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Stoicism is a philosophical school that originated in Ancient Greece, by Zeno of Citium around 301 BC. Although originally named "Zenonism," it was later renamed, likely to prevent idolism of Zeno, an imperfect being. Stoic derives from Stoa Poikile, or "Painted Porch," which was a public colonnade in Athens where Zeno started teaching his ideas, and thus was accessible to all. It is believed that Zeno based his beliefs from Socrates' teachings, and therefore, Socrates is often considered the first Stoic. Notable Stoics include Marcus Aurelius, Seneca the Younger, and Epictetus. Modern day Stoics include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr. Albert Ellis, Aaron T. Beck and, perhaps even, Albert Einstein.
"The goal of Stoicism is to find peace within, by overcoming adversities, being aware of our impulses, practicing self control, and embracing the reality of our limited time." - Michael Davenport
Stoic refers to followers of Stoicism, or to those that can endure pain or hardship without showing emotions. This does not mean the elimination of emotions, but learning how to avoid responding with emotion to external events, in which we have no control over. People are often blinded by their emotions which leads to irrational or impulsive decisions, which may lead to long term consequences.
"The basic philosophy of stoicism is that you have nothing real external to your own consciousness, that the only thing real is in fact your consciousness." - Roger Avary
The goal of the Stoic is to reach Apathea or equanimity, similar to Upekkha in Buddhism, is life without suffering. It is a state of mind where one is not influenced by strong emotions. This is sometimes misinterpreted as indifference due to its similarity to the English word "apathy."
"Seek not for events to happen as you wish but rather wish for events to happen as they do and your life will go smoothly." - Epictetus
External events are things caused by nature or by the wills of other people. These include wealth, possession and reputation. Although these things can be influenced, ultimately they cannot be controlled because they are outside of our minds. Although eudaimonia is achieved without worldly possessions or external forces, one is not required to abstain. Humans are capable of experiencing pleasure, and therefore, if the opportunity arises, one may pursue it as long as it does not violate one's virtues.
Eudaimonia was the goal of all philosophical schools, which is to live a fulfilled life. Stoics believed this was achieved through being virtuous, or living according to the four cardinal virtues as defined by Plato, and aided by maintaining equanimity.
The Four Cardinal Virtues:
The core principle of Stoicism is physis, and refers to living in accordance to nature. In philosophy, it refers to man's affinity for growth. This is applicable to human growth, for one does not need to tell a tree to grow tall or a flower to bloom. It is within human nature to grow mentally and to be virtuous.
"Every night before going to sleep, we must ask ourselves: what weakness did I overcome today? What virtue did I acquire?" - Seneca
The duty of a Stoic is to make the world a better place. It is important for a Stoic to fulfill their need to be of service to society, and can become restless when their work does not resonate with their core values. Stoics do this by being virtuous and sharing their personal talents for the betterment of society. Individual talents should not be hidden or kept to oneself, instead they should be grown and shared in order to further humanity.
"Everything, a horse, a vine, is created for some duty. For what task, then, were you yourself created? A man's true delight is to do the things he was made for." - Marcus Aurelius
In accordance with equanimity, Stoics practice the reserve clause. A reserve clause is the understanding that despite your best efforts, the outcome is ultimately beyond your control. Furthermore, even though man has free will, external events can be influenced by past events, and therefore, a series of events can be predetermined by fate. A Stoic's duty is to do the best one can and accept the results whether preferable or not. In this sense, Stoics believe in fate and karma, not in a metaphysical sense, but in terms of reaping what you (and others) sow. In fact, Stoics do not believe in good or bad, only indifference.
"Learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference." - Marcus Aurelius
Things are "indifferent" because they do not directly contribute or detract from one's virtue, and therefore, a Stoic is neither happy nor sad due to the possession of or lack there of these things. Even though these things are indifferent, it is quite natural and logical to prefer some externals over others, and thus can be categorized as indifferent preferred and indifferent dispreferred. Indifferent preferred are the extrinsic circumstances that are naturally desirable to any individual, such as health, wealth, pleasure, beauty, etc. Indifferent dispreferred are undesirable externalities, or "contrary to nature," such as death, illness, unpopularity, poverty, and so on. Technically speaking, there is also a state of just indifferent, neither preferred nor dispreferred, where objects may reside. An example of an 'absolute' indifferent would be whether someone is right or left handed, or whether one has an odd or even number of hairs on one's head.
"It's something like going on an ocean voyage. What can I do? Pick the captain, the boat, the date, and the best time to sail. But then a storm hits… What are my options? I do the only thing I am in a position to do, drown - but fearlessly, without bawling or crying out to God, because I know that what is born must also die." - Epictetus
Likewise, Stoics believe that no one errs on purpose. In the end, wrongdoers wrong themselves, and therefore one should not hate a wrongdoer, for they know not better. It is a Stoic's job to act as an example and do the right thing because that is the virtuous thing to do. Being virtuous is reward in and of itself. In a similar manner, there is no expectation that oneself should be perfect, but to balance self-acceptance with self-growth.
"One ought to seek out virtue for its own sake, without being influenced by fear or hope, or by any external influence. Moreover, that in that does happiness consist." - Zeno of Citium
Although it is not uncommon for Stoics today to be atheists, traditional Stoics believed in the existence of a powerful and almighty divine being (even though this is not taught through the cardinal values or principles). The Stoic god has no name, but is instead an abstract force, often referred to as The Universe, Zeus, Mind, Reason or simply God. This supreme being is not a supernatural entity, but is integrated into the fabric of nature, and therefore can be considered nature itself. Stoics do not seek assistance from their god or nature, unlike other religions that invoke their god(s) to grant them favors. It is believed that humans contain inner divinity, which separates us from the other animals. "Gut feelings" are a manifestation of this inner divinity and lends itself to intuition. In the end, Stoics think of the universe as one large organism, in which humans are irrelevant in comparison.
Despite this belief, Stoicism is philosophical in nature and not religious. Stoicism does not concern itself with life after death, or death at all, for that matter, because it is out of one's control. Likewise, it is not a cult. There are no required rituals, dress, or approval to be considered a Stoic. In fact, Stoics often practice in private, because the opinions of others are an external event beyond the control of the practitioner. There is also no need to throw away worldly possessions, although these become less important as one practices Stoicism.
"Whether the universe is a concourse of atoms, or nature is a system, let this first be established: that I am a part of the whole that is governed by nature; next, that I stand in some intimate connection with other kindred parts." - Marcus Aurelius
Whether one believes in the divine being, or the microcosm of the universe, one constant remains: change. Change is inevitable. Everyone will pass some day, as will the universe. In this sense, Stoicism aligns with the Big Bang Theory. The end of one thing, is the beginning of the next. Accept the inevitable and find solace within.
"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." - Marcus Aurelius
"Every part of me then will be reduced by change into some part of the universe, and that again will change into another part of the universe, and so on forever." - Marcus Aurelius
Last edit was on February 20, 2021