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…
How often do you say yes when you really want to say no? Yes to invites. Yes to work proposals. Yes to favour requests. Whatever the “ask” is, agreeing when we’d rather not is a common thing. There can be many reasons for doing it but most of them come…
Still you are indignant and complain, and you don’t understand that in all the evils to which you refer, there is really only one – that you are indignant and complain.Seneca, Epistles 96.1 There is so much to complain about. Even aside from big issues like pandemics, lockdowns, injustices, and…
It’s a great feeling when you start to see progress. When you’ve been practicing a new skill and you start to get the hang of it, or when you’ve been building something piece by piece and it starts to take shape. It’s a feeling that we too often deprive ourselves…
The Stoics have always been known for their commitment to preparation. Think of Cato immunizing himself against future hardship by inviting insults and leaving his home barefoot, or Seneca advising Lucilius that “It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions…
Cato the Younger was a politician and statesman in the late Roman Republic. He is remembered for his stubbornness, tenacity, immunity to bribes, and his unbending opposition to Julius Caesar (so unbending that he preferred death to being ruled by Caesar). He was a Stoic who exemplified virtue. When he…
As students of Stoicism, we don't just read about the philosophy and talk about its principles. We seek to practice it in daily life. In doing so, as anyone practicing anything does, we seek to become better. The better we become, the more we feel the benefits that the ancient…
Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself, just as I can. Few people have that capacity and yet everyone could have it.Herman Hesse, Siddhartha When he was still involved in the day-to-day operations of Microsoft, Bill Gates had…
When 12-year-old Emily Scott was diagnosed with scoliosis, her family opted for private treatment due to the waiting times associated with the UK health service. Going private, however, proved no advantage as COVID-19 put a halt to the services Emily was relying on. Left in limbo, and being told she…
No one enjoys the discomfort of ridicule. To be derided by someone you don’t know can be painful. When it’s someone you do know it can hurt even more. Ridicule is sent with different intentions by the aggressor - it can range from playful to sinister - but the intention…