Day 27: The Less Popular Stoic Values
Wisdom. Courage. Justice. Temperance. Practical Reasoning.
These are the widely circulated Stoic values that are published and referenced in lots of modern literature. Stoic philosophy encourages living by these values to guide us in living a fulfilling and virtuous life. The words, elicit an image of a righteous person standing up for what is universally right and morale, and have a kind of grandiose way of rolling off the tongue. You could easily imagine a perfectly primped superman/superwoman with their right fist up in the air, booming out one of the values ("Justice!").
It can be helpful, however to become familiar and aware of the more nuanced and lesser known Stoic values. These principles outline, in my opinion, more helpful ways to embody the stoic philosophy of living, and allow ourselves to accept and let go.
As mentioned, the key tenet of Stoicism is that we are each the master of our own actions and have the power to choose to react and interpret things that happen to and around us. These principles help to further clarify this idea.
The Other Stoic Principles:
Acceptance of the Impersonal:
The principle is the (important) idea that some events and circumstances are beyond our control, and that it is important to accept them with equanimity and detachment.
I honestly think equanimity was my favourite word of 2021 and 2022. The practice of maintaining calmness and composure is a super-power and not to mention, so empowering. If we can accept that "shit happens" and it may not be related to or because of us in any way, we will release so much emotional baggage and low level emotions, we just may float. It's a constant practice and some of us require thought challenging questions (cognitive behaviour therapy techniques), to break out of feeling responsible or the centre of everything.
Focus on the Present:
This is the belief that the present moment is all we have, and that it is important to make the most of it by living in the present . We can spend our present moment worrying about the uncertainty of the future, or regretting things from the past, all at the expense of the precious present moment.
The power of a being present is that it allows us to truly experience life through our senses, and not constantly try to control life. We are letting go of the future and the past; one of which we can’t control and one of which we can't change. It trains our mind to be intentional, and not get swept away by whatever thoughts and worries that may bubble up at any point.
The Trichotomy of Control:
This principle is the recognition that 1. some things are under our control, 2. some are not, and 3. it is important to focus on what is within our control and let go of what is not.
We may be affected by things that we have no control over, however we can consciously change our focus to factors we can influence.
The Ideal of Universal Reason:
The Ancient Stoics believed that the pursuit of wisdom and the understanding of the Universal Reason was the key to achieving inner peace and happiness. By understanding the rational principles that governed the world, they believed that we could avoid being swayed by emotions and passions and make decisions based on a deeper understanding of the world.
This ties in with basic human values of compassion and love. The belief that all human beings have the capacity for wisdom and virtue, reminds us that we are more similar than we are different.
The Pursuit of Eudaimonia:
This concept portrays the idea that happiness and fulfilment can be achieved by living a life of service, in accordance with the principles of wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. Eudaimonia is a Greek term that is often translated as "happiness" or "flourishing."
For the Stoics, the pursuit of Eudaimonia was a central part of their philosophy. They believed that happiness was not something that could be found in external circumstances, but was instead an internal state that was achievable through virtuous behavior and rational thought.
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In one of the mindfulness courses that I taught, one of the videos we played to demonstrate the philosophy of stoicism and mindfulness came from Kung-fu Panda. Yes, yes, it's a kids film (ha-ha), but captures the concepts mindfulness and balancing internal and external factors in challenging circumstances.
In the scene, Master Shi-fu (rat) is meditating and trying to remain a sense of balance and equanimity in his surroundings. Po (Kung-fu panda pre-training), comes prancing in, tripping over his over feet. He is the epitome of our reactive and mindless nature. We see Master Shi-fu visibly and aurally annoyed by Po's distracting display, yet his disciple allows him to regulate himself and his reaction. This is Stoicism (and mindfulness) in action.
Stoicism teaches us to cultivate a virtuous life by encouraging us to focus on our locus of control and to parse out what is happening in the present moment. While it's not necessary, it can be supported by a mindfulness practice as both Stoicism and mindfulness encourage individuals to cultivate a detached and non-reactive attitude towards our experiences. This can lead to increased emotional regulation and happiness.
