Stocism Flashcards
Quotes
Of all people only those are at leisure who make time for philosophy, only they truly live. Not satisfied to merely keep good watch over their own days, they annex every age to their own. All the harvest of the past is added to their store. ” — Seneca
What is stocism?
The private diaries of one of Rome’s greatest emperors, the personal letters of one of Rome’s best playwrights and wisest power brokers, the lectures of a former slave and exile, turned influential teacher. Against all odds, some two millennia later, these incredible documents survive. They contain some of the greatest wisdom in the history of the world and together, they constitute the bedrock of what is known as Stoicism—an ancient philosophy that was once one of the most popular civic disciplines in the West, practiced by the rich and the impoverished, the powerful and the struggling alike in the pursuit of the Good Life.
Except to the most avid seekers of wisdom, Stoicism is either unknown or misunderstood. To the average person, this vibrant, action-oriented, and paradigm-shifting way of living has become shorthand for “emotionlessness.” Given the fact that the mere mention of philosophy makes most nervous or bored, “Stoic philosophy” on the surface sounds like the last thing anyone would want to learn about, let alone urgently need in the course of daily life.
It would be hard to find a word that dealt a greater injustice at the hands of the English language than “Stoic.” In its rightful place, Stoicism is a tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom: something one uses to live a great life, rather than some esoteric field of academic inquiry. Certainly, many of history’s great minds not only understood Stoicism for what it truly is, they sought it out: George Washington, Walt Whitman, Frederick the Great, Eugène Delacroix, Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Thomas Jefferson, Matthew Arnold, Ambrose Bierce, Theodore Roosevelt, William Alexander Percy, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each read, studied, quoted, or admired the Stoics. The ancient Stoics themselves were no slouches. The names you encounter on this site in our daily email meditations—Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca—belonged to, respectively, a Roman emperor, a former slave who triumphed to become an influential lecturer and friend of the emperor Hadrian, and a famous playwright and political adviser.
What have all these and countless other great men and women found within Stoicism that others missed? A great deal. Primarily, that it provides much needed strength, wisdom, and stamina for all of life’s challenges.
Five Fundamental Principles of Stocism: Dicotomy of control
Epitetus: happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not
Ikea principle —> buzzy queue, children etc. Keep your tranquillity and move forward and be happy.
Idea of circle of influence from Highly effective people:
Either reactive or proactive —> reactive people focus on stuff that’s not within their circle of influence while proactive people focus on the stuff they can control, meaning they spend less time wasting brainscape
What are the two things that are only in our control? Our actions and our thoughts
Five Fundamental Principles of Stocism: Principle of Premeditating Adversity
Rather than avoiding thoughts about difficult things, you have to meditate about these bad things —> exposure therapy
A stoic would never say : wow I could never imagine. Stoics mediate about important stuff that could happen, also the bad
Epititus: As you kiss your son good night, whisper to yourself, “He may be dead in the morning
Be grateful for all your interactions you have right now, could be the last, like seeing grandparents or living with your parents
Foster gratitude in your relationships
Five Fundamental Principles of Stocism: Principle of Voluntary Discomfort
“When pleasures have corrupted both the body and the mind, nothing seems endurable, not indeed because it is hard, but because he who has to bear it I soft. “
Do stuff that’s difficult
Yes theory, seek discomfort, apply to day to day life
Seneca would once a month live on the streets.
Be more tranquil by surviving difficult situations and seeing you can survive and thrive, exposure therapy —> cold shower
Five Fundamental Principles of Stocism: Principle of overarching view
People who are excited by posthumous fame forgot that he people who remember them will soon die too”
Observe yourself, have the perspective of being very small, the whole sea is a drop in the ocean. Zoom out, does this really matter, does it matter in 10 years? Doesn’t let it affect your tranquility. Change perspective other person’s point of vie
Five Fundamental Principles of Stocism: Principle of Journaling
Seneca “Examines the entire day, he reflects and have a better next day”
Reflect your behavior, your actions, what could I do better?
Tranquillity disturbed, use journaling
