You read a book on Stoicism. Or listen to a lecture, read a blog, or see a post on social media. You are inspired. You are going to practice Stoicism. You are going to be happy, virtuous, and invincible. 

But then real life intervenes and you are not sure what to do. 

• A thoughtless driver cuts you off, nearly causing an accident. How do you respond? 
• What should you think about when you buy something or eat something? 
• How should you treat others? 
• Should you form/join a Stoic community designed to help others? 
• How should you play your assigned roles well? 
• How to be grateful for the things we learn from others? 

Shouldn’t we think on these things? 

To benefit fully from Stoicism, Stoic thinking and action should permeate every bone and fiber of your body and mind. Every thought and action is the grist for the Stoic mill. This is the theme of this issue. How to take our mundane everyday experiences and use them to strengthen our Stoic way of life. 

Of course we cannot have rigid solutions to the problems we face. But to help us get started thinking along these lines, our contributing modern Stoics share their thoughts with us. Here is a summary of the themes in this issue: 

• You are cheerfully cycling along with your friend on a Sunday morning. Suddenly, another cyclist comes speeding along, decides to get past you without warning, getting between you and your friend throwing you both off balance. How can you train yourself to be Stoic in a moment like that? (Meredith Kunz) 
• What do the vehicle you buy, the food or drink you choose to put in your mouth, the phone you place in your pocket, and the clothes you wear on your back say about your values? Can you compromise on your values? What everyday behavior can lead you to happiness? (Kai Whiting) 
• As a Stoic, you may be helpful to others. But did you ever think about organizing a Stoic community that systematically helps others who may be in need of help—such as old people or terminally ill people? (Sharon Lebell) 
• The Stoics acknowledge their relationship to others. This means building true friendships. How do you avoid fake friendships? (Jeff Rout) 
• We all know about the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would like to be treated by them.” This rule, which is common to many traditions, is particularly identified with Christianity. What does Stoicim say about it? Why is it important for Stoics to follow the Golden Rule? (Donald Robertson) 
• Since we don’t have control over the external world, we are just actors in a play we did not author. All we can do is to play our role. This we can do and do well. (Jonas Salzgeber) 
• We often thank others for the things they give us. But do we ever stop and think what virtue we learned from a person—either directly or indirectly—and be grateful for that? Shouldn’t we be doing that? (Flora Bernard) 

We cannot be true Stoics (or true anything for that matter) if we depend on others to tell us how to behave. However, I hope the articles in this issue broaden your Stoic thinking to a wide variety of situations in your life so you start carrying with you the principles of Stoic thinking every moment of every day. 

---

Dr. Chuck Chakrapani Editor-in-Chief

 

 

---