Meditations on Stoicism
Step into the world of ancient wisdom with 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius. Imagine being in the shoes of an emperor, but not just any emperor – the last of Rome's 'good emperors.' In this remarkable book, written nearly two thousand years ago, Marcus Aurelius shares his personal thoughts and insights on how to lead a joyful and purposeful life. Through the lens of Stoic philosophy, he jots down his reflections on self-improvement, capturing the enduring lessons that have shaped his journey. It's not just a book. It's a timeless guide to finding happiness and fulfillment.
What is Stoic philosophy?
Stoicism encourages facing challenges and adversity with courage and endurance. It teaches that difficulties are opportunities for personal growth and character development.
Stoics emphasize the importance of living in the present moment and making the most of it. Dwelling on the past or worrying excessively about the future is seen as unproductive.
Stoicism teaches emotional resilience and the mastery of one's emotions. Stoics strive to achieve emotional control, not by suppressing emotions but by understanding and managing them in a rational way.
Icons of Stoicism:
Old school generation- Seneca, Marcus Aurelius
New wave- Andrew and Tristan Tate, Jordan Peterson, Donald Trump, Sneako
Notes:
Scarcity vs Abundance:
“So we need to hurry. Not just because we move daily closer to death but also because our understanding—our grasp of the world—may be gone before we get there.”
Not only do we all go closer to death every day, but we also have no idea how long our mental facilities will be strong.
Almost all the time, we hear people say that you need to have abundance in life- view the glass as half full and have faith that the opportunities for your dreams will come. While this is true and you need to have this mindset, there is also a higher way of thinking about this. We need to come back to scarcity and realize that when the opportunity presents itself, we have a time window, in which we need to put the work in and not wait. See opportunity as abundant, but when it comes and you see potential in it, go all in and never look back.
Perception:
“The world is nothing but change. Our life is only perception.”
“Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.”
Life is perception. So if something “bad” happens to you, you can choose to perceive it differently. You can choose not to let the situation harm you, and in doing so, you are no longer harmed. You can take control of your situation and choose the outcome. It all happens in your mind, you are responsible for the way you see things.
The obstacle is the way:
“The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
“But if you accept the obstacle and work with what you’re given, an alternative will present itself—another piece of what you’re trying to assemble. Action by action.”
The biggest challenge in your life at the moment will become your biggest source of growth if you lean into it.
Anger, Frustration, Agression
“When you start to lose your temper, remember: There’s nothing manly about rage. It’s courtesy and kindness that define a human being—and a man. That’s who possesses strength and nerves and guts, not the angry whiners.”
Men who cannot control their impulse control and lose their temper are weak men. The most important stoic principle is EMOTIONAL CONTROL. Emotional and weak men are dangerous to society. In today's age, we are teaching men to be emotional, to cry, and to act how they feel. Do you know what happens when you get men to act how they feel?
You get school shooters, you get violence and you get rapists. If you find a man who is stoic, you will get someone who thinks about his actions and is not gonna act how he feels, but he is gonna do what's right and what should be done, he can control himself.
ATP:
In today's society, they are trying to teach young men that being stoic means suppressing your emotions. They tell you to cry, to be weak, to act how you feel, and do what you want. They want you to be depressed, and anxious and have no opinion on anything. They try to cancel anything and everyone with different opinions on how a man should live his life. There is a war on masculinity and stoicism.
In times like these, it's even more important to stand up for what you believe in and to live with honor and duty to your values. Stoicism teaches us to approach every situation with endurance and to live our lives with courage, justice, and self-discipline.
