Stoicism as a philosophy of life often gets misunderstood due to specific misconceptions that have persisted through the ages. Here are some of the most common ones: Stoicism (upper case ‘S’) is the same thing as stoicism (lower case ‘s’).The goal of a Stoic is to be passive and unemotional,…
Here’s what we are: the most abundant and widespread species of primate. One species among millions of other species that exist on the planet called Earth. Here’s what a species is: a word that our species made up to mean a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable…
“Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.” — Zeno of Citium I used to get hung up on crafting the perfect morning routine. Inspired by books like Daily Rituals and podcasters like Tim Ferriss, who asks many of his guests how they start their day, I would…
In previous posts explaining the concept of Amor Fati and the practical application of Stoic acceptance, I have mentioned how useful it can be to create your own acceptance mantra. The purpose of an acceptance mantra is to act as a sort of trigger. It can be used as part…
Vitaliy Katsenelson is the CEO of Denver-based value investment firm IMA. He assumed his current position in 2012 having originally joined the company in 1997 before working his way up through the ranks. In addition to his day job, Vitaliy is a book author, essay writer, lover of classical music,…
“Wanting to get out of pain is the pain; it is not the “reaction” of an “I” distinct from the pain. When you discover this, the desire to escape “merges” into the pain itself and vanishes.” When I read the above sentences recently in Alan Watts’ book The Wisdom of…
At the beginning of his Enchiridion, Epictetus gave the advice that went on to guide so much of Stoic practice: Some things are within our power, while others are not. Within our power are opinion, motivation, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever is of our own doing; not within…
The author Donald Robertson is one of the preeminent authorities on Stoic philosophy today, that much can’t be argued. Through titles like Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, and the widely popular How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, Donald draws on his philosophical expertise…
If our human perceptions about time and space are to be trusted, we all exist in the present. We experience everything in the now. We are where we are now. We’re doing what we’re doing now. Because we’re deliberately focusing on it right now, we’re currently more conscious of this…
For me, the most difficult thing about future events is the shadow they can cast over the intervening days that lead up to them. Awareness of this state of affairs is, however, strangely comforting at the same time - that the most difficult thing about future events isn’t even the…