Stoicism 101

Basic understanding

Stoicism is a practical philosophy originated in ancient Greece that teaches us to focus on the things we can control—our thoughts, emotions, and actions—while accepting the things we cannot, such as the actions of others or the natural course of events that happen all around us. It is of utter importance to determine what is and what is not within our control, as we shall only invest our time and energy into the things that are within our own power.

It might feel scary to know that we cannot control external events, but is puts our mind at ease when we realise that we actually can control our opinion about these events. We do not control the situation, but we control what we think of it and how we feel about it. We decide the difference between good or bad, fair or unfair… ourselves.

All we truly have is our own mind. We can only control our own minds.

Key elements

1. The discipline of desire: This involves cultivating a strong sense of self-awareness and understanding one's own desires and emotions, in order to better control them.

2. The discipline of action: This involves taking deliberate and intentional action in the world, while being mindful of the consequences of one's actions.

3. The discipline of assent: This involves being mindful of one's beliefs and opinions, and only accepting those that are based on reason and evidence.

Stoicism encourages its followers to truly examine their lives, focus on inner strengths, and develop the necessary abilities to withstand life’s daily adversities.

Origin

Zeno of Citium was the true founder of Stoicism around 300 BCE in Athens, Greece. The word "Stoicism" comes from the name of the painted porch, "stoa poikile" in ancient Greek, where Zeno first taught his students. The philosophy states that happiness can be found in the virtue of self-control, courage, justice and wisdom. It is our own perception that causes unhappiness most of the time. That is exactly why the Stoics tell us that we can find mental clarity by controlling our own perception. By directing our actions properly, by aligning our will, we will find the perspective and wisdom to deal with whatever the world puts in front of us.

The philosophy was created as a school of life to teach its enlightened followers to live a virtuous life by cultivating discipline, emotional stability, rationality, and self-awareness. By spending time only on the things within our control, we learn to be resilient, practice inner peace and cultivate a deep sense of contentment. The stoics will not give in to short-term pleasures, disappointment, anger or hardship throughout life. These principles are great examples of the practical application that Stoicism brings to our lives.

These stoic principles and practices were later refined by great names such as Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.

Since its founding in ancient Greece, this influential school of thought has endured as an invaluable guide to overcoming adversity and achieving emotional resilience and perspective. Today, in an increasingly turbulent world, Stoicism’s core principles and practices are seeing renewed interest and relevance.

Quote of the day

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”