Stoicism and the Art of Happiness

Men are disturbed not by events but by their opinions about them.

However, the majority of people mistakenly judge external things to be ‘good’ and therefore experience feelings of desire for things beyond their control, leading to frustration and suffering.

Throughout the day, practise bringing your attention back to the present moment, rather than allowing it to wander off into daydreams, rumination about the past, or worry about the future. ✽ If you have to think about something else, that’s okay, but try to keep one eye on the present moment, by noticing how you’re using your body and mind – try to be aware of each second that passes. ✽ If it helps, imagine that you’re seeing the world for the first time, or that this is your last day of life, and concentrate your attention on how you actually think and act, from moment to moment. ✽ Remind yourself that the past and future are ‘indifferent’ to you, and that the supreme good, and eudaimonia, can only exist within you, right now, in the present moment.

the wise man needs nothing and yet he can make good use of anything, whereas the fool ‘needs’ countless things but can make good use of none of them.

As human nature is essentially rational, it follows that the highest form of excellence, and the key to living harmoniously, is the perfection of reason or wisdom, and the greatest vice is folly or ignorance.

✽  Many people find the concept of ‘mindfulness’ in Buddhism appealing but a similar practice, called prosochê or ‘attention’ to one’s conscious ‘ruling faculty’, was central to ancient Stoicism. ✽  Epictetus’ Stoic Handbook opens with the fundamental practice of evaluating our impressions using the ‘Stoic fork’, the distinction between what’s ‘up to us’ and what isn’t, reminding ourselves that external things are inherently ‘indifferent’ with regard to virtue and eudaimonia. ✽  Planning the day ahead and reviewing the day gone by can help you maintain a structured routine of living wisely, and following Stoic principles.

2.18). Epictetus begins by explaining that, just like physical abilities, the passions tend to become more habitual and automatic the more we indulge them, until we don’t even notice them anymore because they’ve become part of our character. In general, therefore, if you want to do something make a habit of it; if you want not to do something, refrain from doing it, and accustom yourself to something else instead. (Discourses, 2.18)

Focus on what you can control, and accept what you can’t. 2  Choose your role models wisely, a lesson he takes from Plutarch’s Parallel Lives. 3  Keep track of your thoughts and behaviour by, for example, monitoring them in a personal therapy journal.

The early Stoics made it clear that their goal was not to be cold-hearted like a stone or statue and their ideal community was founded on mutual love and friendship.

Even if we’ve never met them in person but only heard about them in stories, we are drawn to the wise and good, and make moral progress by emulating their example.

Wild beasts run away from dangers when they see them. Once they have escaped, they are free of anxiety. But we are tormented by both the future and the past.

the famous Hymn to Zeus written by Cleanthes said: ‘The willing are led by fate, the reluctant dragged’.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all living out the lives fated for us, either willingly or reluctantly. Zeno illustrated this with a striking metaphor: the wise man is like a dog tethered to a cart, running alongside and smoothly keeping pace with it, whereas a foolish man is like a dog that struggles against the leash but finds himself dragged alongside the cart anyway.

Take a piece of paper and draw a table with two columns. 2  At the top of the first column write the word ‘praiseworthy’. Underneath make a list of things you find most praiseworthy in other people, what you genuinely admire about them. Consider your heroes, real or fictional, living or dead, your family, friends, colleagues, etc. 3  Once you’ve finished, write the word ‘desired’ at the top of the second column. Underneath list all the things you most desire in life. Consider the things you take most pleasure in, and those you most fear losing, as well as the things you spend most time and energy pursuing. 4  Finally, ask yourself to what extent these two columns differ from each other. Are the things you most desire and seek out in life the same as the things you find most praiseworthy in others? Why are they not the same?

This mainly involves repeating a word in your mind each time you exhale. It seems that any word will do, you could just repeat the number ‘one’. However, you may wish to repeat a word that relates to your Stoic practice. The Stoics particularly

Whenever you meet someone, say to yourself from the outset, ‘What are his assumptions concerning what is fundamentally good and bad in life?’ When someone acts like your enemy, insults or opposes you, remember that he was only doing what seemed to him the right thing, he didn’t know any better, and tell yourself: ‘It seemed so to him’. (Encheiridion, 42)

1  ‘Joy’ or ‘delight’ (chara) is a feeling of rational ‘elation’ (positive emotion) over virtue, as the truly good, which is the alternative to irrational pleasure; healthy ‘joy’ can take the form of delight, good cheer or peace of mind (tranquillity). 2  ‘Caution’ or ‘discretion’ (eulabeia) is a feeling of rational aversion towards vice as truly bad and harmful, which is the alternative to irrational fear; healthy ‘caution’ can take the form of a sense of dignity and self-respect or a sense of purity and sanctity. 3  ‘Wishing’ or ‘willing’ (boulêsis) is feeling of rational desire for virtue as genuinely good and beneficial, which is the alternative to irrational craving; healthy ‘wishing’ can take the form of affection, kind-heartedness, and benevolence, presumably the wish for oneself and others to flourish in accord with virtue Seneca explains that Stoic joy comes from reflecting on our own virtuous actions, something we are all capable of experiencing albeit in glimpses compared to the secure joy that takes root within the perfect Sage (Letters, 76).

In times of peace, prepare for war. For the Stoics, this preparation was lifelong, and both physical and mental:

Recent psychological research tends to show that people who are able to accept unpleasant thoughts and feelings, without being overwhelmed by them, are more resilient than people who try to distract themselves or avoid such experiences, through strategies such as positive thinking (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 2012; Robertson, 2012).

The cardinal virtue that most obviously deals with the social sphere, with our relationships, is ‘justice’ (dikaiosunê). The Stoics use this word to encompass both dealing fairly with others and acting with benevolence towards them, wishing for them to flourish in accord with virtue, Fate permitting.

As long as I have the sense that things are going against me, that I’m failing to get what I desire or getting things I’m averse to, that shows that I’m enslaved to my passions and still barely a novice. The Sage, by contrast, has perfect freedom because he only desires what is within his control, and so he’s never thwarted, and his life goes smoothly.

Seek not for events to happen as you wish but rather wish for events to happen as they do and your life will go smoothly. (Encheiridion, 8)

In other words, the majority of ordinary people lack fulfilment and peace of mind because their values are confused and internally conflicted. We waste our lives chasing after an illusion of Happiness, based on a mixture of hedonism, materialism and egotism – crazy, self-defeating values absorbed from the foolish world around us.

Philosophical eudaimonia is a condition in which a person of excellent character is living optimally well, flourishing, doing admirably, and steadily enjoying the best mindset that is available to human beings. The Stoics in particular took the complete attainment of such a condition to be well-nigh impossible, yet so worth striving for that no human being who grasped its attractions would wish to settle for less. (Long, 2002, p. 193)

The willing are led by fate, the reluctant dragged’. Epictetus

people have sometimes compared it to Buddhism for that reason. Providing a Western equivalent, in some respects, for the kind of philosophical ‘way of life’ that’s found in many Eastern religions, is part of its appeal for many modern readers. It follows from the premise that our essential nature is rational that the greatest virtue is wisdom and the greatest vice folly or ignorance.

On no occasion call yourself a philosopher, and do not, for the most part, talk among laymen about your philosophical principles, but rather do what follows from your principles. (Enchiridion, 46)

Your job is to ‘take it all in’ properly, and really appreciate the opportunity. Study the whole spectacle unfolding around you, in a detached and philosophical manner, as if seeing it all for the first time. The majority of people may be absorbed in pursuing wealth, seeking reputation, or indulging in empty pleasures. If occasionally they’re rowdy or bump into you, that’s inevitable – it’s just part of the natural hustle and bustle. There’s no point complaining, now you’re here, if you don’t like the programme of events – don’t be a resentful or ‘fault-finding’ spectator. Just be where you are and take each moment as it comes. Right now, this is all there is. In a

Legend has it that Pythagoras coined the term ‘philosopher’ or lover of wisdom, which he reputedly explained using the allegory of human life as a crowded ‘festival’, like the ancient Olympic Games. There are athletes competing for glory, stallholders selling their wares for profit, and spectators who simply want to take in the whole experience that surrounds them. According to Pythagoras, these illustrate three ways of life: 1  The ambitious (competitors), who seek public acclaim and reputation as the chief good in life. 2  The greedy (traders), who cherish wealth and material gain above all. 3  The philosophers or ‘lovers of wisdom’ (spectators), who prize truth and knowledge, seeking to understand life in its entirety.

In general, therefore, if you want to do something make a habit of it; if you want not to do something, refrain from doing it, and accustom yourself to something else instead. (Discourses, 2.18)