Stoicism in a time of pandemic:

how Marcus Aurelius can help

Organisational Development May 2020

Introduction

This slide deck is predominantly the distillation of an

article that appeared in The Guardian newspaper on
Saturday 25th April.
It explores how a book, The Meditations, by a Roman
emperor who died in a plague named after him, has
much to say about how to face fear, pain, anxiety and
loss
To read the full article click on the link below:
Stoicism in a time of pandemic

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What is Stoicism?

Stoicism is a school of
Hellenistic philosophy which
was founded by Zeno of
Citium, in Athens, in the
early 3rd century BC.
It is a philosophy of
personal ethics informed by
its system of logic and its
views on the natural world.
Marcus Aurelius & Stoicism
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
(6 April 121 – 17 March 180)
 Roman Emperor (161 to 180)
 An adherent & exponent of the
philosophy of Stoicism (along with
Seneca, Cato & Epictetus)
 Lived through the Antonine Plague
 The plague was estimated to have
killed up between 10 and 18 million
people (including Marcus)
 He wrote down his approach to life
during the plague which later, after
his death, became his famous book
‘Meditations’
 Key tenets of Stoicism

 Stoics believe that our true good

resides in our own character and
actions
 We should distinguish between
what is ‘up to us’ i.e. what is
within our control and what isn’t
 What happens to us is never
completely under our control –
but our response (our thoughts
and actions) is
The pandemic isn’t really under my control, but the way I behave in response to it is
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Be in control of your own thoughts

"The problem is not the  Much, if not all, of our thinking is up to

problem. Your attitude us
to the problem is the
problem”  It’s not events that upset us, but rather
our opinions about them
 Specifically, our judgement about
whether something is really bad, awful
or even catastrophic, causes our
distress

This is also the basic premise of modern

cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), the
leading evidence-based form of psychotherapy.
The pioneers of CBT, Albert Ellis and Aaron T
Beck, both describe Stoicism as the
philosophical inspiration for their approach.
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 “…it’s not the
inconsiderate actions of
others, those ignoring
social distancing
recommendations, that
make us angry so much
as our opinions about
them”

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In the opening chapter of his
book, ‘The Meditations’,
Marcus asks himself two
questions
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What virtue has nature
given me to deal with this
situation?
How do other people
cope with similar
challenges?”
Character is everything

Stoics reflect on character strengths such as

wisdom, patience and self-discipline, which
potentially make them more resilient in the face of
adversity.
They try to exemplify these virtues and bring them
to bear on the challenges they face in daily life,
during a crisis like the pandemic.
They learn from how other people cope. Even
historical figures or fictional characters can serve as
role models

Stoicism is about enjoying yourself It does not matter

without getting carried away, and about what you bear, but
not letting your emotions rule you either how you bear it -
in good times or bad Seneca
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Why fear is worse than the thing we fear

 The fear of the pandemic, the worry

and anxiety it can cause may be ruining
your life and driving you crazy…it can
impinge on our physical health and
quality of life.
 This saying also has a deeper meaning
for Stoics. The virus can only harm your
body – the worst it can do is kill you.
 However, fear penetrates into the
moral core of our being. It can destroy
your humanity if you let it. For the
“Fear does us more harm Stoics that’s a fate worse than death.
than the things of which
we’re afraid”

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Our humanity makes us human

The Stoics believed that when

we’re confronted with our own
mortality, and grasp its
implications, that can change
our perspective on life quite
dramatically.
Any one of us could die at any
moment. Life doesn’t go on
forever.

The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately - Seneca.

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Further Resources

Websites Books

The Daily Stoic: How to

be a great leader

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Stoic thoughts

If you really want to escape When we are no longer How does it help…to
the things that harass you, able to change a make troubles
what you’re needing is not situation, we are heavier by
to be in a different place but challenged to change bemoaning
to be a different person - ourselves.” – Viktor them – Seneca
Seneca Frankl

Today I escaped anxiety. No, I The purpose of life is happiness, which is

discarded it, because it was achieved by virtue. Living according to the
within me, in my own dictates of reason, ethical and philosophical
perceptions – not outside. training, self-reflection, careful judgement and
Marcus Aurelius inner calm – Marcus Aurelius

I judge you unfortunate because you have never The happiness of your life
lived through misfortune. You have passed through depends upon the quality
life without an opponent—no one can ever know of your thoughts – Marcus
what you are capable of, not even you. - Seneca
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Aurelius
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