One of the best things I learned in Stoicism is that you can choose to have no opinion, which sets you free from a lot of negative thinking. Nowadays, we feel like we should know everything or we need to have our opinions validated online, but sometimes not having an opinion on a few things lets you be at peace.
I agree yeah that's my approach when it comes to modern politics or, you know, the lgbt stuff. I'm still pretty alien to the concept, so I choose not to have any opinion on them. I'm not their ally, but I'm also not their enemy.
@@pickle2144 I agree yeah that's my approach when it comes to modern thinking or, you know, the slavery stuff. I'm still pretty alien to the concept, so I choose not to have any opinion on them. I'm not their ally, but I'm also not their enemy.
What a beautiful video! Jared has another great video on a reading list for stoics. I recently read "How to Be a Stoic" by Pigliucci and all I can say is that it is good. But one has to really take the time to incorporate these principles into one's daily life. Otherwise, it's easy to forget them.
I hope Lingoda paid you good money becuase that was one of the best advertisement introductions I've ever witnessed. A true masterclass like the videos themselves.
This is all well and good, but ancient philosophy offers more than a few quirky notions for living a happy life. Ancient philosophy links with philosophical debate after first choosing a course of action. Instead of choosing a lifestyle, modern individuals attempt to live by following a number of the stoic teachers' books' recommendations.
Look at the word. Happy. Hap means Chance or Fortune. When the conditions of your life are as you want them, you are HAPpy...you like what is HAPpening Chance and Fortune are going your ay. When they are not, then you are UN Happy. To me, stoicism means letting go of the idea that we can know what is good for us and what is not. So often what we think of as misfortune turns out to be a blessing! And so often getting what we think will make us happy, turns out to be a curse. We can't know the ultimate consequences of any event. Take life as it comes...with equanimity.
Thanks for the video ). In one of your videos, you said that you are an Orthodox Christian. Was it your own decision or a tradition of your family? Could you tell us more about this?
Some of the best ways to be happy I follow as a stoic Accept the unchangeable Do not put on airs about your self improvement Seek self decipline Find opportunities in failure and adversities Be self sufficient Practice gratitude Don't put off to tomorrow what can be finished today These are the basic guide to be happy
A friend told me about the "Serenity Prayer" in AA, which is basically the Dichotomy of Control: Give me the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I like "Dichotomy of Control" better (reminds me of Jim Jarmusch's film, "The Limits of Control") because it's catchier and doesn't rely on prayer.
So I'll admit there is a lot of wisdom in stoic philosophy but what bothers me is I never hear about anyone who is anti-stoic. There has to be anti-stoic thinkers out there. Who is combating these notions? I would love a video about that! Thanks for all that you do! Keep philosophizing!
A note on temperance: I think it’s important to recognize that moderation is not the same as asceticism. Asceticism, which is the polar opposite of excess, is just as intemperate. Simple pleasures like taking warm showers are fine so long as you don’t overindulge in them. Anyway, great video!
Just finished your Chatting with Nutts episode on Jimmy’s channel and this came up in my watch later. Felt like jumping forward in time as you talked about developing this Stoicism video with Jimmy whenever that was recorded. Enjoyed the video and thought the two videos back to back was quite fun! Looking forward to your return to chatting w Nutts on the (future) book tour.
Hmmm but human nature varies and, in doing so, what is or isn't open to control. I for instance am autistic. Autistic people often have a strong sense of injustice. On holiday in South Africa when I was ten I was shocked and angry at the sight of public seats marked for "coloureds" . But, personally, control sounds too instrumental. I think happiness is closely linked to being authentic and being congruent with oneself
Stoicism is presented as if it’s this unique philosophy and worldview. Every civilization in history has some version of telling people the exact same wisdom and precepts as stoic. But westerners love to believe there is something incredibly wise and unique about saying in more verbose and poetic language to have a stiff upper lip. I’m sick and tired of people fetishizing stoicism as if it’s some super power to tell people to endure suffering. Stoicism is just another self help book , it exists to convince people that all problems in society are individual problems and all suffering in the face of complex social problems should be individual and we shouldn’t actually really change anything
Why be so frustrated over something which isn't even under your control tho? I mean people have different preferences just cause you believe something doesn't means it holds true for the others as well
Stoics never say to have a stiff upper lip. This is the most common misconception of the stoic philosophy. The stoics believed in change of perception, not the avoidance of emotion. It's a bummer to see that the current public perception of Stoicism is so warped. I think if you actually read some, you'd see that's not the case. Either way, I hope you're ok.
Many of the Roman Stoics were invested in the politics of the empire. They spoke out against injustices, and many were exiled or executed for their politics. The true Stoics love to speak out against injustices or even systemic oppression. They just want their social activism to come from a desire for justice not from a place of hatred. A stoic would also urge people to not let their happiness be dependent on whether their are systems of evil in the world. You only can not stop it these systems. But you can still be happy and work with others to dismantle said systems from virtue.
***You alone can NOT stop these systems of oppression/evil. However, if your happiness depends on what you can control. Then you can both be happy and be a social justice activist. You can work with others from a place of virtue to dismantle said systems of evil/oppression.****
