The philosophy of stoicism teaches us to be unbreakable during adversities and make opportunities out of obstacles.
So what is this stoicism all about?
Stoicism was found on city of Athens by Zeno of Citium during 300 BC.
The core principle of stoicism is living in accordance with nature’s laws and following Virtues.
Virtue in stoicism has 4 elements:
1. Courage
2. Temperance or self-discipline
3. Justice
4. Wisdom
We could literally see the variety in the main teachers of Modern stoicism, one is an emperor – Marcus Aurelius, another one, a wealthy man and advisor to the emperor – Seneca and third one, a slave with a mobile impairment -Epictetus!
The main concept of stoicism, which amazed me is their teaching on resilience. You could be stripped off of all wealth you have, every single material possession, even be a slave, still you have your will, and you have a choice.
You can choose, if not anything, what you think, how you want to perceive the situation.
Wonder what is common between the books – My experiments with truth, Autobiography of Nelson Mandela and Mein Kamph?
All these books were written in prison. Instead of buckling under the situation, these leaders controlled what is in their control, their time and mental facilities. For that matter, there is an entire genre of literature called prison literature.
That stands as testament to the real-life applications of stoic philosophy. Talking about real life Stoics, vice admiral James Stockdale is a great example. During Vietnamese war, he was forces to eject from his aircraft due to fire. He was captured as a prisoner of war and tortured in prison for 7 years. He attributed his superhuman survival to stoic teachings and noted that as he was ejecting from the aircraft, he told himself, “Well, I am exiting the era of technology and entering the era of Epictetus!”
I will leave you with 3 of my favorite stoic quotes:
“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
“Admit wealth into your home, not to your heart”
-Seneca
“Sickness is an impediment to the body, not to the will, lament can be impediment to leg. Everything you face is an impediment to something, but not you”
– Epictetus
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