Stoicism
I’ve never been religious but today I have found a philosophy that resonates with my mind and body like no other. A philosophy is a way of life which in many ways is similar to religion, it’s a choice one self must make on their own and what resonates with you.
Today has been the first day I’ve actually wanted to purchase a book to read. I find it very difficult to concentrate so reading books has not been much if an interest as there are so many ways to consume information. But the book I want to purchase is called “Meditations - Marcus Aurelius” about his time as a emperor of Rome during 161 - 180 AD.
He practiced the methods behind stoicism and journaled how he implemented the philosophy throughout his life/ruling. I think it will be a very good eye opening read for myself as I relate and live by this philosophy to the tee without even knowing what it was. I’m not too knowledgeable about this time period which is another intriguing reason why.
One of the thoughts Ive had recently was our fate is already pre determined as all out comes and possibilities have already happened just on a different timeline to our own. The only one out come that happens from every decision we make has already been made by us in the future. But we still have a choice if we want to follow our fate. This exact same ideology was referred in stoicism as the stars hold our fate and everything that will happen has already happened.
Because of this you are able to see the bad and good times as just time. Time will continue to pass as the same as life will continue until the end. It’s indulging not to fear death, sickness, sadness as life will continue with time as nature continues to exist with so many uncontrollable forces. It has allowed me to build resilience and confidence through tough times. Most problems with time will solve themselves, once you realise this the “bad times” become learning experiences for you to be able to prepare for the next as we have no control over when these periods of time are but they’re inevitable. There is no good without bad so we must accept to move forward and live a happy life.
Comments
Hey @Pasta
I’ve heard of Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism, and I’m glad that you’ve found a book that appeals to you. I also have trouble concentrating when trying to read a book for an extended time. I try to aim for 15-20mins stints before bed, just to make it more manageable. Have you checked out any audiobooks? I find they can be easier to get my head around concentration-wise.
You mentioned how Aurelius journaled about how he implemented Stoicism, would you consider doing the same? Even if it was for a short period, it would be an interesting pilot project to be able to go back and review those personal reflections.
I wanted to check-in on your safety and see if you are feeling safe right now, and whether you have had any thoughts of harming yourself in the past when things were bad? I'm also wondering what internal resources have you used in the past to build your resilience?
I have used audio books before but I still get bored as I feel I cannot do anything else when listening otherwise I won’t retain the information. I prefer watching informational videos so I can watch something as I listen and am fully immersed in the topic.
I don’t think an audio book would do the justice of how good this book is.
I have been implementing stoicism in my life without even knowing it and will be a road I continue to learn more about and decide what else can be implemented through the discoveries I will find in his book.
I am safe, I could never self harm. I would never jeopardise my own life and well-being. This is self sabotage which is not the forward thinking ways of stoicism. When I refer to bad times I only mean emotionally dealing with something.
Teaching and building resilience within yourself is not hard, you must use logic to realise your emotions are just that. They are just particular emotions you happen to be feeling at one point in time which will change. The quicker you realise this the quicker you start getting over things because logic trumps all un rational thoughts.
Hey @Pasta Thanks for checking back in with me, I'm glad to hear that you're safe.
What did you think of the journaling idea to capture your personal reflections as you are applying to stoic principles?
This may be an interesting idea to put some thought into but I've found journaling not a big part of my life as I do it internally and that information is usually very specific to one's situation and life as we all experience different things and emotions. I think I may have slight photographic memory as I can recall information as though I remember seeing it on the page the first time I read it, similar things I can do with thoughts and remember experiences with great detail. I have throughout life noticed my perception of visual and audible stimulations is a lot more than the normal person which allows me to remember so much more because I am so aware of my surroundings. And the easiest way to learn/ remember things is from a little trick I used when I was very adamant of becoming a magician when I was younger, the technique allows you to remember things by association. You do this with key/trigger words and visuals (like objects, acronyms and colours) which allow me to remember information quickly. I remember reading a story about a guy who used this technique but created a palace within his own mind and any object or room held specific information which he could easily access because his brain retained the information and he trained it to use the ques as mentioned above. (I haven't thought about this technique in at least 4 years and am surprised I remember but as I mentioned I am able to very easily associate information with time period or past memories in my life. The information your brain collects is like a catalog and if you start using it as one you can recall information like never before. I wish I practiced this method throughout high school because it would have been a lot easier).
