Dear Future Members of the Cosmopolis,

You may or may not have heard of Stoicism. In case you haven't, I'm leaving this message for you, so that you may consider taking advantage of the immense benefits of this ancient philosophy of life.

What sort of life should we live? We only have one shot, and it would be a shame to get to the end of it and realize that we have mislived.

The fundamental question is: what sort of life should we live? We only have one shot, and it would be a shame to get to the end of it and realize that we have mislived. Plenty of answers have been given to this question, by some of the most insightful minds produced by humanity. Stoicism is not the answer, but it is certainly a very good answer. 

Live according to what is best in human nature

It begins with the notion that we should live according to what is best in human nature: the ability to reason about things, and our inherently sociality. It follows that a good human life is one in which we apply reason to improve social living. But, you may ask, what does that mean, in practice? Fundamentally, two things. 

Some things are up to you, and others are not

First, understand and practice the Stoic fork: some things are up to you, and others are not. The range of things up to you is very limited: your endorsed values, your decisions to act, and your judgments about things. That's it. Everything else—including especially your health, wealth, relationships, career, and reputation—may be influenced by you, but ultimately depend on other people or external factors. Once you understand the Stoic fork, you need to practice it, which essentially means to shift your goals from outcomes to intentions. Do not wish for good health, work on it by adopting a healthy lifestyle; do not wish for someone to love you, work on it by being loving yourself; do not wish for a satisfying career, work on it by making the best choices you can concerning your job. And so on. I promise, if you do that you will be free and serene throughout your life. 

[Use] your ethical compass: practical wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance

Second, use what the Stoics call cardinal virtues as your ethical compass in everything you do. There are four such virtues: practical wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Practical wisdom is the knowledge of what is truly good and bad for you, which boils down respectively to whatever improves (good) or undermines (bad) your most precious asset: your character. 

Courage consists in doing the right thing no matter what the consequences for you. Justice is the knowledge of what that right thing is. And temperance is about acting in right measure, neither overdoing nor underdoing things. For everything in life, ask yourself if it is in alignment with the four virtues, and you will be on your way to a life that is truly worth living. 

It isnot events that disturb people, it is their judgements concerning them

Let me leave you with a piece of advise from my favorite Stoic author, of whom you may or may not have heard: the slave-turned-teacher Epictetus, who lived in the early first century. He said: "It is not events that disturb people, it is their judgements concerning them." 

He is right: events are happenings in the world that do not come with embedded value judgments. The latter are the result of human thought. And we are free to revisit our judgments of events in a way that makes it possible for us to cope with them. 

Farewell, 

Massimo 

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Massimo Pigliucci is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His books include How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life, A Handbook for New Stoics: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control and, How to Live a Good Life (co-edited with Skye Cleary and Don Kaufman).

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