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Use Stoic Philosophy to Achieve Total Joy and Untroubling Equanimity

Jason Cooper — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:05:05 +0000

Zeno of Citium was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy

Let Stoicism be my Calming Influence Amid a Troubled World

This rather lengthy post (so get your printer ready) is about a branch of philosophy which is close to my heart and mind, and is what I have applied practically to my life with positive results thus far – namely the philosophy of Stoicism.

For example, certain people who have been in my presence (especially at my workplace), seem to think that I don’t have a care in the world. They usually mention to me that judging by my demeanor I seem completely at ease and stress-free, despite others around me being totally anxiety-ridden and suffering from panic attacks whenever there is a slight (and I mean slight) sign of trouble in the air.

Don’t get me wrong, I too can suffer from stress and anxiety like the next person, and admittedly, can also be most impatient in certain situations and with people – this obviously, can lead up to me becoming angry which, I know, can be detrimental to my health and character. Yes, I have a few faults which I hope to address by using stoic techniques, which is up to now, helping to improve my temperament. Obviously, there are times when I do slip into error, but I’m not going to punish myself over the odd indiscretion – I am only human after all.

Stoicism, however, has so far taught me many valuable lessons in learning to be aware of myself and to withdraw into my inner kingdom whenever apparent difficulties or irritations threaten to disturb my mind and mood.

Now my attitude is: why have anxiety over something that is not in my power and control? The only thing I have power over is myself and how I choose to deal with these external influences – and that choice is to remain joyful and tranquil despite all hell breaking loose.

Yes I know. Much easier said than done in this most provocative and anxiety-ridden of worlds – but not impossible.

How can I hope to Achieve Happiness in Life?

For me, attaining peace of mind, equanimity and contentment ranks very highly on my list of things to achieve in my life. We have been conditioned to believe (by a mostly capitalistic society) that one will be happy if they attained: a high position in life; many luxurious possessions; a huge amount of wealth.

However, none of the much sought-after aforementioned superficialities can ever stave away the troubles of the mind and the negative emotions that can make a person’s existence a miserable one. By me embracing the stoic principles in my daily life, I have found that it has helped me immensely to become more patient (although, on some days I can be very close to losing it), healthier in mind, and powerful in spirit.

Hopefully, the practical wisdom of stoicism that I now share with you, can help to bring you both equanimity and joy whilst improving every facet of yourselves and lives.

Who were the major Stoic Philosophers?

The major practitioners of stoic philosophy were:

What major Stoic Writings are Available to read?

Come now and allow your minds to drink from “The Well” of stoic wisdom written by great ancient philosophers, so that you may then apply what you have learned and become masters of yourselves in the present.

I highly recommend the following books of Stoic wisdom:

Letters from a Stoic

by Seneca
Description: A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived ‘in accordance with nature’, Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties.

These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca (c. 4 BC– AD 65) that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome’s transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas.

Essays

by Plutarch
Description: One of the greatest essayists of the Graeco-Roman world, Plutarch (c. AD 46 -120) used an encyclopedic knowledge of the Roman Empire to produce a compelling and individual voice.

In this superb selection from his writings, he offers personal insights into moral subjects that include the virtue of listening, the danger of flattery and the avoidance of anger, alongside more speculative essays on themes as diverse as God’s slowness to punish man, the use of reason by supposedly ‘irrational’ animals and the death of his own daughter.

Discourses and Selected Writings

by Epictetus
Description: Epictetus, a Greek stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicropolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil.

Together with the Enchiridion, a manual of his main ideas, and the fragments collected here, The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature.

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius
Description: Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe.

Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and Aurelius’s own emotions.

How can Stoic Philosophy help you in life?

The following definition perfectly describes what it means to be a Stoic who studies the wise art of living and applies it to themselves:

‘It teaches self-control and an indifference to pain or pleasure while advocating a staunch detachment from emotions. This allows one to be clear thinking, levelheaded and unbiased. In practice it is designed to empower an individual with virtue and strength and to give an individual the ability to readily refuse corruption, temptation, and help those who are in need. Stoicism also teaches independence, or more specifically, independence from society, regarding it as a chaotic and unruly entity that should be guarded against. Virtue, reason and natural law are prime directives. By mastering passions and emotions, it is possible to overcome the discord of the outside world and find peace within oneself.’

~ Hellenica website (http://www.mlahanas.de/)

As you can see, if you can manage to put the practical teachings of stoicism to good use, it can free your minds and help you to live a more peaceful and productive life, instead of being imprisoned by error of judgement, irrational fears, or self-imposed anxieties.

The many beneficial things that Stoic Philosophy can provide for us are:

making one be aware of, and concentrate on, their own daily conduct, which helps to improve character and moral behavior
producing calm indifference in the face of pain and difficulty
having non-attachment and independence from superficial attainments, family and friends
fearlessness of death and the loss of anything you may have acquired in life
attaining peace of mind and total contentment with what you presently have in life, no matter how little
learning self-mastery over all negative emotions, as well as encouraging the use of reason so to make the right decisions in important matters
encouraging one to become good of character and to pursue wisdom, truth and virtue always
developing endurance and self-restraint in terms of dealing with pain, adversity, or being able to refrain from over-indulgence or temptations
teaching one to live with humility, frugality, moderation, patience and simplicity – all this without complaint

Stoic Quotations

Zeno of Citium:

“Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on.”
“No evil is honorable: but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil.”
“Wellbeing is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.”

Seneca:

“The point is, not how long you live, but how nobly you live.”
“That which Fortune has not given, she cannot take away.”
“Let Nature deal with matter, which is her own, as she pleases; let us be cheerful and brave in the face of everything, reflecting that it is nothing of our own that perishes.”
“The soul should know whither it is going and whence it came, what is good for it and what is evil, what it seeks and what it avoids, and what is that Reason which distinguishes between the desirable and the undesirable, and thereby tames the madness of our desires and calms the violence of our fears.”

Dio Chrysostom:

“If my purpose on this occasion were to speak in behalf of concord, I should have a great deal to say, not only about human experiences but celestial also, to the effect that these divine and grand creations, as it happens, require concord and friendship; otherwise there is danger of ruin and destruction for this beautiful work of the creator, the universe.”

Plutarch:

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. “
“Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”
“I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.”
“Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech.”

Epictetus:

“If a man would pursue Philosophy, his first task is to throw away conceit. For it is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he has a conceit that he already knows.”
“When I see a man in a state of anxiety, I say, What can this man want? If he did not want something which is not in his power, how could he still be anxious?”
“Nothing outside the will can hinder or harm the will; it can only harm itself. If then we accept this, and, when things go amiss, are inclined to blame ourselves, remembering that judgment alone can disturb our peace and constancy, I swear to you by all the gods that we have made progress.”
“No man is free who is not master of himself.”
“If, therefore, any be unhappy, let him remember that he is unhappy by reason of himself alone.”
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Marcus Aurelius:

“Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill… I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together…”
“If you are distressed by any external thing, it is not this thing which disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now.”
“If you work at that which is before you, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract you, but keeping your divine part pure, as if you were bound to give it back immediately; if you hold to this, expecting nothing, but satisfied to live now according to nature, speaking heroic truth in every word which you utter, you will live happy. And there is no man able to prevent this.”
“The mind in itself wants nothing, unless it creates a want for itself; therefore it is both free from perturbation and unimpeded, if it does not perturb and impede itself.”

Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 3

Jason Cooper — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 07:23:53 +0000

Read the biography of Epictetus

Buy Epictetus’ ‘Discourses and Selected Writings’

Click here to read ‘Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 2′

Stoic Philosopher Epictetus returns to offer you advice on how to get rid of any fears you may have of something that is inevitable for every one of us – death. Epictetus also encourages us to improve our characters and behaviour by advising us always to concentrate on our own conduct wherever we may find ourselves in daily life.

Rid Yourself Of The Fear Of Death

“Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for instance, is not terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death that it is terrible. When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles. An uninstructed person will lay the fault of his own bad condition upon others. Someone just starting instruction will lay the fault on himself. Some who is perfectly instructed will place blame neither on others nor on himself. ”

~ The Handbook of Epictetus

Improve Your Character By Being Attentive To Yourself At All Times

“Immediately prescribe some character and form of conduce to yourself, which you may keep both alone and in company.

Be for the most part silent, or speak merely what is necessary, and in few words. We may, however, enter, though sparingly, into discourse sometimes when occasion calls for it, but not on any of the common subjects, of gladiators, or horse races, or athletic champions, or feasts, the vulgar topics of conversation; but principally not of men, so as either to blame, or praise, or make comparisons. If you are able, then, by your own conversation bring over that of your company to proper subjects; but, if you happen to be taken among strangers, be silent.

Don’t allow your laughter be much, nor on many occasions, nor profuse.

Avoid swearing, if possible, altogether; if not, as far as you are able.

Avoid public and vulgar entertainments; but, if ever an occasion calls you to them, keep your attention upon the stretch, that you may not imperceptibly slide into vulgar manners. For be assured that if a person be ever so sound himself, yet, if his companion be infected, he who converses with him will be infected likewise.

Provide things relating to the body no further than mere use; as meat, drink, clothing, house, family. But strike off and reject everything relating to show and delicacy.

As far as possible, before marriage, keep yourself pure from familiarities with women, and, if you indulge them, let it be lawfully.” But don’t therefore be troublesome and full of reproofs to those who use these liberties, nor frequently boast that you yourself don’t.

If anyone tells you that such a person speaks ill of you, don’t make excuses about what is said of you, but answer: ” He does not know my other faults, else he would not have mentioned only these.”

It is not necessary for you to appear often at public spectacles; but if ever there is a proper occasion for you to be there, don’t appear more solicitous for anyone than for yourself; that is, wish things to be only just as they are, and him only to conquer who is the conqueror, for thus you will meet with no hindrance. But abstain entirely from declamations and derision and violent emotions. And when you come away, don’t discourse a great deal on what has passed, and what does not contribute to your own amendment. For it would appear by such discourse that you were immoderately struck with the show.

Go not [of your own accord] to the rehearsals of any
authors , nor appear [at them] readily. But, if you do appear, keepyour gravity and sedateness, and at the same time avoid being morose.

When you are going to confer with anyone, and particularly of those in a superior station, represent to yourself how Socrates or Zeno would behave in such a case, and you will not be at a loss to make a proper use of whatever may occur.

When you are going to any of the people in power, represent to yourself that you will not find him at home; that you will not be admitted; that the doors will not be opened to you; that he will take no notice of you. If, with all this, it is your duty to go, bear what happens, and never say [to yourself], ” It was not worth so much.” For this is vulgar, and like a man dazed by external things.

In parties of conversation, avoid a frequent and excessive mention of your own actions and dangers. For, however agreeable it may be to yourself to mention the risks you have run, it is not equally agreeable to others to hear your adventures. Avoid, likewise, an endeavor to excite laughter. For this is a slippery point, which may throw you into vulgar manners, and, besides, may be apt to lessen you in the esteem of your acquaintance. Approaches to indecent discourse are likewise dangerous. Whenever, therefore, anything of this sort happens, if there be a proper opportunity, rebuke him who makes advances that way; or, at least, by silence and blushing and a forbidding look, show yourself to be displeased by such talk. ”

~ The Handbook of Epictetus

Quotes of Wisdom from the Stoics of Antiquity

Jason Cooper — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:27:17 +0000

Here I bring you once again 3 of the greatest Stoic philosophers of ancient times.

Watch the following video of wise quotations from my personal favourites, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca:

Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 2

Jason Cooper — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:18:31 +0000

Read the biography of Epictetus

Buy Epictetus’ ‘Discourses and Selected Writings’

Click here to read ‘Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 1′

More stoic lessons from Epictetus to help you learn how to improve and remain happy in life.

On Progress

“The man who is making progress, having learned from the philosophers, that desire has good things for its object, and aversion bad things, and having also learned that peace of mind and serenity can only be attained by a man if he achieves what he desires and does not fall into what he wants to avoid – such a man has either rid himself of desire altogether or put it off to another time, and applies aversion only to things that are within the sphere of choice. For if he should try to avoid anything that lies outside the sphere of choice, he knows that he will sometimes fall into it despite his aversion, and be unhappy. Now if virtue promises happiness, an untroubled mind and serenity, then progress towards virtue is certainly progress towards each of these. For whatever is the definitive end to which perfection of a thing leads, progress is always an approach towards it.

How does it happen, then, that when we agree that virtue is something of this kind, we yet seek progress, and show it off, in other things? What does virtue achieve?

Peace of mind.”

~ The Discourses of Epictetus

Aim To Become An Authentic Stoic Philosopher And Apply What You Have Learned For An Undisturbed and Happy Mind

“Show me someone who is sick, and yet happy; in danger, and yet happy; dying, and yet happy; exiled, and yet happy; disgraced, and yet happy. Show him to me, for, by the gods, I long to see a Stoic. But (you will say) you have not one perfectly formed. Show me, then, one who is in the process of formation, one who has set out in that direction…Let any of you show me the soul of a man who desires to be of one mind with god, and never to cast blame on god or man again, who wishes to fail in no desire, to fall into nothing that he wants to avoid, never to be angry, never to be envious, never to be jealous, who thus desires (why beat about the bush?) to become a god, instead of a man, and though he is in body, this corpse, is determined to achieve communion with Zeus.”

~ The Discourses of Epictetus

Click here to read ‘Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 3′

Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 1

Jason Cooper — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:58:36 +0000

Read the biography of Epictetus

Buy Epictetus’ ‘Discourses and Selected Writings’

I will be posting selected passages from Epictetus’ two books: ‘The Discourses’ and ‘The Handbook’; as he teaches us the wisdom of Stoicism that can be used as a self-help guide to living a good and happy life, as well as attaining a mind free of troubles.

I begin the series with two such passages of stoicism to help you attain a free and peaceful mind, as well as learning the virtues of contented living.

On What Is In Our Power, And What Is Not

“Some things are up to us and others are not. Up to us (or in our power) are opinion, impulse, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is our own action. Not up to us (or not in our power) are body, property, reputation, office, and, in a word, whatever is not our action. The things that are up to us are by nature free, unhindered and unimpeded; but those that are not up to us are weak, servile, subject to hindrance, and not our own. Remember, then, that if you suppose what is naturally enslaved to be free, and what is not your own to be your own, you will be hampered, you will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will find fault with both gods and men. But if you suppose only what is your own to be your own, and what is not your own not to be your own (as is indeed the case), no one will ever coerce you, no one will hinder you, you will find fault with no one, you will accuse no one, you will not do a single thing against your will, you will have no enemy, and no one will harm you because no harm can affect you.”

~ The Handbook of Epictetus

On Contentment

“The things that a man ought to study all day, so that unaffected by all that is not his own, whether friend or place or gymnasia or even, indeed, his own body, he remembers the law and has that constantly before his eyes. And what is the divine law? To preserve what is one’s own, not to claim what is another’s; to use what is given us, and not to desire what is not given us; and, when anything thing is taken away, to give it up readily and immediately, and to be thankful for the time you have been permitted the use of it, and not cry after it, like a child for its nurse and its mamma.”

~ The Discourses of Epictetus

Click here to read ‘Stoic Advice from Epictetus on the Art of Living – Part 2′

Epictetus: The Art of Living

Jason Cooper — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:01:36 +0000

The weekend is here at long last, and I feel the need to reflect on something important…like learning to mind my own business.