A couple of weeks ago, I’ve come across this philosophical concept which was started and followed by ancient Greek and Roman philosophers as a way of living life in a way that enables you to develop self-control and deal with things in life that can help you to attain inner peace.
Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. — Marcus Aurelius
So, what is Stoicism and where did it come from?
Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium, a Greek philosopher of the 3rd century BC. The name Stoicism is derived from the Greek words “Stoa Poikile” meaning painted porch, basically, a market square where all the philosophers used to meet and discuss their philosophical ideas and also teach their studies and experiences to the younger lot.
Zeno founded the Stoic school of philosophy where he taught that the purpose of human life is only good when lived by LOGOS or the universal reason. After Zeno, Epictetus forwarded the stoic school of thinking and living life by stoic principles which spread to different parts of the world and had a huge impact on the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
What does Stoicism teach?
Stoicism is a way of life that anybody can inculcate by realising simple truths about how we live and it teaches us to be resilient in tough situations, to win over destructive thoughts, to think clearly about the consequences and to cultivate moral values to become a good person.
Stoicism and its principles emphasise the notion that we are only responsible for what we do and what our actions and thoughts are. The rest of the things are not in our control and we should never get affected by the things that are not in our control.
You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. — Marcus Aurelius.
It’s only been 2/3 weeks since I’ve come across this philosophy and I could relate to many of the teachings of the great philosophers of yesteryear like Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus. It’s fascinating that their teachings are relevant even after 2000 years and I feel, that fact alone should motivate us to read about their teachings, way of life and how they dealt with the many aspects of life, death, and fear.
It’s not mandatory that we have to inculcate everything they say, but it is like every other thing and every other person we look up to, learn what we want, the things that are necessary and relevant to us and leave out the rest.
I’ve felt the need to research, write and implement the teachings of these philosophers in my life and in that process, I would like to write about different things that I learn, and understand and then put out my thoughts and observations about different views and teachings.
We will end the post with a quote by Epictetus:
First, say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.
I will get on this journey of transformation into a stoic and create awareness among my peers about our whole purpose to understand the universal reason.
Note: Most of what I write about Stoicism is inspired by other writers, YouTubers and the people I follow on social media. I’m only trying to amplify the discussion through my writing. Do point out if you have any issues regarding my posts.
