What is Stoicism?
There are two books that have an impact on how I should live life. One is the Bible, which is the staple of every Christian; the other is "The Meditations": a journal of thoughts written by Marcus Aurelius, the only Roman Emperor who was also a philosopher. His journal introduced me to stoicism: a philosophy of personal ethics in which you make a proactive stance in living well through self mastery, perseverance and kindness.
In short, here are my key takeaways of stoicism:
- Control your mind and your emotions such that you do not react to everything around you
- Do not harbour intense emotions over things that you cannot control; live in accordance with nature
- Pursue self mastery, perseverance and wisdom
Or put together more eloquently by the modern-day stoic philosopher Massimo Pigliucci:
"Briefly, their notion of morality is stern, involving a life in accordance with nature and controlled by virtue. It is an ascetic system, teaching perfect indifference (apathea) to everything external, for nothing external could be either good or evil. Hence to the Stoics both pain and pleasure, poverty and riches, sickness and health, were supposed to be.
As with all other ancient wisdom, the fact that stoicism as "ideas" have survived for more than 2000 years; undergone "evolution" (i.e. criticism and conjecture) as they were passed from one individual to another and still remain relevant to the present day is a strong enough reason for me to dip my toes in.
I found stoicism appealing as it aligns with Christianity on the topics of virtue and ethical living, as well as the importance in developing fortitude and temperance. However, there are key differences between the two. Stoicism advocates that we only have one life and that's it. Nothing really matters in the end so might as well make the best out of it: memento mori as the stoics would call it. Whereas Christianity says that this life matters: God is watching and eventually we will transition to an alternate realm where He will welcome us back Home. I do not intend for stoicism to displace my beliefs in any ways, but to complement my framework of living, in particular the areas in which they overlap.
Incorporating Stoicism into my life
Pursuing stoicism is not a one-off affair: it is a way of living; thinking and behaving. With our capitalist society, in which we are grabbed for attention nearly every second of our lives, there is a need for us to make an effort to carve out time for self-reflection and contemplation. Even with our best intention, life challenges could easily trip us into failure, thus it is pivotal that we are constantly reminded of the stoic principles to ensure that we stay on the right path.
As such, I try my best to read a page or so of stoicism related material daily. This alone is already a struggle, as there are millions of other things competing for my attention (e.g. work, family, hike, books, this blog). When I do put in time though, usually in the morning, I found that it really helps me to keep the principles in mind for the rest of the day.
Meditation also helps, but it is SO difficult to get extended quiet time as I live in a small apartment with my parents and a dog in Hong Kong: a city with the most crowded living space in the world. I would have to go for a hike or visit a sensory deprivation centre to get away from the constant buzz. Hiking, in particular, is walking meditation: it is really the only way in which I can solely focus on the act of doing (i.e. the what), rather than why I am doing it, how I should be doing it, etc. It allows me to quieten down my mind and get away from myself for a while. As of now, I hike to relax and not think, but I will need to find a way to reflect upon myself during these rare moments when I feel recharged and open to seeing things differently.
I would love to try journaling as well. There is power in the written words. They enable us to think more clearly; force us into introspection such that we could make changes to improve our lives going forward.
How it Impacts me
I can see three benefits in my life so far, bearing in mind that I am taking baby steps and that I do not spend more than 15 minutes a day on it. But as the saying goes, everyday counts...
- More aware of my restless mind, especially my subconscious thoughts. I could not yet control what I think but I am able to put a 'marker' on my thoughts and say to myself, for example, "I am desiring - I want this item because I want to reward myself for working hard";
- Better at controlling my emotions. If someone tries to provoke me, I would be more inclined to take a step back rather than going into a full blown, emotional response;
- More inclined to sit for 30 minutes for self-reflection, with no distractions whatsoever.
Recommended Readings
There are numerous articles and books on stoicism so you can never run out of materials to read. My favourite book on the topic is definitely "The Meditations". However, I found "The Daily Stoic" the most easy to digest, which provides a year of quotations and life lessons drawn from the three great Stoic sages (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus). Books by the Stoic sages are also worth a read - they are usually short and to the point (~300 pages). My recommendations to kick-start the plunge into stoicism are as follows:
- The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
- The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holidays
- Discourses by Epictetus
