I am going to write about Stoicism in much more depth later on. I have hinted at its significance in my life in past writings but it really has taken quite a hold on my way of thinking over the past couple years. For whatever reason, it clicks with my brain. I enjoy reading about it and trying to incorporate what I learn into my life. Right now, I am just going to give a brief overview of my understanding of Stoicism. Later on, I hope to dive more into the history, people, practices, and core tenants that characterize the ancient philosophy.

Most of my Stoic education has come from three books so far: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, and Discourses by Epictetus. I also enjoy a podcast called The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. Ryan Holiday also has a series of books all dedicated to Stoicism. Lastly, I also enjoy listening to talks and reading works by Donald Robertson. He has a popular substack page also that is worth reading. 

Those are the main sources for how I consume my Stoicism education and content. I am always looking to expand what I read and who I listen to. I think it is important to think, reflect, and write about these ideas as much as possible if I want to incorporate them into my life. 

My novice interpretation of Stoicism is quite simple and still developing. I think I can actually explain it quite briefly. It goes something like this: Human beings exist in an ordered universe where we have an active role to play. Humans are imbued with rationality and reason that we should never squander but use to play our part in the universe. The first task of an individual human being is to separate that which is up to us versus that which is not up to us. With a clear understanding of what is up to us, humans ought to act virtuously to promote kindness, selflessness, and civic wellbeing. Virtuous action is characterized by four overlapping attributes of courage, discipline, wisdom, and justice. 

That is basically it. A hyper-brief summary. Stoicism is full of easily understood concepts, but they are all much more difficult to put into practice. In essence, Stoicism is about how to be a human being. The Stoics never gave that much importance to unraveling the secrets to the cosmic universe. They never dwelt on questions that were beyond the reality that every human experiences. Instead they focused on simple questions like how do I deal with an annoying neighbor? How do I respond to the angers and frustrations of life? How can I treat supposed antagonistic people in my life with kindness? How do I discard my ego and become a better member of my community?

As I mentioned before, I want to keep writing about Stoicism. Writing is a great way to learn about anything. I still don’t think I have the ability to write or talk about what Stoicism means to me in an articulate way but this is perhaps a start.