There are no shortcuts in Stoicism 

I am sorry to break it to you, but there are no Stoic shortcuts. There are just choices to be made. And 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 all express your values. 

Such values then demonstrate to you (and others) whether you are living virtuously or not. 

In Stoicism there are no halfway points, and in terms of the four virtues, no middle ground. If you think it’s occasionally ok to buy clothes made in sweatshops, you are simply being unjust. 

Hacks can help, but philosophy offers coherence to life 

The danger of focusing on the life hacks offered by “Silicon Valley Stoics” instead of pursuing Stoic philosophy is that while such hacks may help you climb the corporate ladder or to earn enough money to put a down payment on a house, they are just as likely to distract you from a more coherent and consistent comprehension of what Stoic philosophy can offer you. 

Life hacks and pithy quotes will not help you understand the consequences of your life choices. Neither will they help you understand that if we are all subject to luck/fortune/fate, then no one is fully deserving of anything, good or bad. 

So, over-crediting yourself or rejoicing in the good is just as foolish as over-punishing yourself and dwelling on the bad. 

You can’t get there from here 

In other words, there is no “Stoic” life hack that is going to lead you to meaningful success. Instead, it is the whole Stoic virtue ethics framework, pursued as a lifelong active commitment, that will help you to progress toward a higher sense of purpose (and happiness). 

Money and prestige cannot lead you to virtue 

This is why there is value in recognising that wealth and professional progression, although useful in the material sense, will not improve your morality or provide you with the agency required along your journey towards virtue. 

This view exemplifies Marcus Aurelius’ thoughts: 

Life is warfare and a stranger’s sojourn, and after-fame is oblivion. What then is that which is able to conduct a man? One thing and only one, philosophy. But this consists in keeping the daemon within a man free from violence and unharmed, superior to pains and pleasures, doing nothing without a purpose, nor yet falsely and with hypocrisy, not feeling the need of another man’s doing or not doing anything . 

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2:17 

It is up to you 

Remember, as you read this, that life is a notoriously difficult journey. Thankfully all that you need to succeed is, as Epictetus taught, up to you. 

So be careful when applying life hacks that you don’t accidentally favor a certain career path, status or a sudden accumulation of wealth over an opportunity to think and act virtuously! 

Use your agency to promote your values, not someone else’s. 

Use your agency as you go about your Stoic pursuit of real happiness and do not allow yourself to be tricked or tamed by life’s temporary pleasures. 

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Kai Whiting is a researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism based at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. He Tweets @kaiwhiting and blogs over at StoicKai.com

 

 

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