Stoic Sunday III

[Barrett Dorko]

It is impossible to live the pleasant life without also living sensibly, nobly and justly, and it is impossible to live sensibly, nobly and justly without living pleasantly.

Epicurus

Do not seek to have to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well.

Epictetus

I’ve been following the stoics for a while. Actually, since first read A Man in Full ten years ago.

What I want to do for a while on Sunday is look at this philosophy and see if we can’t relate it to practice. Check out the Wiki entry here.

The tranquility the Stoics sought could not be acquired by taking a pill; it isn’t a zombie-like state. It is instead a state marked by the absence of negative emotions such as anger, grief, anxiety and fear, and the presence of joy.

I read the passage above in William Irvine’s A Guide To The Good Life – The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. The author says that he became interested in this philosophy after reading A Man In Full. Sound familiar?

Paraphrase:

In contrast to Zen Buddhism, Stoicism doesn’t require that you set aside blocks of time to “do” it. It simply requires that you periodically reflect on your life…Stoicism is the practical side of philosophy. It shows us how our way of seeing the world can be incorporated into our daily activities.

When I hold my grandson Sam (see my Facebook page) he always grasps the grey hair on my chin.

How can I help but practice this philosophy?

[CDano]

Advaita Vedanta, an age old Indian philosophy has many similarities, and the more I read you the more I think you would find it interesting.

You might check out Advaita - The truth of non-duality by Iyer. It's stoicism, with the added question of who is behind the questioner.

[Barrett Dorko]

I found this review very helpful.

Thanks.

[Barrett Dorko]

Sam was just over and I am feeling especially Stoic now.

[caro]

I think this essay belongs here.