, are you in good health, do
you have a job? When you wake up, be appreciative of that fact that you have all
these things; that your life is much happier than what other people are
experiencing right this moment. Live your life as if this was the last day. Tell
yourself that you will die tomorrow – what would you do? Will you tell people
that you love them? Will you tell people they have made a difference to your
life? Can you make a difference to someone else’s life, even in a little way?
Final Word
After reading all this, a question may come to mind: Does practicing Stoicism in
real life actually work? Or is it just a theory, which has no use in practical life?
The answer lies in positive psychology, an upcoming branch of psychology,
which is extremely relevant today. It deals with providing a scientific
understanding of life and the manner in which we can continually grow into
better human beings. Positive psychology and Stoicism draw from each other
and incorporating these ideas will indisputably enrich your life.
Positive Psychology and Stoicism
Since its initiation, positive psychology has been one of the most actively
researched subjects, with numerous studies, books, and articles examining its
efficacy. Drawing on the wealth of knowledge it has accrued, positive
psychology has provided some important insights. Following are some of its
findings:
Positive emotions such as happiness, joy, pride, love, and contentment have been
proven to have positive effects on our health and longevity, altruism, and
creativity.
A vital component of health and wellbeing is something called “flow.” Flow is

basically being totally engrossed and absorbed in whatever you are doing. When
you are into something with that kind of intensity, you really don’t need anything
else.
A positive attitude is the cure for many of our mental hang-ups. And it is
possible to cultivate this effect. Believing in and practicing hope, gratitude,
optimism, cheerfulness, and happiness has been found to increase one’s life
expectancy. A positive attitude also corresponds to enhanced levels of academic
performance, improved health, and greater resilience.
Stoicism scores high in the realm of positive psychology because of inherent

characteristics like therapeutic intent and a multitude of testable strategies. In a
2013 study, the participants were given a booklet that featured select readings
from Stoic philosophy, along with certain audio and video recordings. A blog,
created and moderated by the group, was also a part of the experiment, wherein
the participants were encouraged to communicate freely, making use of social
media and related outlets. The theme of the communication was based on Stoic
studies, its teachings, and its core philosophy provoking the contemporization of
the philosophy.
Each morning during the course of the study, an element of Stoic philosophy was
pulled up and discussed. Examples include “not worrying about things outside
our control” and “dealing with possible changes in our daily lives.” In addition, a
late evening session of meditation, wherein the day’s events were discussed and
analyzed using Stoic principles, was pursued by those involved in the study.
Exercises using Stoicism were held each day among study participants. Themes
ranged from self-discipline, to simplicity, to inner happiness, to emotions and
adversity and philanthropy, and each of these was discussed at length.
After the study was concluded, certain findings came to light. It was proved that
Stoicism is not dead in the modern world. It is still relevant. The group reported
significant increases in their satisfaction levels, positive emotions, and
happiness, and a considerable diminishment in the levels of their negative
emotions. The study proved that practicing Stoicism has a positive effect on the
lives of those who follow its precepts. Stoicism was shown to increase
contentment and happiness, and decrease anger, irritation, blame, fear, and
sadness. Values, morals, and virtues were all found to be enhanced by the study
of Stoicism. The group members all reported feeling better and wiser after the
study than before it.
Stoicism Today, a popular and respected journal on the subject, also conducted
studies to measure the relationship between health, wellbeing, and Stoic attitude.
Does possessing a Stoic attitude result in better health and a longer life? A scale
was developed, known as the Stoic Attitudes and Behavior Scale (SABS). A
group of participants was given this SABS questionnaire, with some other
standardized behavior scales, to check whether the claim was true or not and to
verify the relationship between the various elements of Stoic philosophy and
actual health. The results were conclusive. The questionnaires reported that, the
greater the correlation between Stoic attitudes and behavior, the healthier the
respondent was, along with a sound mind. Conversely, non-Stoic behavior was
correlated sharply with ill health and an unsound mind.
The reason that Stoicism and positive psychology can co-exist is that they
function primarily on the same virtue-based philosophy. Stoicism teaches the
same values as positive psychology, as both require people to develop virtues,
morals and values, along with positive qualities and emotions, as opposed to
negative qualities. Both these schools of thought provide an opportunity for
people to develop wisdom, wellbeing, the feeling of brotherly love toward
others, and an overall optimistic attitude toward life.
Key Highlights

Understanding Stoicism is important because it can not only help you embrace
life more fully, but it will also allow you to form your own opinions, based on
your intimate self-knowledge. Spend the time acquainting yourself with the finer
points of Stoic philosophy. Read all you can from the ancient Stoics, from Zeno
to Marcus Aurelius. Discover Stoicism as a means of moving forward in your
life with confidence and in joy.
This book is only the beginning of your journey into the heart of Stoicism and
how it can help you improve the quality of your life. I offer this as a signpost
along the way; an introduction to an ancient philosophy that is gaining new
currency in the modern world. Stoicism’s answers, I believe, are the right ones
and I also believe that Stoicism offers a way forward for those of us searching
for a better way of living in an uncertain and unpredictable world.
As we’ve reviewed in the pages of this book, Stoicism was inspired by the
philosophy of Socrates through the teaching of its founder, Zeno, based on his
theories about what he observed in the world around him. He saw that people
reacted emotionally to numerous situations and allowed their emotions to get the
best of them. He also saw that people had the tendency to turn to the outside
world for solace and an embrace (largely false) that might solve their issues. He
understood that doing so only exacerbates our problems, sending people out into
the world seeking solace, when they might find it in themselves.
So the best solution to life’s vicissitudes is to look inward instead of looking

outward. Your happiness lies within you and not outside you. Your thoughts can
control your emotions and allow you to see your life through a different and
broader lens.
The theory of Stoicism has seen a lot of changes since Zeno introduced it to the
world and it was made into a rather adoptable theory by Seneca, who massaged
its teachings in order to allow more and more people to apply it in their daily
life. Modern-day Stoicism has spread worldwide and you would be surprised to
know just how many people are already staunch followers of the Stoic
philosophy. Try asking around and you will find out just how many people you
know who are already practicing Stoicism and its virtues on a day-to-day basis
and how many are keen on trying it out for themselves.
The core philosophies of Stoicism are intended to be guidelines for you to follow
on a daily basis. They are not like the Ten Commandments, but they are similar
in structure, as they lay down the framework of a philosophical way of
approaching life. You need to study them in detail to understand what they
signify and how they will impact your life. Once you start adopting them in your
day-to-day life, you will know exactly how they will contribute toward not just
improving your life, but assisting you in igniting a whole new outlook toward
your life in general.
You will be a changed person once you commit to the practice of Stoicism and
become a more mature and understanding individual. It will not only help you to
change your perspective on life in general, but it will also teach you to be
indifferent toward things that are of no real use to you and things you’re unable
to change, by your efforts. You will be surprised to see how keeping quiet
instead of having an opinion about everything that goes on around you can help
you improve your life. By refraining from casting judgment, you can improve
your overall personality and also save a lot of time and effort on your part. It’s
doubtless that you’ll also be more well-liked. Just saying!
There are four main virtues of Stoicism that should be adhered to in order to
embrace it as a way of life. These virtues are - wisdom, courage, equanimity, and
self-control, which together form the cardinal virtues of Stoicism. You have to
know how you can use each one to your advantage and make the most of them in
your life. It’s easy for us to preach about these virtues, but extremely difficult to
adopt them in day-to-day life. It is important to understand them fully before
adopting them. You will already have a grasp of some of them as part of your
impulse to do the best by yourself and others. The next step is to intentionally
practice them.
You can join a group that discusses Stoicism and its application regularly. This
will help you understand Stoicism more fully and give you the opportunity to see
it for the life-giving practice it is. You can participate in discussions with other
members of the group and also present them with your point of view on the
subject. The ultimate goal is to develop as much understanding of Stoic practice
as possible. Being in the midst of a group of like-minded people will make your
journey more interesting and less isolated.
There are many areas in life in which Stoicism can support you. It is not only
about leading a life of indifference, but also dealing with all your real-life
situations in the best possible manner. Be it stress, or anger, or disappointment,
Stoicism will help you cope with life’s challenges and vicissitudes. Similarly, it
will also help you deal with your positive moments and allow you to make the
most of them.
Stoicism has a universal approach that precludes concern about any religious
practice you may already be a part of. I’ve already demonstrated Stoicism’s
influence on Christianity and other world religions. But you can be a Hindu, a
Muslim, or a Jew, and still adopt Stoicism as a guiding principle of life. It is not
necessary that you be brought up as Roman or a Greek. You can live in any part
of the world and in any culture to completely embrace Stoicism. Once you adopt
it, you can also teach the philosophies to others.
Stoicism will support you and help you improve your life in every respect. All
you have to do is give it a shot. You will not be disappointed with the results.
After all, who would pass up the opportunity to improve their life? Stoicism can
give you that opportunity while making you a better person with the ability to
influence those around you to lead happier, more satisfied lives, also.
Conclusion

I thank you once again for choosing this book and hope you enjoyed reading it. I
also hope it’s clarified some of your questions about Greek Stoicism and how
you might apply it to your life.
I wonder if the philosopher Zeno could have imagined the power he unleashed in
that porch in the agora of ancient Athens. Stoicism’s evolution from an oddly
comforting message to a besieged people, to a diversion for the elites, to the
salons of Rome and finally, the madness of the modern world, is the story of a
philosophy that has infiltrated streams of thought in a wide variety of sectors.
Western philosophy continues to be shot through with its ideals, as well as
theology, political thought, and even the world of sport. Stoicism, then, has stood
the test of time and that says something about the soundness of the philosophy as
a whole.
Its universalism has aged well, coming down to us in the 21st Century in a very
similar manner as it arrived in Athens – as a way to make sense of and to live in
a world of turbulence and upheaval, without compromising our personal values
and equilibrium. Stoicism offers even more than that: It is an avenue for the
development and full flowering of our values and the evolution of our innate
virtue. Eternally relevant to human beings in every age and in every context,
Stoicism remains a vibrant force in the midst of modernity as a sage
philosophical practice and a way to find peace in the eye of the storm.
The central purpose of this book is to educate you about the importance and
purpose of the Stoic philosophy as a way to enhance your life. The Greeks left us
with a lot of knowledge about how life is to be lived, our place in the universe,
and how that universe operates. They taught us ways in which we can employ
our mental and physical strengths to attain the best in life, while searching for
ways to articulate the vastness of the reality we live in. In Stoicism, it leaves one
of its most enduring legacies; a legacy that continues to inform thousands of
people the world over.
The Stoic philosophy continues to have universal resonance that can help people
live more fruitful, peaceful, and satisfying lives, even in the chaotic world of the
21st Century. The more resolutely you dedicate yourself to the study and practice
of Stoicism, the greater the fruit you’ll bear in your life. Stoicism is a gift to
people in the modern age, as it teaches us to look beyond the temporal and
material, to a world in which virtue is the principle value and in which the
passing of history is a background to our own place in it.
Should you decide to practice Stoicism as a way of life, all you have to do is
practice its precepts on a regular basis and concentrate on improving your
understanding of its philosophies and virtues.
I hope you put into practice the Stoic philosophy as outlined in this book and
adopt the way of life it proposes to attain a higher consciousness, greater wisdom
and above all, a virtue that expands your universe and that of those around you.
I thank you once again and wish you luck in pursuing a better life, following the
precepts and lessons of the Stoic philosophy.
[1]"thus" what? There seems to be a word or phrase missing here.

[2]I doubt that you want this to be all one long bulleted list, but I don't want to change it on my own.

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Introduction

Chapter 1: History of Stoicism

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this

Chapter 1: History of Stoicism

Chapter 3: Core Philosophies

Chapter 4: Cardinal Virtues of Stoicism

Chapter 5: Keeping Calm – A Few Stoic Principles

Chapter 6: Stoicism Today

Chapter 7: Does Stoicism Matter Today?

Chapter 8: What Stoicism Helps You With

Chapter 9: How to Be a Stoic

Chapter 10: The Relevance of Stoicism in the Modern Day

Chapter 11: How Stoicism Can Help the Entrepreneur

Chapter 12: How Stoicism Can Make You Happy

Chapter 13: Stoicism and Mental Health

Chapter 14: The Essence of Stoicism

Chapter 15: Reconsidering Stoicism

Ancient Greece is universally regarded as the cradle of philosophical thought.

Stoicism is one of the gifts of ancient Athens. Stoicism continues to have a

In the English language, the word “Stoicism” means to present a veneer of

The Stoics were focused on individual behavior as a determining factor in

Stoicism, as a discipline, was propounded by Zeno of Elea in 308 BC at Athens,

“Kathekon” (which may be loosely translated as “fitting or righteous action”) is

Cleanthes, a disciple of Zeno, went on to further develop the tenets of Stoicism

Moving along in the Stoic philosophical evolution, we arrive at Chrysippus of

The logical expertise of this second founder of Stoicism (as he is known,

In 185 BC, Panaetius of Rhodes wrote extensively about Stoicism, creating of it

Panaetius’ philosophical departure from proto-Stoicism resides in his

Born a slave in what is now Turkey, Epictetus represented a return to the

In the mid-1500s, Neo-Stoicism arose in Europe. Founded by the Flemish

Today, modern Stoicism boasts thousands of followers and their numbers

A further indication is the notion that meditation on a daily basis is prescribed. A

The parallels to Christianity (and perhaps making Christianity’s debt to Stoicism

Early Stoic theory focused on the materialism of the Monist school of

According to Stoicism, human nature harbors both types of matter described

This represents a fundamental shift in the manner in which many of us think. We

Stoicism teaches that life is to be measured through the application of virtues,

These form the core concepts of Stoic philosophy, translated to a modern

We’ve discussed some of classical Stoicism’s similarities to Christianity, but if

Zeno, as we’ve discussed earlier in this book, introduced Stoicism to ancient

Following is an account of proto-Stoicism’s four cardinal virtues.

Wisdom is the first cardinal virtue of Stoicism. Wisdom, as we know, is a crucial

The second cardinal virtue of Stoicism is courage. Courage is a virtue that

Physical courage is your body’s ability to withstand challenges that demand a

Equanimity is emotional balance and the ability to maintain composure through

How to live fulfilling lives, with peace, happiness, and love?[2]

Far from being a dead philosophical stream, Stoicism is a relevant, modern

That’s more than half!

LL Cool J? Check. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Holiday’s book (and its title) is based on a quote by Marcus Aurelius,

That focus on the internal evolution of the practitioner is Stoicism’s greatest

As discussed earlier, the parallels between Stoicism and Christianity, as well as

The Serenity Prayer so efficiently encompasses the message of Stoicism, that it

Searching for Stoicism’s influence in the religions of the world is a fascinating

The mental and physical strength developed by combat soldiers depends on

In a society obsessed with money and the accumulation of goods, as well as

Leadership is exemplary and suggestive. It shows others what a well-formed

Stoicism was wrought in the crucible of Alexander the Great’s sweeping

Technology may have brought us closer together in terms of communication and

Stress is an unfortunate feature of modern life. It affects us all to some degree.

No wonder we’re neurotic!

The Stoic meditational discipline invites followers to confront their anxieties as

By imagining the possibility of undesirable events, the practitioner is enabled to