Better Living Through Stoicism
Pretty much everyone you meet or read about online is just trying to make their work and personal life more meaningful, productive, and stable.
This isn’t a lofty goal. It’s critical to our fulfilment and growth.
With that in mind, I wanted to share some “age-old wisdom” I’ve found helpful.
If you haven’t heard of stoicism, I highly recommend checking out The Daily Stoic, which offers great insights on how to lead a more resilient, happier, and productive life by incorporating wisdom from some of history’s greatest minds. This isn’t run-of-the-mill self-help stuff. It’s actually pretty powerful.
WISDOM (MINDFULNESS AND PERSPECTIVE)
Your wisdom tank is never full.
Education is a lifelong endeavor. Never stop learning. From cradle to grave, be a student of the world, and share your knowledge freely with others.
Working to become a better version of yourself (the core of philosophy) requires learning and seeking wisdom. Strive to better understand the relationship between yourself, others, and the world. The practice of mindfulness offers a solid foundation to do this.
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own.”
–Epictetus
I feel sorry for people who get enraged at traffic jams or a delay at the restaurant or being put on hold, especially when they fly off the handle at someone else. Inconveniences are a bummer, sure. But those moments are really just blips in your overall timeline. It’s all about perspective.
Remind yourself what’s in your control, and what isn’t. Focus on what you can control.
Most importantly: Try not to let things outside your control ruin your day or break you down, especially minor stuff. It’s not worth it.
Focus on the progress you can achieve. Let that fuel you to move forward. There will always be failures and setbacks. Expect them. Embrace them as learning opportunities. This is the essence of stoicism.
Check out The Obstacle is the Way for more on this topic.
Photo by Phillip Pfeiffer
COURAGE (TAKE THE LEAP)
Taking the path of least resistance won’t get you far in life. The stuff that’s most worth doing usually isn’t the easiest. Progress requires risk, discomfort, hardship, and sometimes sacrifice. Only courageous people accomplish big things and make a significant impact in the world.
This is something I’ve struggled with – I’m pretty risk averse (especially financial risk).
It’s not about taking pointless risks. But a person who avoids all risk will be full of regret later in life.
Sometimes courage is trying something, even when there is little to no chance of success. If it really matters to you, it’s worth the risk. You might just pull it off, despite all the odds being against you. But if you never take that leap, you might regret it forever.
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
It takes tremendous courage to stand up for what’s right, despite the adversity and the potential backlash, but that’s when courage is most needed. The civil rights movement (still ongoing) is one of the greatest examples of people taking big risks to stand up for justice. Some sacrificed their lives. Many are still fighting for equity.
It’s hard to understand why society still can’t overcome major injustices today, from systemic racism to an unbalanced distribution of wealth, but as long as people keep courageously standing up for what’s right, progress will continue.
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”
― Maya Angelou
TEMPERANCE (BALANCE & PRIORITIES)
The world tends to push us toward a “more is better” mentality, when sometimes the opposite is true. Unhappy? Stressed? Recalibrate your scales. Assess your priorities. Do less of what doesn’t matter and more of what does.
You don’t necessarily have to embrace hardcore minimalism, but there is wisdom in temperance.
“Do what’s essential—what the logos of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better. Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’”
–Marcus Aurelius
BLM Protest
JUSTICE
Fighting for the common good should be a priority for our entire society. Powerful people, organizations, and governments continue to undermine (either directly or indirectly) basic human rights and equity because they want to retain power, money, and influence. Society has been dealing with corruption, avarice, and cruelty since the stone age, and courageous people continue to fight against those injustices today.
Of the Four Stoic Virtues, justice is easily the most important.
Justice, as explained by the Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero, is “the principle which constitutes the bond of human society and of a virtual community of life.”
Cicero advocated for doing what’s best for the greater good, for philanthropy, for social justice, and for servant leadership.
The foundation of most injustice, he explained, is human selfishness.
Ultimately, we’re all in this together. What benefits everyone and, more importantly, our entire planet, benefits us all. We should all seek justice, for each other and the natural world, or eventually our great, great grandchildren will have nothing. This philosophy is the core of the Environmental Justice Movement.
Want to protect our planet? Read about ten simple choices you can make to support a healthier planet from the National Ocean Service. Also check out this list of The 6 Best Environmental Groups from Outside.
