If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll see that ancient philosophy, and Stoicism in particular, re-occurs every so often. The fundamental reason is because we live in a world of so many inputs, one of the biggest being people’s desire to have and do more to keep their social media image suitably maintained. Stoicism reminds us to remember we are all human, that having material wealth is out of our control and should not impact our emotion, and also to equip ourselves for when bad events occur. This is particularly important given the festive excess many of us have just witnessed.
Tom Miles’ book is an extremely short read, a great primer for anyone interested to find out more about Stoicism, and how an ancient philosophy can be applied to their life today. If you are new to Stoicism I’d go as far as suggesting you read this book before the original works – Meditations, Epistles & Discourses – just to get you in the mindset of a Stoic, otherwise the original texts can appear overly negative.
Personally, I practice ‘Voluntary Discomfort’ at least a couple of days in week, in the form of cold showers after a gym workout, but also at longer intervals throughout the year where I give up things of comfort (nice clothes, good food etc) to remind myself how lucky I am and that I could survive happily without these things.
For me, ‘Negative Visualisation’ is a harder one to balance, as my current emotional state has a significant impact of its effect. If I’m in the wrong emotional state it can have the opposite effect, making me nervous of the future or sad, however when in the right mood it helps me appreciate what I have more and prepare for a time when things aren’t so great. Therefore, I am less regimented with my ‘Negative Visualisation’ practice, however that doesn’t mean it’s not important and beneficial to me, it absolutely is.
As always, detailed below are the key messages and themes which resonated with me, however if any of the below lessons have sparked your interest I’d suggest you read the book yourself, you can find it here. Anything in speech marks is a direct quote from the book.
Book Notes
Introduction
Key Stoics: Seneca, Epictetus & Marcus Aurelius
‘At its simplest, the goal of the Stoic…is happiness through “a good flow of life” – living in accordance with nature through the application of reason.’ I.e. take whatever comes in our stride and maintain a reserve of inner peace regardless of surroundings.
‘The goal, then, is to build on our inner peace & happiness while banishing fear, anxiety and other negative emotions’
‘Our perceptions of the things that happen to use are not real – they are wholly manufactured by our minds’
Live in harmony with fellow human beings
We all have limited time in earth, therefore focus on the important things
‘By examining our reactions and quelling the negative ones as they arise, we become inured to external circumstance and build our inner reserve of peace & happiness’
‘Append all expectations [and goals] with a note that there is a possibility of their not being fulfilled, and that they alone will not be enough to breed satisfaction.’
‘One’s happiness cannot lie in what others think of them’
‘Our body is the one [physical object] we have most control over, hence it serves as a perfect archetype for those things that lie partially within our control’
Negative Visualisation & Voluntary Discomfort
2 techniques to ‘remove the fear of negative things happening, lessen the instinctive, reflective bite of negative emotion that accompanies them when they do occur & increasing the reserve of inner peace & satisfaction at life, possessions & circumstances we already have:’
Negative Visualisation
‘Rather than holding images of things that we desire in our minds, we should take time to imagine that we have lost something that we already possess.’
Doing repeatedly helps remove anxiety & dread
Helps us build readiness for things outside our control to go wrong
Visualising helps us appreciate the things we do have more
‘Negative visualisation therefore builds our mental state from two angles, removing fear & other negative emotions from one side & increasing our appreciation & contentment from the other.
Something to be done only occasionally
Voluntary Discomfort
‘Exposing oneself to uncomfortable, less than ideal situations in order to become accustomed & inured to them’
Putting yourself through voluntary discomfort will increase your appreciation for the comfort & increase your resistance should you be forced to live that way in the future.
Everything comes from Within – ‘we are the ones who can shape our character and lay a foundation of how we present ourselves upon which the perceptions of others can be built’. Always hold integrity & self-respect very highly. Always act in the way you believe right, regardless of what others say.
Relationships to Externalities – ‘we should not take pride in the attributes of anything that is not directly our own in the sense of having direct control over it’ – e.g. Having an amazing house doesn’t mean you are amazing. Be prepared for everything, absolutely follow your dream, but only if you can live with failing or being average in pursuit of it.
Relationships with Other People – other people’s minds are the furthest thing from our control. ‘We should not judge the actions of others to us as good or bad, but simply as they are’. We are the average of the company we keep therefore ensure to keep very good company.
Mortality – ‘Death is just another thing we should not overly concern ourselves about.’ ‘Death is nothing to be afraid of – it is our notion & idea of death that causes fear.’
Summary
At its most fundamental Stoicism is about choosing to maintain control over what you can (i.e. your mindset) regardless of your situation (good or bad).
Big Stoic Texts:
Epistles – Seneca
Discourses – Epictetus
Enchiridion – Epictetus
Meditations – Marcus Aurelius
Best Modern Text: A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy – William B. Irvine
