“You have all the raw material to become wise, courageous, self-controlled, fair, and benevolent toward others.”

Our potential to become excellent

Did you know that you – yes, you! – have the potential to become an excellent person? You have all the raw material to become wise, courageous, self-controlled, fair, and benevolent toward others. How do I know? Because each one of us has this potential. The ancient Stoics believed we are all equipped to grow toward virtue, and our natural instincts will push us in this direction if nothing gets in the way.

So if virtue is natural, why isn’t everyone virtuous? According to Chrysippus, it’s because we get distracted from virtue by “the persuasiveness of external activities” and “the influence of companions” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers, 7.89). In other words, we fail to develop properly toward virtue because we are confused about what’s good for us and we are influenced by others around us.

Pursuits of fame and pleasure

Many people think they will be happy if they acquire pleasurable goods such as fine foods, exotic vacations, and expensive clothes. Or they might mistakenly believe they should seek power, fame, popularity, or other kinds of social status in order to be happy. This confusion is understandable, the ancient Stoics thought, because it seems like we derive happiness from these things. But in reality, that’s not true. It all comes down to a simple mistake.

Pursuing what is beneficial

From the time we are born, the Stoic theory goes, we have a natural instinct to pursue what is beneficial to us. As infants, we are genetically hardwired to seek things essential to our survival, like food, warmth, and security. Our evolutionary heritage has ensured that we find these things pleasurable so that we will continue pursuing them, thereby ensuring our survival.

But as we mature, the nature of our good shifts from merely surviving as a human to fulfilling our potential as a human. As we grow through adolescence and young adulthood, we begin to understand our role in the world and our relationship to other people. If we mature properly and completely, we learn to value excellence of character instead of physical comfort or external rewards.

However, to fully reach our potential for excellence, we must learn to ignore the siren song of materialistic pleasure. As we all know, sometimes that large screen TV is just calling your name. Or that dream vacation, or that investment opportunity, or that alluring girlfriend or boyfriend. There are just so many things to want. It can be very difficult to stare them in the face and tell yourself they won’t make you happy.

At the same time, we are encouraged in this confusion by our society, or maybe our friends and family. Think about how many materialistic messages you are bombarded with every day. Advertisements greet us wherever we turn, digitally and physically. Movies, TV shows, songs, books, and magazines all implicitly value materialistic acquisition. You see your friends and colleagues acquiring new stuff and gleefully posting on social media. There is a very strong message that the only way to be accepted and valued in society is to buy things – the more expensive, the better.

Messages of inner excellence

In contrast, how many messages have you received today about inner excellence? They are few and far between, and generally we have to make a significant effort to find character-affirming media and like-minded companions. And yet, we do need to make this effort if we want to fulfill our potential and become truly happy.

Remember, you can choose to bring out your natural abilities and live a wise and flourishing life. So don’t get distracted, and don’t give up. No matter what your past looks like, it’s always the right time to seek out friends and resources that will help you reach your potential.

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Brittany Polat, author of Tranquility Parenting: A Guide to Staying Calm, Mindful, and Engaged, holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics but currently researches and writes about Stoic psychology and philosophy. Brittany's latest project is Living in Agreement, where she applies her lifelong interest in human nature to the discourse and practice of inner excellence.

 

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