Thoughts on Everyday Life

I have been called a stoic more times in my life than I can possibly recall, but it wasn’t until recently that I came to understand what Stoicism really is. At its most basic definition, Stoicism is a school of thought that urges one to participate in society with a strong moral and ethical basis, requiring stillness of mind, mental and physical strength and stamina, and discipline to see it all through. Its goal is conversation amongst people in way that questions life and how we live it to the best of our ability. (I may be contorting that definition slightly, but I’m not done.) In order to do all that, it puts forth the four cardinal virtues of Courage, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom. Taken together, these four virtues not only encompass all that one should strive for, but have been incorporated or relate heavily with most if not all major religions. So what about me…

My recent foray into Stoicism strengthened the convictions I already had, shedding light on ways I can improve, and how I can gradually improve myself every day. I have much more reading to do on the subject, but it fits into the vision of who I am and who I aim to be and I can see how it relates to current life even though the school of thought is more than 2000 years old. Its about every day life and how those that lived thousands of years ago are struggling with similar issues to those we are struggling with in this current day and age. To further the reach of Stoicism is in my mind to help create a better world around us. By focusing on improving ourselves, we can then improve the lives of those around us.