Good Morning Readers and Happy Friday
My name is JP, and today I am going to write about one of the few things I am confident I know well—how I deal with tough times. Specifically, I want to talk about the philosophy of Stoicism and how it has helped me tremendously in overcoming these tough times. The overall point of this post, and all future ones, is not to convince you to change your ways or question everything, but rather to offer a brief moment of inspiration for your day.
Since this is my first post, it will be formatted differently from the ones I plan to write in the future. Today's post will have two parts: the first being a very brief overview of Stoicism, and the second being the quote of the day, its meaning, and what I (personally) took from it. The latter is what I plan to post about most of the time, unless I have something different and fun I want to write about. Even then, I will try to include at least the quote.
I see this not only as a way for you all to learn how this philosophy can help you, but also as a way to keep me accountable and up to date on practicing it. That being said, I look forward to writing to you all deca-daily, and let’s get right into it.
Stoic Origins: A Historical Journey
When setting sail from the ancient city of Citium in Cyprus to the port city of Piraeus in Athens, a wealthy merchant’s ship suffered a catastrophic disaster during a raging storm. The shipwreck sent all of the merchant’s valuable goods to the depths of the sea, effectively swallowing his wealth with it. This merchant went by the name Zeno of Citium, and this disaster would later become the shipwreck that changed history.
Zeno of Citium survived the wreck and washed up onto the shore of Athens with his soul beaten by the cruelty of nature. However, as he walked through the ancient city, he passed a bookstore and began reading a book by Xenophon, a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. The book was called Memorabilia and contained Socratic dialogues that greatly influenced Zeno. He quickly realized that he could either let the impartial destruction of nature be the catalyst for a terrible life, or he could allow it to inspire a great one. He chose the latter.
Zeno began studying other texts and the teachings of philosophers such as Crates of Thebes (a Cynic philosopher) and Stilpo (a Megarian philosopher). Through these teachings, Zeno founded the first school of Stoicism in 301 BC. He taught at the Stoa Poikile (Painted Porch), a public gathering place where Zeno and the people fortunate enough to hear him would discuss their ideas. Stoa Poikile would later become the source of the word Stoic, which is how we know the philosophy today.
Zeno, however, never wrote down his teachings, but they were preserved through the transcriptions and works of his later students, the most famous of whom was his student Epictetus. Epictetus, who was born a slave and died a freeman, author, teacher, and philosopher, would become one of the most famous Stoics in history and inspire many more to follow the path of Stoicism. Epictetus taught that although external events are ultimately beyond our control, we have control over how we choose to react to them. These teachings were immortalized in his Discourses and Enchiridion, written by his student Arrian.
These texts and their teachings had a profound effect on the Roman statesman and senator Seneca. Seneca, who was the tutor to the Roman Emperor Nero, believed, like the others, that Stoicism was more than just a subject or theory—it was a lifestyle to practice. What is remarkable about Seneca, much like Zeno and Epictetus, is that he lived by his Stoic principles until the end. So much so, that when Emperor Nero wrongly implicated him in a plot against Nero’s rule and ordered him to kill himself, Seneca did so with calm fortitude, realizing that all men die, but not all men die complaining. Fortunately for us, Seneca was a prolific writer, so his teachings lived on, most famously in his Letters from a Stoic.
The final and most well-known Stoic of ancient history was none other than Marcus Aurelius, the greatest Roman Emperor, who reigned from 161 AD to 180 AD. Despite holding the title of the most powerful man on the planet, and being tempted by vices that were expected to be indulged in, he was deeply philosophical and was the perfect representation of what is known as a Philosopher King. Marcus practiced what he preached and wrote about it in his journal. Thankfully, this journal was found and saved, later becoming known as Meditations, which is the most famous of Stoic writings. These writings, however, were never meant to be published and were a clear representation of a man on a journey of self-betterment.
These remarkable men came from very different backgrounds—a merchant, a slave, a senator, and an emperor—but they all had one thing in common: they believed that the key to living a happy life was through accordance with nature and the one TRUE good—virtue.
Your Authors Favorite Quote from Each Stoic Figure
"The goal of life is living in agreement with nature" - Zeno of Citium
"I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it" - Epictetus
"They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn"- Seneca
"The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting, The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way" - Marcus Aurelius
BONUS QUOTES (should you wish to read)
"Waste no time arguing what a good man should be. Be one" - Marcus Aurelius
"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." - Marcus Aurelius
"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present" - Marcus Aurelius
"How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances that aroused them in us" - Marcus Aurelis
"You are hurt the moment you believe yourself to be" - Epictetus
"Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember" - Seneca
Stoicism - Your Authors Interpretation
Instead of giving you the definition of what a stoic believes and practices, I will give you my interpretation of it. This being said, I highly recommend reading all the above writings and coming to a conclusion yourself. For your author, stoicism is simple. It is a lifestyle that no one can ever truly master and requires practice day in and day out. It is remembering all men must die and to accept death and the unbiased happenings of nature. It is accepting what is out of your control, changing what is in your control and knowing the difference between the two. It is living with Wisdom, Courage, Temperence, and Justice. It is loving fate as it happens and realizing that if something stands in the way, it becomes the way. It is to enjoy suffering and the fall, as that is the way to grow. It is to live in discomfort so that you can endure. It is to domesticate your emotions and not eliminate them. It is to treat every new person you meet as an opportunity for kindness. Most importantly, it is to live above all things, virtuously.
(Deca)Daily Stoic: Wisdom for Every (10) Day(s)
February 28th, 2025
WHEN YOU LOSE CONTROL
“The soul is like the bowl of water, with the soul's impressions like the rays of light that strike the water. Now, if the water is disturbed, the light appears to be disturbed together with it — though of course it is not. So when someone loses consciousness, it is not the person's knowledge and virtues that are impaired, it is the breath that contains them. Once the breath returns to normal, knowledge and the virtues are restored to normal also.”
What is means: "You messed up a little. Or maybe you messed up a lot. So? That doesn't change the philosophy that you know. It's not as if your reasoned choice has permanently abandoned you. Rather, it was you who temporarily abandoned it. Remember that the tools and aims of our training are unaffected by the turbulence of the moment. Stop. Regain your composure. Its waiting for you."
Your Authors Take: Screwing up in life is normal. It happens. We are only human, and when it does, it's not the discipline itself that's leaving the path, but rather us stepping away from the path of that discipline. Just because it happened, though, doesn’t mean you need to start from scratch and create a new path. Get back on it. The things we have practiced and the knowledge we have gained are still very much with us; our brains may just be too fogged with emotion to see it. We just need to settle down, acknowledge our mistake, and continue to practice. When things go wrong, we fall back to our most basic level of training. In our minds, the concept remains the same.
Thanks for reading and talk soon
J.P.
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