Stoicism: A Durable Mindset
“Show me who is not a slave. One is a slave to lust, another to ambition, and all are slaves to fear... no servitude is more disgraceful than that which is self-imposed.” - Seneca
Most people never ask themselves how they ought to live.
Instead, the default philosophy (for those who aren't religious) has become "enlightened hedonism." In other words, trying to maximize pleasure, social status, and wealth.
Sadly, this philosophy doesn't often lead to a good quality of mind or life.
Stoicism, which is rapidly gaining popularity amongst business elites and the general population, provides a philosophical system for training the mind.
Stoicism vs. Enlightened Hedonism
There was a group of wise men living in Greece and Rome thousands of years ago called the Stoics.
They had a radical view on life, proposing that pleasure and accomplishments don't make you happy in the long run.
Rather, those aims often put you on a hedonic treadmill, always seeking the next, greater reward.
The Stoics observed that it’s lasting peace of mind that you're really after. They wanted to solve for fulfillment, or what they called eudaemonia.
And they came up with a remarkably effective way to work toward this eudaemonia.
But why should you pay any attention to ancient robed philosophers? They didn't know what it's like to wait in traffic or take a selfie.
The Stoics deeply understood the human condition, which has not fundamentally changed. Like skilled physicians, they had antidotes for many of life’s troubles.
Contrary to popular belief, the Stoics didn't call for emotionless detachment from the world. In fact, the word Stoic comes from the Greek stoa, meaning a porch, where this wisdom was often taught.
Stoicism is a mindset and philosophy that's based on the logical premise that your mind determines your perceptions, which can be trained.
According to the Stoics, it’s not the outer world that’s the problem, but rather your internal world.
As Seneca put it:
"How many men train their bodies, and how few train their minds!”
The Stoics came to many of the same conclusions as the eastern meditation traditions. That’s not so surprising because they were using the same tools of logic and introspection.
Now, millennia later, many famous self-help gurus write books proclaiming powerful solutions that boil down to Stoic principles. And Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), commonly used to treat depression, also pulls from Stoic influence.
The Stoic Mindset
In some sense, Stoicism is a mindset based on a set of observations about how the mind (and world) works. The Stoics argued that:
Your thoughts and beliefs create the world you inhabit, not external circumstances, so you ought to take responsibility for your mind.
You can simultaneously erase a lot of worries by letting go of what you can’t control, like reputation and wealth.
You can change your mind by taking a new perspective, like confronting death to appreciate life or reminding yourself how small you are in the grand scheme of the Universe.
Adversity and hardship are inevitable parts of life, and so you ought to train equanimity (or what the Stoics called ataraxia) for those hard times.
Everything is impermanent, in constant flux, and so trying to grasp onto something as a lasting source of happiness just creates suffering.
You should get to know yourself through careful and honest self-observation.
You can get to the truth of matters and shed the narratives that your mind piles on top, which often create misery.
Logical reasoning should serve as the basis for your choices and actions, leading to moderation, virtue, and ultimately the good life of fulfillment.
In order to see if these principles work, you can put them to the test for yourself. Stoicism is simply a framework for seeing the world clearly and living a great life.
Let's dive into a couple of the ways it accomplishes this.
Psst! If you’re serious about starting or deepening your meditation practice, check out the FitMind meditation app.
Stoic Tools
The Stoics were masters of taking a fresh perspective on events, rather than viewing them from a narrow and self-centered vantage point.
Take, for example, this humorous passage by the Greek and Roman philosopher Plutarch:
“This then we should practice and work on first of all - like the man who threw a stone at his dog but missed and hit his stepmother. ‘Not so bad!’ He said. For it is possible to change what we get out of things that do not go as we wish. Diogenes was driven into exile: ‘Not so bad!’ - for it was after his banishment that he took up philosophy.”
You can apply this reframing whenever things don't go your way.
For example, someone might normally be so certain that a promotion, college acceptance, or new boyfriend will make them happiest.
But how often do people say that an illness or rejection was the best thing that ever happened to them?
Another tool the Stoics often used was thought experiments. They practiced their mental resilience like an athlete lifting weights in preparation for the game.
For example, a Stoic meditation might involve imagining that you've lost your sense of hearing. Why would anyone want to do that? It doesn't seem like a very pleasant thing to visualize.
But doing so can train you to appreciate what you do have. Next time the local sandwich shop messes up your order, it doesn't seem so bad.
In many ways it's like taking off a pair of glasses that have been clouding your vision; this type of thought experiment can completely change your worldview.
And there are many other techniques that you can try out on the FitMind App.
These teachings have lasted thousands of years because they work. Reflecting on Stoic wisdom primes a mindset that will make for a high quality of life.
But studying Stoicism is a waste unless you actually apply that mindset in daily life. For example, next time you face a challenge, you might remember the words of the wise Roman Emperor and Stoic, Marcus Aurelius:
"You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
Here’s a video on the six core principles of Stoicism: