8/13/2019 Five Reasons Why Stoicism Matters Today

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Five Reasons Why Stoicism Matters Today

Posted: 09/29/2012 4:34 pm

For all the press that Bill Clinton has gotten for his epic,seeminglyhalfimpro!ised con!ention stem"inder, one of the mostre!ealing lines has #arely earned a mention at all$ %e "ere s&rprised to hear Clinton call Barac' (#ama )a man cool on theo&tside, #&t"ho #&rns for *merica on the inside$)

('ay, ignore the )#&rning for *merica part,) "hich is cheesy e!en #y B#a standards$ %hat+s interesting here is that President(#ama act&ally needed someone to go onstage and testify to his passion to insist that, yes, it "as in there some"here$ ostplic fig&res are all o&t"ard passion, all #ac'slapping, #ear h&gs, and -"hen the occasion calls for it. #arely repressed tears$)Cool on the o&tside) is something *mericans rarely see in a politician less charita#le o#ser!ers loo' at the same presidential&ality and see )aloofness,) )standoffishness,) )arrogance,) and e!en the great *merican sin of not #eing )a people person$)ometimes it seems that "e don+t 'no" ho" to process a politician "ho "ears emotions any"here other than on his slee!e$

B&t Clinton+s line on (#ama str&c' a familiar chord for &s, #eca&se "e+!e spent the past fe" years st&dying and "ritingonanother politician famo&s for his coolness: Cato the o&nger$ e "as a practitioner of toicism, an ancient ree' religion that hehelped #ring to 5ome$ %e aren+t claiming that the president+s a secret toic$ B&t "e do thin' that the plic response to his selfcontrol sho"s ho" poorly toic &alities can go o!er in o&r times: a philosophy #&ilt on emotional control seems strange in theage of o!ersharing$

%e thin' that+s a shame$ toicism still has a tremendo&s amo&nt to teach &s, especially in these passionsat&rated times$ %hat+smore, the toic legacy has shaped o&r "orld in more "ays than yo& might e6pect$ ere are fi!e reasons "hy toicism matters:

1. It was built for hard times.toicism "as #orn in a "orld falling apart$ 7n!ented in *thens 8&st a fe" decades after *le6ander the reat+s con&ests andpremat&re death &pended the ree' "orld, toicism too' off #eca&se it offered sec&rity and peace in a time of "arfare andcrisis$ he toic creed didn+t promise material sec&rity or a peace in the afterlife #&t it did promise an &nsha'a#le happiness inthis life$

toicism tells &s that no happiness can #e sec&re if it+s rooted in changea#le, destr&cti#le things$ (&r #an' acco&nts can gro" orshrin', o&r careers can prosper or falter, e!en o&r lo!ed ones can #e ta'en from &s$ here is only one place the "orld can+tto&ch: o&r inner sel!es, o&r choice at e!ery moment to #e #ra!e, to #e reasona#le, to #e good$

he "orld might ta'e e!erything from &s toicism tells &s that "e all ha!e a fortress on the inside$ he toic philosopherpictet&s, "ho "as #orn a sla!e and crippled at a yo&ng age, "rote: )%here is the good; 7n the "ill$$$7f anyone is &nhappy, lethim remem#er that he is &nhappy #y reason of himself alone$)

%hile it+s nat&ral to cry o&t at pain, the toic "or's to stay indifferent to e!erything that happens on the o&tside, to stay e&allyhappy in times of tri&mph and disaster$ 7t+s a demanding "ay of life, #&t the re"ard it offers is freedom from passion freedomfrom the emotions that so often seem to control &s, "hen "e sho&ld control them$ * real toic isn+t &nfeeling$ B&t he or she doesha!e a mastery of emotions, #eca&se toicism recogni

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eneca li!ed in a society #&ilt on sla!ery, #&t he also &rged his fello" 5omans to )remem#er that he "hom yo& call yo&r sla!esprang from the same stoc', is smiled &pon #y the same s'ies, and on e&al terms "ith yo&rself #reathes, li!es, and dies$)

his em#race of cosmopolitanism -a "ord in!ented #y toics, "hich literally means "orldcity. made toicism the idealphilosophy for the 5oman mpire, "hich #ro&ght an &nprecedented range of races and religions into contact$ toicism madesense for a glo#ali, ?ames toc'dale+s *4 'yha"' "as shot do"n o!er @ietnam$ e later remem#ered the moment li'e this: )*ftere8ection 7 had a#o&t thirty seconds to ma'e my last statement in freedom #efore 7 landed$$$*nd so help me, 7 "hispered tomyself: +Fi!e years do"n there, at least$ 7+m lea!ing the "orld of technology and entering the "orld of pictet&s$+)

toc'dale spent more than se!en years in a @ietnamese prison, and he "rote that toicism sa!ed his life$ toc'dale had spentyears st&dying toic tho&ght #efore deploying, and he dre" on those teachings to end&re his capti!ity$ hese "ords frompictet&s 'ept coming #ac' to him: )Ao yo& not 'no" that life is a soldier+s ser!ice;$$$7f yo& neglect yo&r responsi#ilities "hensome se!ere order is laid &pon yo&, do yo& not &nderstand to "hat a pitif&l state yo& #ring the army;) %hile some of his fello"

P(%s tormented themsel!es "ith false hopes of an early release, toc'dale+s toic practice helped him confront the grim realityof his sit&ation, "itho&t gi!ing in to despair and depression$

toc'dale "as not alone as a military man "ho dre" strength from toicism$ 7n her #oo' The Stoic Warrior, ancy herman,"ho ta&ght philosophy at the a!al *cademy, arg&ed that toicism is a dri!ing force #ehind the military mindset especially inits emphasis on end&rance, selfcontrol, and inner strength$ *s herman "rites, "hene!er her philosophy class at *nnapolist&rned to the toic thin'ers, )many officers and st&dents ali'e felt they had come home$)

(. It"s a %hiloso%hy for leadershi%.toicism teaches &s that, #efore "e try to control e!ents, "e ha!e to control o&rsel!es first$ (&r attempts to e6ert infl&ence onthe "orld are sect to chance, disappointment, and fail&re #&t control of the self is the only 'ind that can s&cceed 100percent of the time$ From emperor arc&s *&reli&s on, leaders ha!e fo&nd that a toic attit&de earns them respect in the face offail&re, and g&ards against arrogance in the face of s&ccess$

toicism has an appeal for anyone "ho faces &ncertainty that is, for all of &s$ B&t leaders are especially sect to ris' andfl&6, so it+s not s&rprising that many of them find a toic attit&decr&cial to their mental health$ %e mentioned Barac' (#ama+stoic demeanor a#o!e and there+s some more e!idence for i t in his recent inter!ie""ith ichael e"is$ )7+m trying to paredo"n decisions,) he told e"is$ )7 don+t "ant to ma'e decisions a#o&t "hat 7+m eating or "earing$ Beca&se 7 ha!e too many otherdecisions to ma'e$$$o& need to ro&tini

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(f co&rse, toicism doesn+t g&arantee res&lts$ (ne of Bill Clinton+s fa!orite #oo's "as arc&s *&reli&s+s Meditations and he+sno one+s idea of a toic$ Cato the o&nger sscri#ed to the philosophy from his yo&ng ad&lthood to his death he "as alsoprone to !iolent o&t#&rsts of anger, o#stinate pride, and occasional dr&n'enness$

B&t in his most co&rageo&s moments "hen he faced do"n the army of ?&li&s Caesar and certain defeat "itho&t #lin'ing Cato li!ed o&t the toic ideal$ he toics ta&ght that "e fail far more often than "e s&cceed, that to #e h&man is to #e fearf&l,selfish, and angry far more often than "e+d li'e$ B&t they also ta&ght a realistic "ay to #e more$

he more "e practice toic &alities in good times, the more li'ely that "e+ll find them in o&rsel!es "hen they+re most needed$

This postoriginally appeared on Forbes.com.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kareanderson/2012/09/28/five-reasons-why-stoicism-matters-today/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kareanderson/2012/09/28/five-reasons-why-stoicism-matters-today/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kareanderson/2012/09/28/five-reasons-why-stoicism-matters-today/