The Stoic Magazine Library

If you go to the gym and ask your coach for quick-wins or a toolbox for rapid change - without too much effort please - what is she likely to say?

When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control, and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it. 

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.11 

Sittting vigil at the bedside of a dying woman is where I’ve spent the past several months. I held her hand as she desperately cried out for “mama.” I did my clumsy best to soothe with reassuring whispers or a cool cloth a once gregarious matriarch now mute, writhing, and coiled inside herself.

Zoe’s Choice 

Just before summer, my 16-year old daughter Zoe decided she wanted to change schools. She was an average student, in an average school, surrounded by teenagers not particularly motivated by schoolwork or giving their best. She wasn’t frustrated with the situation but had a wake-up call in the spring and decided she wanted to change for a better school, one she had asked for the previous year, but hadn’t got into. 

All psychological techniques described in the surviving Stoic writings are-grounded in one continual practice, paying attention to the way we use our judgment to form opinions, particularly our value judgments. 

Let’s get back to basics. 

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible. 

All human beings are equal 

In Stoicism a slave is no less human than a freeperson, a woman is not inferior to a man, and there are no intrinsic differences in the humanity of members born to different tribes, nations or tongues, or those who are educated and those who are not. 

What are you reading this magazine for? 

You won’t get a badge of honor or some other award for learning about Stoicism. Nobody cares what books you read or what you know about ancient philosophy. 

We are all physically vulnerable 

Humans have always been physically vulnerable. We are not born with huge teeth, curving tusks, or thick horns. We don’t have the advantage of size or strength compared with other creatures on Earth. And yet, through the use of our flexible brains, we have become the planet’s dominant species. It’s our mental fortitude that carried the day. 

How do you practice Stoicism? 

Here’s one way I daily practice Stoicism. First thing in the morning before the day gets away from me, I sit at my desk and open my special drawer. Inside are my favorite pens, some decent stationery, and postage stamps with appealing images I’ve carefully chosen at the post office. I have preprinted return address stickers at the ready and, if I want to take a walk on the wild side, some artsy markers, charcoal, paint brushes, and envelope sealing wax with an engraved stamp for fun and nostalgia. 

One of our readers, Horus Hardtke, sent us this beautiful poem with this note.—Chuck Chakrapani, Editor. 

Since I have been in recovery from several surgeries, Marcus Aurelius and the teachings of Stoics such as yourselves, I believe, have been essential to my recovery--to strive for virtue in this transitory period. And they have been especially influential in my work. So, I thought I'd share this recent composition of mine to show your efforts are still bearing fruit; I hope you enjoy it. 

Growing up, I was never a fan of habits. I tried to organize my life so that I wouldn’t be beholden to the daily movement of the clock. I rebelled against habits as basic as waking up early enough to get to school on time.

I will sail across the ocean, if nothing prevents me. 

Attributed to Seneca by Donald Robertson 

You can’t argue with soundbites 

Social media is a funny place to voice an opinion yet many of us do it. Arguing in soundbites does not tend to solve much. It’s emotional and it’s often highly judgemental. Many people, including those influenced by Stoicism, can be seduced by the power a few characters or a quick status update can give you. Sometimes it is necessary. Many times, it is not. Wisdom lies in knowing when to speak, the reason for speaking, how to speak, and with whom.