Saturday, August 14, 2021
Today let’s talk about Stoicism. 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.
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. Primarily, it provides much needed strength, wisdom, and stamina for all of life’s challenges.
“If, at some point in your life, you should come across anything better than justice, truth, self-control, courage—it must be an extraordinary thing indeed.”
~ Marcus Aurelius
The 4 virtues of Stoicism
Courage: The world wants to know what category to put you in, which is why it will occasionally send difficult situations your way. Think of these not as inconveniences or even tragedies but as opportunities, as questions to answers. Do I have cojones? Am I brave? Am I going to face this problem or run away from it? Will I stand up or be rolled over? Let your actions etch a response into the record—and let them remind you of why courage is the most important thing.
Temperance: Temperance is about doing nothing in excess. Doing the right thing in the right amount in the right way. Because we are what we repeatedly do. Therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit. On one end of the spectrum, there is cowardice—that’s a deficiency of courage. On the other, there is recklessness—too much courage. What is called for, what we require then, is a golden mean. The right amount.
Justice: There is no Stoic virtue more important than justice, because it influences all the others. Justice is “the source of all the other virtues.” Stoics throughout history have pushed and advocated for justice, oftentimes at great personal risk and with great courage, in order to do great things and defend the people and ideas that they loved.
Wisdom: What situations call for courage? What is the right amount? What is the right thing? This is where the final and essential virtue comes in: Wisdom. The knowing. The learning. The experience required to navigate the world. Wisdom has always been prized by the Stoics. Zeno said that we were given two ears and one mouth for a reason: to listen more than we talk. And since we have two eyes, we are obligated to read and observe more than we talk as well.
“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
See you next Saturday, until then have a great weekend :)
Cheers!
Some things that you may find interesting-
Article: The modern trap of feeling obligated to turn Hobbies into Hustles
Must Watch: for her
Song I am listening to: Into You by Tegi Pannu
Thought of the week: “Capability is confirmed and grows in its corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by running… therefore, if you want to do something, make a habit of it.” ~ Epictetus
Thread of the week: Platform Business Models
Here are the last three posts if you were too occupied to read them:
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Beautifully written