The Stoic Magazine Library

With this issue of THE STOIC, we start our fifth year of publication.

The ancient Stoic practice of reviewing our day could help us, centuries later, keep track of our choices about our most precious resource: time.

Stoicism is highly therapeutic; the therapeutic component of Stoicism is well recognized. Modern therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and REBT are influenced by Stoic principles. Stoicism is used to mitigate the effects of PTSD.

“The fool’s life is empty of gratitude and full of fears; its course lies wholly towards the future,” quotes Roman Stoic Seneca, in a passage he attributes to Epicurus.

In spite of the stories we tell ourselves, “legends” can be broken by stepping further back, seeing the bigger picture, and realizing what we’re really dealing with when we see and experience the things all around us.

The lore of the Stoic sage

The lore surrounding the “Stoic sage” runs deep in ancient Stoic texts.

At its core, Stoic strength is about recognizing that only certain things are in our power, and those are the things that matter most: our thoughts, opinions, motivations, choices, and our intentions.

At the end of the day, in the spirit of Stoicism, what we always remind ourselves is that we have to make judgments in the moment as best we can, act on what’s possible for us.

Don’t set your mind on things you don’t possess… but count the blessings you actually possess and think how much you would desire them if they weren’t already yours. - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.27