The Stoic Magazine Library

It is not as simple as stating that eating meat is ‘bad’ or ‘good’

Thoughtful processing of what is happening to you and through you.

Humility – the journey to eudaimonia is a long and arduous path and you won’t always take the right path.

Excellence – in thoughts, actions, and attitude, the only things you have full control over.

As trivial as abstaining or reducing the amount of animal products you eat during the month of January might seem to some people, exploring how a contemporary Stoic might eat is not a trivial philosophical exercise.

In Part 1, I put forward the case that accepting the existence of the Stoic God was a profoundly rational position that did not contradict contemporary scientific discoveries. In Part 2, I discussed how the Stoic God could help you connect more deeply with Nature. In the third part, I shared a personal piece on how I choose to connect with God. In this fourth and last part, I will delve into more deeply how my belief in the Stoic God has affected my day-to-day decisions and how it might affect your own.

Ancient Stoics talked a lot about God or gods. But who is this Stoic God? Does the Stoic God even remotely resemble what we mean by God (in today’s major religions)? In this miniseries, Kai Whiting explores these questions.

Chuck Chakrapani, Editor.

Ancient Stoics talked a lot about God or gods. But who is this Stoic God? Does the Stoic God even remotely resemble what we mean by God (in a Judaeo-Christian sense)? In this miniseries, Kai Whiting explores these questions.

Chuck Chakrapani, Editor.

Ancient Stoics talked a lot about God or gods. But who is this Stoic God? Does the Stoic God even remotely resemble what we mean by God (in a Judaeo-Christian sense)? In this miniseries, Kai Whiting explores these questions.

Chuck Chakrapani, Editor.

Stoicism is not indifferent

One of the biggest misconceptions about Stoicism is that indifference is the name of the game.

Dear friend, It is unlikely that we will ever meet but I want you to know that, according to Stoicism (the philosophy I follow), I can call you, a complete stranger, my friend. That remains true even if I am dead! Which I might be, especially if you open this bottle two hundred years from now (check the date above)!

Kai Whiting sits down with Will Johncock to discuss the wider implications of Stoic philosophy when applied to matters encompassing both collective and individual well-being. The conversation heralds some interesting insights regarding how we think about the relationships we have with each other and the environment.

Apart from the fact that virtue is the only good and vice is the only bad, Stoicism is notoriously sketchy on “self-help” steps and details. We know we are called to be courageous, just, self-controlled, and wise.

Zeno created Stoicism out of a crisis 

Stoicism is not just useful in times of crisis; it was born out of crisis. It came into being precisely because the Stoic founder Zeno suffered a life-changing crisis when a storm hit his boat and destroyed his cargo in the process. 

In Stoicon 2018, I made a profoundly political claim when I said that the four virtues of courage, justice, self-control, and wisdom were the very foundation of sustainable development, if by this term we meant:

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. 

The Stoic skill of being grateful arises out of the realization that we are a part of a larger whole which extends to our family, friends, society, and the world.