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More and more each day, you hear about this thing called “Stoicism”.

As an experiment, I did some interest-searching on Google Trends to see if Stoicism was becoming more popular.



Lo and behold it was (even slightly). But why?

Stoicism and its approach to life is one of the most pragmatic methods of handling life and human nature that has been invented by western civilization.

I’ve written about Stoicism in the past and why I think it is needed now more than ever in the modern day.

In this article, you’re going to see how this ancient framework applies to modern day living.

So with that, let’s dive into the deep waters.

What is (Modern) Stoicism?

To me, the definition of Stoicism is:

A way of living that focuses intensely on reality instead of fantasy or idealism.

Stoicism is very present-moment focused and helps you deal with things such as:

the whims and wiles of human nature (aka social intelligence)

sickness and old age

falling in and out of “fortune”

living life to the fullest

There are many other things it deals with, but that’s just a small sampling.

Stoicism arose out of Roman society, its primary founder being a person named Zeno. However, there’s three main people we want to be concerned with in Stoicism:

Marcus Aurelius

Seneca

Epictetus

These three people are the most famous Stoics and they laid the groundwork of the philosophy with their writings.

Of course, there were legions of people who were influenced by the Stoics and by Stoicism itself, many of them setting the stage for modern Stoicism.

The Rise of Modern Stoicism

Stoicism has been around for a long time and its integration into Western thought has been happening for quite a while. Writers, philosophers, and politicians throughout the ages have been influenced by Stoic philosophy and it subtly weaved its into many works by Western thinkers.

However, Stoicism has made a sudden apparent re-emergence for several reasons:

The permeability of information The collapse of socialization mechanisms The universality of its advice

Permeability of information

More information is being created in a week than was created in the first several thousands of years of human existence.

Ideas circle around the globe so fast that it’s incredibly easy for one to catch on and “grow viral”.

Stoicism is appealing to the masses because everyone wants to get stronger. Everyone wants to be more resilient. Everyone wants more self-awareness. Everyone wants more control of their lives. Stoicism offers an easy prescription for all of these.

Add that to the fact that many awesome books and sites about Stoicism and modern Stoicism are being published every year, some of which include:

And some sites like:

With many tons of others, you have the easy accessibility of an ancient philosophy.

The collapse of socialization mechanisms

In many years past, there were institutions that the individual could rely on to help him make some sense of life.

Some of these were the church, the schools, and the family unit.

In our modern world, many of these institutions have been greatly eroded and/or are no longer as relevant.

Many people don’t go to church often, schools can’t compete with the Internet, and many families are headed by single parents.

Add to the fact that the digital world is creating tidal worlds of change, you have a world where the next day is dissimilar from the last.

To find some grounding in this chaotic world, many are turning to the perennial nature of modern Stoicism for counsel.

The universality of its advice

Stoic advice applies to everyone everywhere at all times. It is the definition of a “perennial philosophy“.

Human nature will always be human nature, no matter what culture or point of origin it arises from.

Stoicism at its core focuses on how to deal with human nature (other people’s and your own) in addition to experiencing the vastness life has to offer.

This is very appealing.

Why Study Stoic Philosophy?

Let’s just say it straight up: life can be a bitch. It can just suck. Most of the time, life will not go your way, and 99% of the time, you will be deprived of something that you want.

There will come times in your life when unexpected events just happen to you, making it seem like nothing ever goes right for you.

The condition of life is that of a bathhouse, a crowd, a journey: some things are thrown at you, others just happen by accident. Life is not a dainty affair. You will have started on a long road; inevitably you will stumble, you will knock into things, you will fall, you will grow weary…It is through troubles of this sort that this rugged journey must be made.“ – Seneca, Epistles

If you do not have a grounding philosophy, life will destroy you and eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think Stoicism is one of these philosophies.

It is superior to something like hedonism or epicureanism because it does not rely on external conditions (which are out of our control).

I think it is more applicable than something like Zen or Taoism because those philosophies require a degree of training to utilize and many people lack the cultural context to understand them.

If you want something you can start utilizing today, Stoic philosophy is right for you.

The Modern Stoic Belief System and Main Categories of Stoic Inquiry

The Stoics believe a variety of things, but most of them center around creating a strong internal locus of control.

An internal locus of control is when you have the belief that you are responsible for your success or failure in this world.

You can’t use your childhood, how you were brought up, or things that happened to you in the past as an excuse for passivity and being a victim.

Life is putting forth a challenge summed up in one sentence:

“Such and such happened. So what are you gonna do about it?”

What are you going to do about it today? What is your response to the challenge, now?

Starting from that ground zero, the Stoics believed in summoning up enough motivation, enough vigor, enough zeal to adapt to life’s circumstances and actually live.

Every individual is responsible for their actions in the world and the energy they bring to different interactions. The Stoics believed this.

As such, here are 4 areas that the Stoics focused on intensely to help strengthen their internal locus of control.

Externals

“What do we admire? Externals. What do we spend our energies on? Externals. Is it any wonder, then, we are in fear and distress? How else could it be?” – Epictetus, Discourses

“Externals” are what the Stoics call “anything or anyone that isn’t you.” Extended, this is basically anything outside your own mind.

Weather, politics, the actions of other people, whether you get fired from your job, sickness, even death itself – are all externals.

To deal with externals, the Stoics propose self-discipline, presence of mind, and detachment – very similar to Buddhism.

The Stoic would prefer for the weather to be sunny, politics to have camaraderie, never to get sick, and life to go his way – but he is not overly attached to whether or not they do or don’t. It is the definition of “outcome independence”.

This is a very proactive approach to life because instead of feeling self-pity and a loss of control, the Stoic asks himself:

What is the next best course of action and where do we go from here?

Very powerful stuff.

Death

“Whatever you are doing, be mindful of death.” – Seneca

As said, one of these externals is death.

Death is something inevitable, yet it is something most people fear in one way or another. For this reason, the Stoics view it under an intense light and it is one of the main topics of Stoic inquiry.

In fact, in works like On the Shortness of Life, Seneca says that it takes a lifetime to learn how to live and die:

Learning how to live takes a whole life, and, which may surprise you more, it takes a whole life to learn how to die.

Many of us do not use our time wisely and as a result, we are unprepared for death when it does come (which it can at any time).

Even worse, many people can easily assume that just because they live a long life they are guaranteed to live a good life.

It is precisely this line of thinking that prevents people from bringing quality to their actions:

“There is no reason for you to think anyone has lived long just because he has grey hairs or wrinkles. He has not lived long, he has existed long“. – Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

It is very easy to exist, take up space, and consume. It is very difficult to actually live.

In modern Stoicism, something like death should be paid close attention to. Death plays no real role in any of our lives. Death is seen as something abstract and like something that “happens to other people”. It is this that makes us not mind our days as they turn into weeks, months, and years.

It is very possible to spend an entire lifetime in idleness and not accomplish anything of value simply because we did not know our time was running out.

In everything, let us be mindful and let us bring qualities to our actions as if it was our last day on earth.

Equanimity (Peace of Mind)

In all of life’s circumstances, the Stoics advocate for presence of mind and peace of mind even in the face of overwhelming fear.

The main goal is to use adversity as a way to strengthen the will, something similar to putting logs on a fire.

“Hermes’s magic wand: touch it to anything you like, they say, and the wand will turn it to gold. Not so; bring anything you like, rather, and I‘ll make it something good. Bring diseases, bring death, bring poverty, bring insults, bring punishment for high crimes – all of these things will be made beneficial by Hermes’ magic wand.“ – Epictetus, Discourses

The goal of equanimity is maintain an even-handed state of mind that can transform bad situations into neutral or even good ones. Think of it as a type of “mental alchemy”.

For that, you’ll require focus and pragmatism, two traits that will help you get to where you’re going in record time.

How to Be a (Modern) Stoic

Stoicism is a philosophy that is intended to be lived, not studied. As such, you’ll need to practice both it and the Stoic ways of living.

Here’s some ways to do that.

1. Aim at virtue

The goal of Stoicism is to live a life of virtue, which means living a life of service, compassion, and goodwill towards other beings.

In order to achieve virtue, an individual must manifest what is the highest good in themselves at all times and in all situations. For that to happen, a person will need a clear head.

In any given situation, as yourself: “what would my best self do” or “what would [insert role model here] do”?

That will give you a guide to how you should act in relatively ambiguous situations.

2. Focus on steady improvement

Stoicism is ultimately a way of thinking and living that focuses on being better than you were yesterday. The Stoics were intensely interested in adaptation, especially to things that were once considered “hard”:

Nothing is so difficult, so far out of reach, that the human mind cannot conquer it and make it familiar with constant practice…Whatever the mind commands itself, it obtains“ – Seneca, On Anger

It seems like Seneca was hitting on the idea of neuroplasticity long before there was the science available to prove it.

Make a plan on how you’re going to get better from yesterday, then follow that plan.

3. Learn how to live with other people

Living is not done in isolation, it is done with other humans. As a result, you’re going to have to deal with people who think differently than you do.

The Stoics emphasized public service and a life “in the crowd” but simultaneously “above” it. This is summed up by Marcus Aurelius:

When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine… To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

The Stoic way of living is ultimately people-centered.

Stoicism offers a framework for living a more harmonious and productive life. If you’re able to study Stoicism and apply its precepts, there’s little that will shake you off the core of whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish in this short time we have to live.

Are you a follower of Stoic philosophy? How has modern Stoicism helped or impacted you? Let me know in the comments.