In the first two articles we discussed the first big idea, that people are not disturbed by things that happen, but by their opinion of these things. We noted that the source of our problems is our judgment. In this and the next issue we will explore how we can make sure our life flows smoothly. 

Big Idea 2 Happiness is a good flow of life 

Happiness is a good flow of life… The end may be defined as life in accordance with nature or, in other words, in accordance with human nature as well as that of the universe. 

Zeno, Stobaeus, ii.7 

The goal of Stoicism is happiness, living the good life. Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, defined happiness as “a good flow of life.” A good flow means that our life runs smoothly. This happens when we are in harmony with ourselves and with the way things are. 

Living in accordance with nature 

The Stoics called it “living in accordance with nature.” Our actions should be in harmony with our nature (who we are) and with the nature of the world (what the world is). What is our nature? Our nature is rationality. What is the nature of the universe? The nature of the universe is the way things are. So, a happy life is a rational one that is in line with reality. 

The cause of our mistaken judgments 

In the last training session, we noted that it is not what happens to us but our judgments about them that cause us problems. We suffer when we believe we are reacting to events when we are actually reacting to our judgements about them. When we are wrong in our judgements, we create problems for ourselves. We get unhappy, anxious, worried, upset, annoyed or fearful. In this training session, we will look more closely at what is behind our confused judgments. 

What is the reason we assent to anything? The fact that it appears to us to be so. 

Epictetus, Discourses 1.28.1 

A life that flows well 

“A good flow of life” is a life without constant friction, a life that runs smoothly. 

For many of us, life doesn’t flow smoothly. Sometimes it is because of a major problem: you have lost your job, you are going through a divorce, or you are diagnosed with cancer. Even when we don’t have any major problem we still face endless minor problems everyday: “I’m late for work. Not again!” “Will the traffic ever move?” “I wonder what he meant by that,” “I should have remembered to do x or y,” “The metro is too crowded,” “I wonder why she was so rude,” “The restaurant prices are a rip off.” The list goes on and on. 

These may be minor problems, but they compromise our happiness. They are small potholes as we drive on the highway of life. They make our life less enjoyable. We can’t put our finger on the why of it, but we know that our life doesn’t flow as smoothly as it could. For most of us living life is serious business. We have to be careful. We fret. We get annoyed. We worry. We regret. We wish things were different. Our life is full of barely noticeable discomforts that collectively make our life run less smoothly. 

And when we consciously notice a few things that go wrong, we tend to extend our discomfort to the entire day and to everything: “Today, nothing is going right!” and go looking for even more discomfort. 

In the next issue we will discuss how to make our life flow well. 

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This is the third article in the series is based on HOW TO BE A STOIC WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW HOW, a 10-week training course that is currently being developed by The Stoic Gym.

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