A Stoic Life
Understand the philosophy of Stoicism and how you can incorporate it into your life
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Historical Background and Defining Key values
Historical Background
Key Stoic Values
Wisdom
Courage
Justice
Temperance
Chapter 2: A Stoic Approach on the new modern world
Modern Stoicism
Incorporating Stoicism in your modern life
Introduction
The desire to control the external world and pray to have it served according to one's service is a grievous fault. To control the way you react facing its events and outcomes in a wise manner and in respect to your valor is the Stoic way. Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that dates back to the Hellenistic era and beyond. Stoicism takes its name from the place where its founder, Zeno of Citium (Cyprus), customarily lectured the Stoa Poikile. This philosophy has proved very instrumental and efficient in the spiritual and material success of many historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus. These are the most famous stoic men and their writings have paved the philosophy to a further insight and a distant position on earth.
The World as we know it is in a constant working state. The planets revolve around the sun and spread their energy on us, the sun fills our egos with physical energy in order to endure the harshness of life, the moon fills our hearts and souls with serenity and activates our spiritual senses. All these elements are part of a greater natural order that the stoics in similarity to Daoism had called "The Flow". We as humans are part of this natural order and as the universe and its elements are in constant action we must join this cosmic symphony and cast our waltz well. It is an extremely common mistake when people lay in bed and pray for a change. The world is continuously changing and we as elements of this Fibonacci spiral should fit in coherently and wisely and link our growth with the growth of others. In our familial household, in our community, in our society, in our human divinity.
Through this grand universal view, this is where stoicism comes in handy. It is a philosophy that states that our abilities as part of the universe are absolutely limitless. And the only limits are sometimes imposed upon us by external factors such as society and family's expectations. These limits when faced will ascend the human mind, body and soul in its godly limits and as Marcus Aurelius says "Do every act of your life as if it were the last”. Many advocates of this philosophy are not only great thinkers who wanted to contribute to humanity with their ideas but also very successful men who rose in important roles. They possessed the wisdom and vicinity of action that made them better fit in their roles and they always saw it as a mere service to others no different from an ant who transports her seed.
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor who reigned between 160 C:E to 181 C:E. He was the last among the great five roman emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana. An era where the Roman Empire was at its might. Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic and had learned the teachings of many fellow stoic philosophers who rendered him a very wise man. As a habit he woke up in the morning and wrote his thoughts in a book that was labeled as Meditations. This is one of the most popular philosophical books and a must read to those who are interested in Stoicism. Other Stoic philosophers rose in their ideas and had been very influential in the modern world.
This book will assert most the spiritual and mental knowledge offered by Stoicism and evaluate some of the notable stoic figures in a grimoire that will serve as a guide to overcome life’s challenges with great antique insights modernized for the modern man to fit in this life wisely and act not as a common worker but as the emperor of his own internal universe. Therefore, let the stoic act on noble action be cast !
Chapter 1: Historical Background and The Stoic Values
Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam
Et lingua eius loquetur iudicium
Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem
Quoniam cum probatus fuerit accipiet coronam vitae
(The mouth of the just one will prepare itself for wisdom
And his tongue is telling a judgment
Blessed is the one who bears a temptation
Since after being tested, he will receive the crown of life)
Elfen Lied - Lilium
Say you’ve been astray thousands of miles from your home with no money or material possessions. Such a quandary would make anyone lose hope and curse their maledicted fate. For Zeno of Cyprus, the godfather of stoicism it became the cradle of his ideas and life’s legacy. The once rich tradesman lost all his wealth when his ship was wrecked in Athens around 300 BCE. With nothing else to do he dived into a bookshop and became intrigued by discovering Socrates, and went to seek out and study with the town’s most lauded philosophers. As Zeno started tutoring his own disciples, he came up with the philosophy today known as Stoicism, whose concepts of tolerance, virtue and self-restraint have influenced thousands of thinkers and leaders among generations. The name stoicism originated from the Stoa Poikile, the decorated arcade where Zeno and his students deepened their thinking and explored all relevant topics coming out with new ideas and insights to face the struggles of life.
Cicero the Roman writer who is considered among many as the first Stoic poet had stated in his verbiage De Officiis (On Moral Duties) that cradled the ethical system and moral compass of the Stoics of his era :
“That no one do harm to another.
That one uses common possessions as common; private as belonging to their owners.
We are not born for ourselves alone.
Men were brought into being for the sake of men, that they might do good to one another.
We ought to follow nature as a guide, to contribute our part to the common good.
Good faith, steadfastness, and truth.”(Marcus Tullius Cicero and Peabody)
In these modern times, we informally employ the word stoic to define a person who can remain calm under lots of pressure and avoid emotional turmoil. While this tackles some of the major features of Stoicism, the original ideas for the philosophies were more than just a behavioral approach to social life. Stoics believed that the world is run by a karmic relationship of cause and effect, resulting in a rational composition of the universe, that they entitled Logos. And while we cannot control the events coming into our way, we can control our approach to these events and how to react and act. Rather than visualizing a harmonious world and an ideal society, stoics believed that we should deal with the world such as it is while improving ourselves to reach nobility and the wisdom of action. This is where the four cardinal virtues come into play, they are the most important keywords for this philosophy and potentially all along this book.
The Stoic Virtues :
Wisdom
“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 do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own” — Epicteus - Discourses 36
Wisdom is one of the major Stoic values that accompany the soul along his journey of self improvement and quest towards nobility. Wisdom calls evaluate the situation, calls the intuition into action in accordance with the logos, it facilitates the events and brings the man into such a swift volition where man measures each second and acts. To be wise is to know what is the right thing to do and the bad thing to avoid. One must have a solid intuitive background and a biblical moral compass. In life we are faced by situations that look like a constant text or examination of our beliefs. When a man understands that his growth is relevant to these never ending exams, passing them will become swift and savoring to the stoic mind. But before facing these challenges, one must explore the vast sea of philosophical knowledge offered to us by those who spent their entire lives thinking and coming up with insight for the human brain to face life in a wise manner. The wisdom virtue englobes all these teachings and calls the mind to be enlightened in order for him to absorb each information offered to us by the universe. The world is in constant change, everything is moving, everything is everywhere. But within this rapid flow is a grand amount of mystical insight at our sight. The universe is still expanding and so must our minds.
According to stoicism, life is a constant stage at play and we must play our parts wisely. In the creative imagination (A topic that will be tackled in this book) and according to Descartes; Each act as simple as it may seem is instrumental to the evolution and expansion of the universe; For example, you are sitting on a bench reading a book, a quote intrigues your mind you decide to write it on a piece of paper and leave it on that bench, another person who is walking and will sit on the same bench in order to contemplate his existence (as our natural state calls us to do) will read that quote that you have asserted from a huge book and will find it helpful in his growth and path, you would have filled him with motivation and hope to face the challenges that he may be facing. This energy of compassion will return to you ten times more helpful. This is because your action created an effect and since you were instrumental in the growth of a person (that reflects the growth of the universe) the action will come back to you. Yet what lies beyond the thought and the act is the intuitive understanding of this philosophy and how your wisdom as humble as it may seem to you had been of an excessive change in the world. The prophet Muhammed says “Move and you will receive”. If a person is stagnated and not moving with the universe and expanding his insight and creating actions that are helpful and useful to the earth, his energy will not move anywhere. In this view, wisdom calls us to think and act and never the duet without its counterpart.
Courage
“Don’t you know life is like a military campaign? One must serve on watch, another in reconnaissance, another on the front line. . . . So it is for us—each person’s life is a kind of battle, and a long and varied one too. You must keep watch like a soldier and do everything commanded. . . . You have been stationed in a key post, not some lowly place, and not for a short time but for life.” — Epictetus, Dicourses 3.24.31–36
What lies behind the wise act and the thought is courage. The logos are linear and in advancement. Each energy or event comes to us for a purpose, we can either return to our comfort zone and feel safe or operate from our stretch zone and advance with the logos. What fuels and motivates this act is the second virtue of courage. What makes a man manly is his courage knowing no movement as going backwards but constant advancement that will lead to his expansion. Life brings us the harshest of events, tragedies and dark calamities are all part of a natural order and must occur in order for goodness and light to thrive. The enjoyment of each second and the pleasure of life’s beauty is not enough in a world that is constantly moving. What motivates our move must be the courage to go forward without stress but with cognizance that there is a lesson beyond each event and a higher purpose behind each scenery as small as it may be.
Say you are out on your own having a casual stroll on shores or on the streets, then your intuition tells you to follow the wind and the wind leads you to the dangerous side of your town, a part that you never dared to explore. Obviously your new energy will trigger attention and the ghettos and rascals neighborhood are a constant battlefield between anarchy and authority. Would you rather go back to your safe zone in which you will feel safe, or force your will to explore that side of the town with courage and without fears. During your dangerous yet knowledgeable and whilst walking in alignment with the universe, you are likely to attract a similar person who vibrates on the same frequencies as you. Perhaps you will grow a friendship and by discovering your counterpart you fill him with upper class energy that lacks in his realm and he fills you with strength and wisdom that lacks in yours.
This is a brief example on how courage can lead us to the most inspiring moments in our lives that we need to go towards. Whereas the soul that conforms is eternally stuck in a loop of working, sleeping and repeating. The stoic man is cognizant that his existence lies beyond the material matrix imposed on him by the new world order that enslaves the will in a loophole of working without purpose. Courage is what it takes to leave the social norms and design your own, whether they come from stoicism or any antique doctrine you possess the power of your will to fill your mind with wisdom fueled with courage to face everything not as it seems.
Justice
“And a commitment to justice in your own acts. Which means: thought and action resulting in the common good. What you were born to do.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.31”
One of the most intriguing ideas and values of Stoicism and perhaps the most extreme is undoubtedly the card of Justice; Similar to its concept in the tarot card this aspect states that the world is run by a karmic energy of cause and effect and what comes around goes around in the cosmic wheel of the Samsara. Indeed, Stoics believed in their cosmology that we are all connected to each other with the universe, our connection is essential to the process of creation, expansion and progression. In this view, if one commits a bad deed this will return to him and he will attract it back. The universe is ruled through logos and everything is revolving in a harmonious order where no energy interferes with its counterpart. We as humans have the power to create a change in certain aspects of life. This change is never external (Since stoics believed that no one can change reality) but communal wherefore the change is relevant to our fellow humans and the contribution to our society participates in the cosmic expansion of the universe. As Marcus Aurelius says about Justice :
“Does what's happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, straightforwardness, and all other qualities that allow a person's nature to fulfill itself? So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations , 6.22
Justice is a divine force that rules the cosmos, a man can drown himself in sins and the pleasures of life and rejoice. But since reality is subjective and we create the meaning of things through wisdom and courage. The concept of pleasures is abstract and relevant to our view of it. Furthermore, if a man is smoking weed continuously without pause, this pleasure will devour him and he will become a slave to its effect. If a thing is used beyond the limits it will turn against its users. Such as it is, justice is not only relevant to other people but in each act. Yet if a man plants a seed or creates an artistic travail that brings harmony to the aesthetic mind this energy will return served to him in the same harmony that he created. This is where the previous values complete their fellow values. And this is where temperance succeeds justice.
Temperance:
Temperance is one of the most important stoic values and the one that can easily be adapted in modern life. We live in an era of material comfort and consumerism, people struggle to make a living and work hard only to buy more material things. Whereas the great philosophers and poets had lived in a very simplified state, the new world order puts us in a constant loophole of earning and wasting. Food and its siamese became non satisfying and a man is always craving for more as prophet muhammed said “We are the kind of people who do not eat unless we’re hungry and when we eat we’re never satisfied”. This quote is relevant to the modern era where things that were hardly accessible in the past such as the huge variety of food that we find in stores is never satisfying. The concept of temperance teaches us that we must restrain our hunger because we possess the ability to create satisfaction. A walk in a park can be more satisfying than a walk in a mall. Yet conformity teaches the person to follow the crowd, whereas the stoic man is cognizant that his existence is in tune with the highest order. Temperance is not relevant to the material world only, it can be used in any situation, for example not pursuing social merit and contenting oneself with having a good relationship with his principles only As Marcus Aurelius says :
“‘If you seek tranquillity, do less.’ Or (more accurately) 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 tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations , 4.24
Chapter 2: A Stoic Approach on the modern world
Modern Stoicism
Modern international law and organization, whether viewed spiritual or materially, is a body of collective rules with a consequential history. It may be seen as a living organism which grows in respect to the growth of life’s experience and is shaped firmly by ideas and aspirations current among civilized humans in quest for their higher purpose. The aim here is to examine the Stoics concept of the “Universal Community” as the underlying idea in the new world order and international law. In this view, it proposes that the core principles of Stoic philosophy was never lost but is the father in spirit to the modern international system of today.
One of the most intriguing stoic ideas that can be modernized is the the concept of “Universal Community'' that is very close to the Jungian concept of collective consciousness, this notion grew popular among the Greeks first when the declining city-states couldn’t provide a new doctrine that would put the basis for the moral life of the individual man. The intergenious minds of the Greeks, realized a need for an inclusive philosophy. THey were desirous of some explanation to fit their changed status from members in a closed city-state to membership in a large empire that was void of the laws and rules to which they had been accustomed. Their collective contemplation led to many new ideas, some of which became schools of thought of relatively collective acceptance. The Stoic school, emphasizing a universal community of human beings under a Supreme order, met with more than minimum success, but even so, failed to receive acceptance by the Greeks as a national group. It is not surprising to find that the truest pioneers of the notion of a “Universal Community'' were found among the Romans. The practice reformers were largely due to its adoption by practical and political minded Romans . The Stoic idea soon became part of the cultural heritage, the unconscious mindset of the educated man. It could be easily employed as a type of defense of the empire following the disruption and collapse of the city-state.
Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic program fitted well with the Universal Community concept. His repeated success on the battlefield was significantly complemented by a policy which combined foreigners, barbarians, and native citizens alike in one large empire. Caste, class and nationality were discarded. The Romans soon developed a genius for conciliation and assimilation which paved the way for Stoic philosophy. It made a notable impact on Roman thinking in the first and second centuries A.D until Marcus Aurelius made this philosophy vividly spread.
Despite Stoicism being an ancient philosophy, it grew widely popular in this very modern world, most notably through social media and youtube. Many channels had tackled this philosophy and proved it to be very useful in the modern world that could lock the spiritual mind in a cycle of working, eating, sleeping and repeating. Stoicism gave the individual the possibility to attain his bigger vision and a higher purpose and to strengthen his routine from a Samsara cycle of occupation to a spiritual progression in order to reach nobility and to contribute to humanity in any chosen domain. Indeed, stoicism grew very popular among millenials and it offered them an energy of collective principles which made them very understanding and helpful with each other and most importantly overcome taboos such as Racism and gender discrimination. The concept of giving and receiving became the main fuel of the motivational videos of Youtube and most recently TikTok. The academic way that bloomers had followed is no longer valid and the world entered an era of online and therefore collective consciousness and to a certain extent the Stoic idea of “Universal Community” became a common and more efficient reality.
In these most modern times, ideas such as Capitalism, Globalization, New world Order can seem conspiratorial to some scared minds. As Stoicism teaches us to combine wisdom with courage, the individual mind can study these doctrines thoroughly and learn to fit in these common doctrines. Capitalism teaches the man to make profit in order to come up with his own idea from his spiritual world and to put it in reality through a collective materiality that is money. Entering the marketing world is entering a common energy that is international, and as much as not having it can seem a dangerous reality making it can be as easy as it sounds to spend it. Indeed, stoicism teaches the individual man to act in a wise manner and therefore to fit in the world that is constantly changing in a wise and efficient way in order to design his own matrix and to ascend in his hierarchy with the belief that his growth is vis-à-vis the growth of others. Furthermore, if a man applies the stoic virtue of temperance he is likely to create a simplified lifestyle in which he wouldn’t require to waste his money on material things and create comfort. This will stretch his comfort zone until it becomes a pitfall and will require a gigantic willpower in order to leave it again. As we have stated that reality is subjective and it is up to us to give things their meanings. A well cleaned bed can be more relaxing than the latest Ikea canopy. As Marcus Aurelius once said :
“Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.” (Marcus Aurelius - Meditations)
While Marcus Aurelius had bathed his words on the philosophy of success and the non-limits of the stoic minds. Many modern figures have studied this philosophy and work hard to become the role models of today. Indeed, most of the artists that fail repeatedly are acting in the interest of their own, but once they understand that success comes by giving to others. Ascendance will be their constant state of mind.
Incorporating Stoicism in your life
We live in a world of constant change and dynamic action, each second reflects an eternity, each minute billions of events occur and this change affects the collective consciousness. We as humans are endorsed with the capability to fit in this grand energy and to join the flow with the cognizance that we are not following the crowd but rather ascending and escalating our position. Stoicism teaches us to become strict with ourselves and to focus on self-improvement and self-discipline in our minds. There is nothing stronger in this universe as far as we know as the human mind.
Stoicism sees God as part of the universe and ourselves, this is a pantheistic notion of God. This philosophy became an inductive fact among great philosophers and thinkers such as Einstein, Tesla, Emir Abdelkader and many others. These figures were cognizant that God is within the universe and potentially within our minds. The sub-philosophy of this doctrine is Panpsychism which is a modern philosophy that states that God is not only within the universe but everything is aligned within a collective consciousness that walks in accordance with the universal Logos. In this view, our minds have the powers of a God and potentially the universe. But again in order to fuel this energy one must be cognizant that his interconnectedness will expand when it is connected with other consciousness. In this view, our growth again is related to the growth of others in our community. One mustn't devote his life for the service of others but learn how to ascend their state of mind and spread his energy and influence in respect to the stoic values of : Justice, Courage, Temperance, Wisdom.
Stoics believed that what you materially own such as your house, bank account and material possessions aren’t important, if given an excessive importance then these things will own you. But character, virtues and principles are relevant. Anyone can possess wealth and copy your moves and traits but it takes a lifetime of inner-discovery for them to know themselves. When another person is comparing herself to you, they are simply trying to fill the void within themselves or looking for their father-figure. They lack affection, motivation, personality and most importantly character. By endorsing themselves in a non-permitted mentorship of trying to reach another they are postponing their inner quest for self-discovering and therefore are no more different than the normal soul that conforms. It is almost narcissistic to believe that your growth is relevant to how much you can steal from others. This will likely create an ego filled with outer-acceptance and when the acceptance is not there the person is utterly lost. Having a non-merited social class is a short route towards a pitfall. Merit comes with contribution to your community with the confidence that your acts matter in the great cosmic scheme of things. To try to escalate social classes is to potentially lock your existence in people’s opinions. To try to become another person is a grievous fault that would only fuel your traumas and demons.
Stoicism teaches a man not to react or act emotionally but to stick true to his principles, never to perform or act for the sake of outer acceptance but with the cognizance of your inner strength and divine purpose that is to create. To try to seek the fashionable and the zeitgeist is simply to lower your vibrations and potentially descend in this collective spiritual hierarchy. To bring a mere normal idea to the world and force it for the sake of social merit and outer appearance is no different than the lonesome man who follows the social norms. Our souls are divine and our mind is connected with the whole universe. The power to create comes only when the mind is detached from any external disturbance or social pursuit. This spiritual stroll should lead only towards nobility, a state of mind where your existence is relevant to the growth of other beings, your energy becomes widespread and your confidence is reinforced, you become immortal. In order to reach this state of mind one must take the time to pause from the material realm and to retreat to his inner hovel. To act on his own and believe none but his vision. A vision that is instrumental to the advancement of the human mind and spiritual growth. To romanticize a word or a poem is to celebrate the divinity of the soul and to carve that feeling in the stream of consciousness only for the ascending mind to avail. The approaches are facultatif and society is hard and unkind. People are always late and late. It is our duty to raise them and a useless demand to be raised. Each given energy is given back and the law of attraction is very generous. The more you give to others in secrecy, the bigger you’ll receive. The more you fuel your ego the dumbest you’ll live.
We live in a world of constant fear and detachment, a world of rapid expansion. To view your existence as divine is the hardest of challenges. To become cognizant that your divinity is interconnected with the souls of others, there’s the life trick. Having a strict protocol, a firm routine and a big objective is easy with devotion. But to unlock these divine gifts that are rooted to the uniqueness of the soul takes a lot of contemplation of the outer and inner. To learn to separate the divine from the mundane is to master the universe in its duality. To react firmly and wisely is to keep the logos in harmony. To act for the highest good is to become the highest good man, firm and noble in all his senses.
The very idea of an intellectual explosion in a society bursting with decadence and withheld promises that growth is within the norms is a short rue for chaos. Fueled by superstitious thoughts that acceptance is relevant to others rather than to oneself. To dream of becoming an elite is to deny the vicinity of your existence and potentially deny your course for the sake of the social norms and to conform. The wise man works in secrecy, acts in wisdom, his plans are eternal, and for immortality he works. And so blessed is the mouth of the man who meditates in justice , temperance , courage and wisdom
References
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. Penguin, 2019.
Epictetus, and W. A. Oldfather. The Discourses, as Reported by Arrian, the Manual and Fragments. London, Heinemann, 2008.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Andrew P Peabody. Cicero de Officiis. Boston Mass., Little, Brown, 1883.
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