Joyful Stoicism

Contributors: Alyssa Richards and Steve Christenson

Life isn’t fair. It seldom is. When you were a kid, you heard the adage about what to do when life gives you lemons, but what do you do when it spits in your lemonade too? In moments like that, it can be helpful to turn back to the past and try to find someone in the same boat. For instance, take a guy named Zeno, who literally shipwrecked in Athens around 400 BC and lost everything: his family, his livelihood. He even ended up walking homeless through the streets. Then he showed up in a bookshop, started reading a Socratic dialogue, and the rest is history. He didn’t know it at the time, but within ten years, he would establish his own philosophical school, Stoicism, that would change history. 

Who are the Stoics?

In modern English, the word “stoic” has come to mean someone who is unflappable under pressure, but also emotionally distant. Take a walk around Athens back in 250 BCE, though, and the term Stoic was very specific. This video explains:

One thing we love about the video is that it shows how diverse the Stoics were as a group. Stoic philosophers came from the rich (Seneca, the businessman), the powerful (Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor), and the lowly (Epictetus, the slave). As a philosophy, it was universal. What’s more, it has survived into the modern age and continues to influence writers, politicians, business leaders, scientists, and researchers; even while only a handful of its original documents survived. Why? Because above everything else, the way of the Stoic is the way to be happy. 

Addressing Misconceptions: 

Unlike many philosophies, Stoicism isn’t deeply tied with a set of religious oaths or commitments (unlike the Eastern religions like Confucianism or Buddhism), nor is it a compilation of obscure philosophical claims (like the Ship of Theseus). Stoicism also isn’t a rejection or indifference to all the emotions associated with daily experience, like pain, humiliation, loss, frustration, anger, grief, etc.

What do the Stoics Believe?

 Stoic concepts can get a little complex. For an exhaustive analysis of the subject, check out the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (fair warning, it’s complicated). Thankfully, Stoic thought mostly boils down to what Marcus Aurelius described in the opening quote: making right judgments, doing right actions, accepting what you can control and what you can’t. When we do these things, we become more virtuous. Virtue then helps us to do good without thinking about it. In time, this leads us to the good life, what the Greeks called Eudaimonia, which is a deep state of purpose, meaning, and happiness.

One unique Stoic belief is that everyone is capable of achieving Eudaimonia, regardless of their life circumstances. This belief is centered in their understanding of Nature as a rational governing force in the universe, or after the example of the Stoic Sage. This frequently mentioned idea is the ultimate example of someone living  exactly the way that nature intends - the perfect person. She’s the girl who always makes the right judgment, always takes the right action, and always lives in peace and tranquility. This is the example we work toward becoming. And if it sounds impossible, that is precisely the purpose. Though we continuously fall short of the ideal, having the ideal gives a target and clear vision as we try to live better. This is why you’ll often find the Stoics asking questions like “What would (insert famous philosopher) do in this situation?”

Various Stoic beliefs or principles can be condensed into seven central themes that build off each other. As you test out the included practices, and use some of your own, you will quickly witness how easy it is to feel the deepening art of Stoic joy.