https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_5ec1MfMSrY

There are alot of hypes on Marcus Aurelius, but let's forget about Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger 

This sub is intended to serve primarily as an archive for posts about Stoicism in practice. These may include formal exercises, personal battles and victories (however big or small), examples from others, explanations, et cetera. The goal is to focus on the "first area":

​

> The first and most necessary area of study in philosophy is the one that deals with the application of principles, such as, "Don't lie." The second deals with demonstrations, for instance, "How is it that we oughtn't to lie?" The third confirms and analyses the other two, for instance, "How is this a demonstration?" For what is a demonstration, what is logical consequence, what is contradiction, what is truth, what is falsehood? The third area of study is necessary, then, because of the second, and the second because of the first, but the most necessary, and that on which we should dwell, is the first. But we do the opposite; for we spend our time on the third area of study, and employ all our efforts on that, while wholly neglecting the first. And so it comes about that we lie, while having at hand all the arguments that show why we oughtn't to lie. (Epictetus, Enchiridion 52.1, translated by Robin Hard)

​

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Additionally, here are some ancient and modern resource suggestions:

1. Epictetus, the Discourses, Enchiridion, and Fragments
2. Seneca, Moral letters to Lucilius
3. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
4. What are some Stoic practices and exercises? from r/Stoicism's FAQ
5. The Stoic Therapy eLibrary
6. Practical Stoicism by Grey Freeman
7. Applied Stoic Theory - A Compilation by u/runeaway
8. Stoicism for a Better Life by u/yourusersmanual
9. Musonius Rufus, Lectures and Fragments

​

If you would like to submit a post, please review the subreddit rules.

“When you do anything from a clear judgement that it ought to be done, never shrink from being seen to do it, even though the world should misunderstand it; for if you are not acting rightly, shun the action itself; if you are, why fear those who wrongly censure you?”

~ Epictetus, Enchiridion (XXXV.)

Every action we do is under our responsibility. Whether we choose to act one way or the other, is completely under our own discretion. Therefore, what we choose to do, based on our foresight, should be conducted with clear judgement and with the intention of it being the right, just, and truthful action itself.

Recently, I talked about how Agrippinus defied Nero’s invitation to a get-together simply because he knew that attending was not right and would go against his values. But even after being questioned, he didn’t cave in to the pressure; he remained stern.

He wasn’t afraid of doing the action because he knew he was right - even when Florus, a Roman official, misunderstood and questioned his perspective. He didn’t fear the disapproval because that’s what was true to his self.

And that’s how we should act as well: Acting to the point where, with enough practice, we know it’s the right thing to do based on the alignment with our virtues, and to not back away from that position; to ensure that our actions are not wrong, unjust, and untruthful.

“But what do we do if we perform actions that are wrong, unjust, and untruthful?”

Shun the action itself.

Cheers,
Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that talks about Stoicism. 4x a week with posts like these, and summary issues at the end of each week highlighting passages, quotes, and wallpapers.

“‘Ay, but this is not suitable to my character.’

It is you who are to consider that, not I,: for it is you who know yourself, what value you set upon yourself, and at what rate you sell yourself; for different people sell themselves at different prices.”

~ Epictetus, On The Complete Works of Epictetus (Chapter II)

In every single situation you experience, what do you value and prioritize?

Here's a good story that should set a standard:

Nero was the infamous 5th Roman Emperor who was known for being extraneously violent and homicidal. It was publicly known that refusing Nero’s orders would most definitely get you murdered or tortured. Agrippinus was a Stoic philosopher who was highly regarded by Epictetus.

One day, Nero held an event for all and Agrippinus declined his attendance.

Florus, a Roman official, knew that not attending meant death. He even said: “But if I do not act a part, I shall lose my head.” Agrippinus simply responded: “Go and act it then, but I will not.” and outlined his duty to not conform and instead, to being the singular purple thread amongst the many white threads in a robe.

Agrippinus knew what he valued and knew that the value of living honourably was more valuable than living itself. That’s not to say that dying is preferable to living, even Agrippinus said that it’s not; however, the virtues are guides to what we must follow regardless of the circumstance, at all times.

The next time you are faced with a situation that may jeopardize the practice of your values, remember Aggripinus’ story and ask yourself: What do you truly value? What do you sell yourself at?

Don’t sell yourself short.

Cheers,

Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that talks about Stoicism. 4x a week with posts like these, and summary issues at the end of each week highlighting passages, quotes, and wallpapers.

“And so I conclude that because we humans acquire all good things by pain, the person who is himself unwilling to endure pain all but condemns himself to being worthy of nothing good.”

~ Musonius Rufus, Lectures and Sayings (Note 7)

Humans acquire all good things by pain. Wisdom from devastating failures, strength from exhausting exercise, courage from strenuous practice, etc… and by not willing to suffer through this pain, we neglect our ability to be virtuous.

There is a reason for pain’s importance. As Musonius Rufus put it in the same lecture: it allows us to be “good and just and self-controlled” (Note 7).

You can’t practice the virtue of temperance without enduring the pain of resisting pleasure.

You can’t practice the virtue of courage without enduring the pain of facing your fears.

You can’t practice the virtue of justice without enduring the pain of moderation and not taking more than your share.

You can’t practice the virtue of wisdom without enduring the pain of figuring out what is good and what is bad.

Suffering pain is necessary for improvement because, through pain, you find opportunity; the opportunity to practice virtuosity. The opportunity that allows you to make the right decision and practice being calm, disciplined, rational, free of pleasure. The opportunity that allows you to transform to who you want to be.

Suffer the pain that makes you improve. Suffer the pain that makes you good.

Suffer the pain that makes you virtuous.

Cheers,

Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“Perfection of character: to live your last day, every day, without frenzy, or sloth, or pretense.”

~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (7.69)

Life is hectic now, and was still hectic back in the times of Ancient Rome. No matter your income status, education, or background, circumstances constantly pressured people to perform.

However, what were people performing for was, and still is, the real question.

Marcus Aurelius was constantly dealt with the pressures of being an Emperor (a.k.a. one of the most powerful individuals on Earth), but as we all know, great power comes with great responsibility: starving citizens, mass debt, wars, and the blame ultimately falling on his shoulders. So how did he live his stressful days?

By making sure that he’s doing the best he could.

By ensuring that he’s striving for perfection whenever possible, as much as possible.

By reflecting that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and because of that, we should act our finest today.

If we knew that it was potentially our last day on Earth, what would you rather do? Spiral into an uncontrolled frenzy and become careless, or live with the upmost determination to not allow our impressions and emotions get the better of us? To live with the discipline and satisfaction that you maintained your character throughout hardship? Stoicism encompasses the latter.

Regardless of our circumstances, we always have the opportunity to be ‘perfect’. We always have the opportunity to live our last days without anger, sloth, hysteria, and vices we wouldn’t normally want, and instead live those days with wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance.

Take the opportunity before it’s gone forever.

Cheers,

Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“Convince them not to.

If you can.

And if not, remember: the capacity for patience was given us for a reason.”

~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (9.11)

There’s one thing I can guarantee that has happened to you: you’ve never not been in an argument or a debate. At some point in all of our lives, we’ve been involved in a verbal dispute advocating for our beliefs.

And whenever we’re in an argument or a debate, the natural human inclination is to prove the other side wrong. Or prove them wrong according to our standards, at least.

But to fall in line with the Stoic Philosophy, we must remember that there should only be two avenues during this type of situation: calm persuasion and patience.

If you’re supporting a side in a discussion, calm persuasion is what we should invoke with the emphasis on ‘calm’. Calmly control your emotional responses and do not allow anger or resentment to transpire simply because the persuasion was unconvincing.

There should be no reason to become angered as a result of a failed persuasion, and that’s why we’re given patience for a reason. We won’t be able to convince everybody we come across and as a result, we have to bear with that reality.

The next time you catch yourself beginning to argue unnecessarily or debating with the objective of winning rather than the truth, ask yourself if you can convince them. If you can, go ahead, but only do so calmy and non-excessively.

If you can’t, enact the patience and control to not let your emotions get the better of you.

Cheers,

Adam
Pocket Stoicism

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.

What’s in my thoughts at this moment? Fear? Jealousy? Desire? Feelings like that?”

~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (12.19)

What were in your thoughts these past couple days? Did you take note if you felt fearful? Jealous? Angry? Sluggish? Sad?

Regardless if you did or didn’t, more often than not, these emotions are caused by external circumstances beyond our power. More specifically, it is the response we form because of these external circumstances beyond our power which we need to explore.

We control the internal character that responds to the situations we face. The things that affect us only affect us if we allow them to do so and while this may happen, Marcus Aurelius said that there is something more powerful within us to prevent it: and I’d argue that he is talking about our faculty of reason.

Our faculty of reason is the way in which we judge whether or not certain impressions, choices, and actions are in alignment with Nature. Is feeling anger from an insult aligned with Nature? Is being in good spirit after you lost all your money aligned with Nature? Our faculty of reasoning will know.

All in all, our faculty of reasoning decides finds the rational response we must undertake to a situation. Whether something is internal, external, indifferent, good, bad, etc… our faculty of reasoning will help us act accordingly.

It’s time to realize this: You have the influence over your responses. You have the ability to reason if an action of vice or virtue is good or bad, and as as a result, you have the control to decide how you respond. It’s not an easy task to do and will take time to get accustomed to, but it’s living accordingly with Nature.

Don’t let things external affect you into feeling fear, anger, etc… You hold the sole responsibility to dictate how you respond to an event beyond your control.

Cheers,
Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

This sub is intended to serve primarily as an archive for posts about Stoicism in practice. These may include formal exercises, personal battles and victories (however big or small), examples from others, explanations, et cetera. The goal is to focus on the "first area":

​

> The first and most necessary area of study in philosophy is the one that deals with the application of principles, such as, "Don't lie." The second deals with demonstrations, for instance, "How is it that we oughtn't to lie?" The third confirms and analyses the other two, for instance, "How is this a demonstration?" For what is a demonstration, what is logical consequence, what is contradiction, what is truth, what is falsehood? The third area of study is necessary, then, because of the second, and the second because of the first, but the most necessary, and that on which we should dwell, is the first. But we do the opposite; for we spend our time on the third area of study, and employ all our efforts on that, while wholly neglecting the first. And so it comes about that we lie, while having at hand all the arguments that show why we oughtn't to lie. (Epictetus, Enchiridion 52.1, translated by Robin Hard)

​

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Additionally, here are some ancient and modern resource suggestions:

1. Epictetus, the Discourses, Enchiridion, and Fragments
2. Seneca, Moral letters to Lucilius
3. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
4. What are some Stoic practices and exercises? from r/Stoicism's FAQ
5. The Stoic Therapy eLibrary
6. Practical Stoicism by Grey Freeman
7. Applied Stoic Theory - A Compilation by u/runeaway
8. Stoicism for a Better Life by u/yourusersmanual
9. Musonius Rufus, Lectures and Fragments

​

If you would like to submit a post, please review the subreddit rules.

“A horse at the end of the race…

A dog when the hunt is over…
A bee with its honey stored…
And a human being after helping others.

They don’t make a fuss about it. They just go on to something else, as the vine looks forward to bearing fruit again in season.

We should be like that. Acting almost unconsciously.”

~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (5.6)

When people help out others, Marcus said, a majority of them see it as a favor wherein the other person will be in ‘debt’ to them. Some may directly ask for the debt to be paid off, while others may not ask but continuously keeps in mind of the debt that has been incurred.

A minority of individuals, however, don’t expect anything in return whatsoever. And these are the people that Marcus Aurelius suggests to be.

Complimenting someone, holding the door for a stranger, teaching someone about a concept they don’t understand, or spending just a little bit of extra time to go out of your way for someone; all of these acts are examples of things we should do to help out those around us without expecting anything in return.

We were born to work together (Meditations, 2.1) and one of the components of working together is to help each other out - to aid them, assist, do favors for, etc… without the expectation of something received in return.

Similar to how a grapevine which produces fruit and is satisfied so long as the fruit is proper: we too, should replicate that of the grapevine. By doing so, we are fulfilling our natural duty to do good to others.

Help out others humbly. Be the grapevine that reproduces good fruit. Be kind for the sake of being kind, not for the sake of expecting a gift in return.

Cheers,
Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

Goooood morning. As aforementionned, I am no longer posting each individual episode of Stoicism for a Better Life in this sub (as it has expanded to other topics as well). Instead I will post a reminder and link to the Podcast every now and then. All past and present links can be found at stoicismforabetterlife.com

E05S06

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andersonsilver/episodes/Season-6-Episode-5-105---ON-WHAT-STOICISM-WILL-ACTUALLY-BRING-YOU---Stoicism-For-a-Better-Life-Podcast-e2gvbbv

Your friend

Anderson Silver

“Aiming therefore at such great things, remember that you must not allow yourself to be carried, even with a slight tendency, towards the attainment of lesser things.”

~ Epictetus, Enchiridion (Chapter I)

In order to be the best version of ourselves, we have to act the best.

In order to be great, we need to act great. Even at the most minimal amount, as Epictetus said, we should never settle for lesser things.

Through the same passage, Epictetus broadly defined the act that we need to pursue in order to be great: figure out what is in your control. By figuring out what you control, you won’t be disturbed, you won’t forcibly do anything against your will, you won’t have enemies, you won’t blame anyone, and you won’t be harmed.

Striving for greatness, always, is a motto that reminds you of what you need to do in every situation. As simple as it may sound, and through the teachings of Stoicism from the likes of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, doing right in every situation means following the Stoic principles as best as we can.

Always work every moment of the day to apply these principles. Not working and allowing yourself the comfort of lesser things won’t allow you to progress to greatness - ie. happiness and freedom.

Aim higher. Reject lesser things. Aim to be great.

Cheers,

Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

~ Epictetus Fragments of Epictetus (CXXIV)

If you’re not happy with little, you won’t be happy with a lot. Seneca once attested to this statement by saying that the poor man is the one who endlessly craves more, and not the man with little material possession. And both Epictetus’ and Seneca’s passages mesh well together.

When you grieve for what you don’t have, you tend to crave more. Instead of being grateful for what you own, you desire that new piece of clothing, that new car, that new house, etc… But then once you actually get it, you’ll end up grieving for something else you want rather than rejoicing for what you have - a constant and never-ending cycle.

By showing gratitude and being content with what you have, you’ll prevent Stoic passions from ruling over your thought-process. You’ll become less envious, less jealous, and less greedy; all passions Stoicism denounces. And by removing these passions, you take one step closer to living a virtuous life.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t buy what you want to buy; but to make sure that it’s being bought with rational thought rather than through impulse or envy, and to further ensure that you’re grateful for whatever is being purchased and for what you have already.

Be content with your lot. Once you’re content, you’ll be grateful regardless of what you own and won’t allow jealousy or envy intrude into your mind.

Cheers,

Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“Therefore let us continually think as much about our own mortality as about that of all those we love…

‘My friend Serenus is younger than I; but what does that matter? He would naturally die after me, but he may precede me.’ It was just because I did not do this that I was unprepared when Fortune dealt me the sudden blow.

Now is the time for you to reflect, not only that all things are mortal, but also that their mortality is subject to no fixed law. Whatever can happen at any time can happen to-day.”

~ Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius (Letter 63, On Grief for Lost Friends

Within Stoicism, death is considered to be a part of Nature; as Nature flows, death, too, will soon arrive. As such, because of death being this natural occurrence, we should not fear it and instead, expect it. By expecting death, we won’t be surprised when it comes - and we’ll face it rationally and to the best of our ability, especially when the death of someone we cared for happens.

Seneca outlined in this Letter how it came to him as a total shock when his friend that was younger than him suddenly passed away. He was overcome by grief and was unable to control himself. And according to Seneca, this was all because it never occurred to him that his friend that was younger would pass before he did.

That’s not to say that one should not grieve whatsoever, in fact, the complete opposite: the Stoics advocated to feel grief. They advocated that grief is a natural part of life and as such, shouldn’t disregard it; however, to not let it get the best of us. We shouldn’t be emotionless when someone passes, but we also shouldn’t be overly distressed to the point where it controls us.

“We may weep, but we must not wail.” ~ Seneca (Letter 63)

Expect death to come. Death is an uncontrollable part of Nature and when it does happen, we should be prepared to handle the occurrence accordingly.

Cheers,

Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“Difficulties are the things that show what men are.

For the future, in case of any difficulty, remember that God, like a gymnastic trainer, has pitted you against a rough antagonist.

For what end? That you may be an Olympic conqueror, and this cannot be without toil.”

~ Epictetus, Discourses (Chapter XXIV)

When difficulties arise whether we like it or not, Epictetus says that the way in which we handle those difficulties shows who our character is. And by handling those difficulties effectively, we simultaneously conquer the task and improve upon our character. Improving upon the character is the bit I'd like to emphasize on here.

Following this passage, Epictetus provided an analogy that helps properly understand it in it’s entirety:

Imagine that people were randomly chosen to be messengers and that these people were sent to scout Rome to report any observations of anguish.

There would be 2 types of messengers: those who let fear and fright affect their perception and those who see things for what they are.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Both face the same difficulty; however, there are two outcomes. On one hand, the frightened messenger allowed his perception to be skewed due to his uncontrolled emotion, while on the other hand, the calm messenger saw Rome pragmatically.

Although this was simply an analogy, what does this tell us? It tells us that in difficult situations, humans will resort to the virtues they hold in their character. By repeatedly dealing with difficult situations, we have the opportunity to test the virtues we have - and even want.

• The difficulty may change — it doesn’t have to be about perceiving something.
• The task may change — it doesn’t have to be a scout in Rome (obviously).
• The virtue may change — it doesn’t have to be about control over our perception.

How we act is who we become. If we act with fear, we’ll be fearful. If we act with courage, we’ll be courageous. Our actions are in accordance with our character and virtues. And confronting difficult situations allows us to build upon that.

How we act today is how we’ll act tomorrow — so act virtuous today.

Cheers,
Adam

P.S. If you liked this write-up I wrote, I have a newsletter that dives deeper into Stoicism than just the surface-level of what people write about. Come check it out, I'll always love feedback :)

“The mind must be given relaxation; it will arise better and keener after resting.

As rich fields must not be forced - for their productiveness, if they have no rest, will quickly exhaust them.”

~ Seneca, On The Tranquility of the Mind (pg. 49)

There are times to persevere as Marcus Aurelius said in one of my previous posts, but there are other times where relaxing the mind is more beneficial otherwise.

Nowadays, Stoicism is wrongfully portrayed as the self-help Philosophy that advocates for constant working and non-stop grinding, but that’s not the case whatsoever. The Stoics, especially Seneca, advocated for rest; just as rich fields of crops should not be forced to produce constantly due to inevitable depletion, our mind should not be forced to always work as our productivity will be increasingly diminished.

For example, think about a time where you worked so hard that you just had to let your mind relax right after. What do you think would’ve happened if instead of resting - you just kept working? You can imagine that you’d be exhausted, tired, and not producing the best quality of work. And that’s why you still need to rest.

Work hard and persevere whenever you can, but rest when you’re exhausted or drained. Your mind will be refreshed, replenished of energy, and be ready to tackle the task with full quality the next time you face it.

Cheers,
Adam

If you liked this quick write-up I wrote about Stoicism, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) My Previous Writeups/Newsletter

Unlike previous years, I won't post each episode here, but probably will go with a friendly reminder and link to the podcast. Enjoy and it's all about participation this year as episodes are replies to direct questions. #StoicismForaBetterLife

“No ordinary person will admit to being witless if asked whether he happens to be witless or wise; nor will he… Likewise if someone asks him whether he is self-controlled or self-indulgent, he answers upon being questioned that he is self-controlled.

What does this prove, other than that there is an inborn capacity in the human being’s soul for proper living and that the seed of virtue exists in each one of us?”

~ Musonius Rufus, Musonius Rufus: Lectures and Sayings (Lecture 2)

One lesser known Stoic that is not often mentioned when discussing Stoicism is Musonius Rufus. A lot of his texts have been lost from the past, however, there are still books about the notes his students made during his lectures.

Although there’s a lack of material, there’s quality over quantity. Musonius preached about a lot of different topics encompassing Stoicism, and one of which was the argument on why humans innately share virtue by nature.

Since most people prefer to answer that they are ‘not bad’, Musonius says that there is a natural desire for being good. Given the chance, mostly everyone would testify to being good, therefore proving there is a natural proclivity to good and virtue.

And that’s what we should try to aim for in our day-to-day lives; virtue. Musonius tells us that virtuosity is how humans innately want to live. And while he does not specifically mention it, other sources of Stoicism indicate that this virtuosity can be achieved through understanding and actively practicing the knowledge learned from the 4 cardinal virtues of temperance, justice, courage, and wisdom (which will be discussed in another post I will make shortly).

So instead of simply saying we live that way, we should instead take action and maintain living that way because it’s in our nature to do so.

If you liked this quick write-up I wrote about Stoicism, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) My Previous Writeups/Newsletter

Cheers,

Adam

PS. I am u/BetwixtChaos - I just decided to switch up the name :)

“There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power.Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and in one word, whatever affairs are our own. Beyond our power are body, property, reputation, office, and, in one word, whatever are not properly our own affairs.”~ Epictetus, Enchiridion (Section 1)

When we’re in the midst of chaos and confusion, we tend to forget a lot of the practices we do beforehand. For example, studying on how to perform an action but then completely forgetting how once the time to perform has come.

One simple rule we tend to forget within these times of chaos and confusion is our ability to control things. Specifically, our ability to control our own affairs; what we desire, how we act, what we believe, etc…

Being able to step back when times are difficult and apply this Stoic principle in real-time helps us get grounded to the reality of our situation - ‘Is this something I can change? If so, change it. Is this something I can’t change? If so, recognize it’s out of our power.’

Epictetus further says in the Section following: “If then, you confine your aversion to those objects only which are contrary to the natural use of your faculties, which you have in your own control, you will never incur anything to which you are averse. But if you are averse to sickness, or death, or poverty, you will be wretched.”i.e. You won’t suffer if avoid things only in your control. If you attempt to avoid things outside of your control, you will be disappointed when it uncontrollably comes.

If we don’t control something: we should recognize that it’s out of our power, we should not worry about it, and let it flow as nature normally does.

If we do control something: we should recognize that it’s in our means to not worry because we can take initiative and control over said thing.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about Epictetus, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) Betwixt Chaos Previous Writeups

Cheers,

Adam

​

This sub is intended to serve primarily as an archive for posts about Stoicism in practice. These may include formal exercises, personal battles and victories (however big or small), examples from others, explanations, et cetera. The goal is to focus on the "first area":

​

> The first and most necessary area of study in philosophy is the one that deals with the application of principles, such as, "Don't lie." The second deals with demonstrations, for instance, "How is it that we oughtn't to lie?" The third confirms and analyses the other two, for instance, "How is this a demonstration?" For what is a demonstration, what is logical consequence, what is contradiction, what is truth, what is falsehood? The third area of study is necessary, then, because of the second, and the second because of the first, but the most necessary, and that on which we should dwell, is the first. But we do the opposite; for we spend our time on the third area of study, and employ all our efforts on that, while wholly neglecting the first. And so it comes about that we lie, while having at hand all the arguments that show why we oughtn't to lie. (Epictetus, Enchiridion 52.1, translated by Robin Hard)

​

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Additionally, here are some ancient and modern resource suggestions:

1. Epictetus, the Discourses, Enchiridion, and Fragments
2. Seneca, Moral letters to Lucilius
3. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
4. What are some Stoic practices and exercises? from r/Stoicism's FAQ
5. The Stoic Therapy eLibrary
6. Practical Stoicism by Grey Freeman
7. Applied Stoic Theory - A Compilation by u/runeaway
8. Stoicism for a Better Life by u/yourusersmanual
9. Musonius Rufus, Lectures and Fragments

​

If you would like to submit a post, please review the subreddit rules.

“Remember how long you’ve been putting this off, how many extensions the gods gave you, and you didn’t use them.

At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong to; what power rules it and from what source you spring; that there is a limit to the time assigned you, and if you don’t use it to free yourself it will be gone and will never return.”
~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (2.4)

Our time on Earth is limited; we don’t live forever. And we shouldn’t act like we do just because we think we have a lot of time. We shouldn’t delay things because who knows if that time to start what we delayed, will ever come.

I know it’s a vice I’m guilty of as well. As humans, our natural inclination is to postpone difficulty - take the path of least resistance. After all, putting something off is easier to do than actually doing it. But there’s only so much time we can postpone something before we run out of time to postpone it.

We should instead capitalize on the extensions we are given, as Marcus Aurelius says to himself. Recognize that we are the ones in power over ourselves and by not using the time we’re allotted to our best interest, we’re wasting it. As Seneca said in one of my previous posts, “Unless you seize the day, it flees…”

Seize the day. Don’t continue putting what you want to do off. The time you postpone is time you’ll never get back.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about Meditations (2.4), come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) Betwixt Chaos Previous Writeups

Cheers

Adam

You have to measure your strength before you attempt to begin a new venture.

Why?

💪 Because if we are not stronger than our adventure or task, we’ll waste time doing something we know we (most likely) couldn’t or wouldn’t have done.

That’s not to say to give up immediately at any hint of difficulty, but to use caution:

“Next, we must estimate the matters themselves that we are undertaking, and must compare our strength with the things that we are about to attempt; for the doer must always be stronger than his task.

Burdens that are too heavy for their bearer must necessarily crush him."

~ Seneca (On The Tranquility of the Mind, pg. 22)

🍽️ Overloading our plate will not only lead to burn-out but can also lead to diminished returns, and that’s exactly what Seneca is warning about.

However…There is a gray area of the doer not knowing their strength vs. the task:

What happens if the doer has never done a task like this? How will they know?

📚 And to that, I’d believe that the Stoics would say to attempt it - but also to tread carefully. You wouldn’t want to spiral down into the sunken cost fallacy; continuing something just because you’ve started.

Don’t overbear yourself with tasks. Doing so will cause us to waste time and waste energy.

But do have confidence when attempting any new difficulties. The Stoics advocated for facing adversity; you’ll learn about your character and values in the process.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about On The Tranquility of the Mind (pg. 22), come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) Betwixt Chaos Previous Writeups

Cheers,

Adam

I want to be a more stoic person & individual , I have a semi-casual understanding of it . More so want to learn my first step into consciously applying this lifestyle as a young male living on his own & working in the school system.

I just wanna be great , but I know my mental matters most to achieve that.

🌅 Most people waste today in the hopes of doing it tomorrow.

Through procrastination, a lack of temperance, whatever it may be… Seneca said people waste today’s time in the hopes that tomorrow may come, which is when they’ll commit to whatever they needed to do.

“The greatest hindrance to living is expectancy, which depends upon the morrow and wastes today.”

~ Seneca, On The Shortness of Life (IX)

🕰️ By wasting today, you’ll lose something you’ll never get back: your time. And by losing your time, you lose out on days that could be spent improving upon your character.

Seneca even said in the same passage (IX):" “Why do you delay? Unless you seize the day, it flees…”

⏳ Don’t waste today in expectancy of tomorrow to come (which even then, the Stoics advise against; anticipating the future).

Do what you need to do today. Don’t lose out on precious time. Don’t hinder yourself from living a virtuous life just because you waited until later.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about On The Shortness of Life (IX), come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) Betwixt Chaos Previous Writeups
Cheers,

Adam

Day-in & day-out, you have to ensure your thoughts are focused.

💂 And by focused I mean constantly staying on guard to make sure that they’re not unaligned with what you are striving to achieve virtuously.

💬 Marcus Aurelius asked himself in a hypothetical scenario: “What if someone came up to me and asked ‘what are you thinking about?’ How would I answer?“ and the following passage was his response:

“And it would be obvious at once from your answer that your thoughts were straightforward and considerate ones - the thoughts of an unselfish person, one unconcerned with pleasure and sensual indulgence generally, with squabbling, with slander and envy, or anything else you’d be ashamed to be caught thinking.”

~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (3.4)

Similar to what Epictetus said previously, we must take care of the thoughts in our mind throughout the day as if we would take care of not stepping on a nail when we’re walking.

😳 Our actions are fed by the thoughts we think, which is why Marcus Aurelius advised himself against it; having poor thoughts will lead to poor actions.

💡 Every time you find yourself having these thoughts, be cautious of why and tread carefully. Rationalize why having these thoughts are in no way beneficial to your character and attempt to forego them if possible.

Stay focused. Stay constantly aligned with your path of virtue. Consistency is key.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about Meditations 3.4, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) Betwixt Chaos Previous Writeups

Cheers,

Adam

Wherever we go, whoever we talk to, whatever we do, has perception behind it. But as a result of that, life is not naked.

🧖 Naked? Naked. We hold connotations to almost everything we see, hence, our life does not have the bare-bones naked perception.

And Marcus Aurelius directly encouraged himself to have these naked perceptions to remain indifferent, which lead him to write this passage:

“Like seeing roasted meat and other dishes in front of you and suddenly realizing: This is a dead fish. A dead bird. A dead pig.

Or that this noble vintage is grape juice, and the purple robes are sheep wool dyed with shellfish blood.

Or making love - something rubbing against your penis, a brief seizure, and a little cloudy liquid.

Perceptions like that - latching onto things and piercing through them, so we see what they really are. That's what we need to do all the time - all through our lives when things lay claim to our trust - to lay them bare and see how pointless they are, to strip away the legend that encrusts them."

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (6.13)

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🥩 Meat is a dead animal.

👚 Clothes are materials with synthetic dyes.

❤️ Sex is two bodies rubbing together for temporary pleasure.

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That doesn’t mean we should avoid it; but instead, recognize it and become indifferent to it. Continue eating meat, wearing clothes (obviously), and having sex, on the basis you’re not allowing these things to control you.

Once you allow externals to control you, you become a slave to yourself and emotions, which is completely contrary to what the Stoics strived for day-in, day-out.

We all know the clouded perception we have when we are urged or tempted.

And these urges/temptations are caused by these perceptions.

See things naked.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about Meditations 6.29, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) Betwixt Chaos Newsletter Previous Writeups

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Cheers,

Adam

When we’re physically exhausted, there are a lot of remedies: relaxing, sleeping, resting, etc…
But when we’re mentally exhausted, our minds gravitate to only one solution: giving up.
I know for me personally, when I feel like I've had enough I always get thoughts like “Is this even worth it?” or “Why am I doing this?” or the infamous "I don't feel like doing this anymore."
Mental exhaustion will make us give up long before our physical exhaustion gets to us. At times, I simply felt like kicking the can and throwing everything off my desk. But Marcus Aurelius reminds us that it is a mistake to do so:

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"Disgraceful: for the soul to give up when the body is still going strong." - Meditations (6.29)

Physically giving up because of mental exhaustion thwarts our human nature to persevere. Thwarting perseverance makes us give up the difficult (and most likely beneficial) long-run for short-term rest.
We should recognize that feelings are constantly fleeting; what you feel today may quite possibly be the opposite of what you feel tomorrow.

I do agree that there are times where you should give up without taking things to the extreme: If you're injured, give up on working the injured body part temporarily. If you recently have started a business and you can't see yourself doing it a few years down the future, give up before you become too invested into it.
But we should discern these feelings from giving up simply because of laziness/exhaustion.
On whatever venture you’re walking down that you're confident in, it will be difficult. It will most likely question why you’re walking down it in the first place. It will give you mental exhaustion to heights you may not expect. I know I have questioned myself whenever I embarked on difficult ventures, 100%.
But who said it’s not supposed to be like that?
We owe it to ourselves to not give up because of a fleeting feeling, trading off short-term comfort for a potentially better future.
If you liked this write-up I wrote about Meditations 6.29, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) https://betwixtchaos.beehiiv.com/

Cheers,
- Adam

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❄️️Imagine it’s a cold winter morning on a Saturday. You promised yourself that you’d wake up early, go the gym, go run, etc… You wake up; however, it’s cold.

Too cold.

🛌And you find that it’s warm under the blankets.

Addictively warm.

Instead of following through on the promise you made, you stay and keep sleeping… because the condition would worsen if you left.

Marcus Aurelius felt the same thing. He noticed that doing what’s right is hindered by our state of condition. But as a means of discipline, he outlined that, regardless of our condition, we must keep going:

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Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored." - Meditations (6.2)

We must always do the right thing**, especially** and most notably when we are suffering or there’s a potential of suffering.

🚲 I have to bike 30km (18.6 miles) to school every other day. And while most days I am disciplined to get out of bed, there are still those days that I wake up and struggle to throw my blanket off of me.

"It's so nice and warm" I tell myself.

It's a constant battle I have. And I'm sure other people have the same battle but in different circumstances. However, I always remind myself of this quote whenever I get up: "I have to do what's right. I was born to do what I am doing now, so I should begin doing it." And so should others; regardless of what you're doing, make sure it's the right thing.

The state of our human condition should not define what we decide to do and which promises we decide to break.

If you liked this write-up I wrote about Meditations 6.2, come check out of my other stuff! I'll always enjoy feedback from others :) https://betwixtchaos.beehiiv.com/

Cheers,

- Adam

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