I’ve been reading this book, “The Daily Stoic”, for almost a month now, and even use the accompanying journal. The book has an entry for each day of the year, usually featuring a quote from an ancient Roman thinker along with commentary by the others; the journal poses a corresponding question for morning and evening reflections. It helps me arrange my thoughts and clarify my feelings.
What appealed to me about Stoicism is that it’s very much a philosophy of doing, not an academic exercise. Stoicism does not chase after lofty spiritual goals, any kind of theology, or esoteric philosophy; it aims at the mundane day-to-day struggle of living. As Epictetus wrote: “Eat like a human being, drink like a human being, dress up, marry, have children, get politically active–suffer abuse, bear with a headstrong brother, father, son, neighbor, or companion. Show us these things so we can see that you truly have learned from the philosophers.”
Especially in today’s world, with its myriad distractions, promises of happiness, and obsession with the superficial, Stoicism offers a powerful antidote to this kind of thinking. It emphasizes restraint, living in the present, embracing your fate, and respect for other’s point of view. It teaches that it is our perceptions of things–rather than things themselves–that is fundamental to our experience of reality. (This is the second book on Stoicism I’ve read recently so I’m feeling pretty knowledgeable.)
The original documents and writings of early Stoicism are mostly lost to time; its most famous proponents came hundreds of years later. The practicality of Stoicism is evident in the forms in which we read it, in letters and diaries instead of dense tomes. It takes the shape of friendly advice and self-critique.
Marcus Aurelius, one the last “good” emperors of the Roman Empire, woke up everyday and wrote in his diary to prepare him for the business of the day. Almost 2000 years later, I do the same thing from a prison cell, practicing Stoicism in tiny written chunks, trying to rule an empire of my own.
Easy Trouble 