Stoicism is an increasingly well known philosophy dating back to ancient Rome (and Greece) and such key figures as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus.
As we move nearly a year into the pandemic, and particularly here in Britain, we hear of people saying all kinds of phrases to reassure themselves and others to keep going. One word, in particular, has been regularly used, and with a totally different meaning to how it originated, and that is the word stoic.
One will often hear of Brits saying and exhorting others to be “stoic” at times of crisis, yet stoicism ≠ Stoicism. Stoicism is an increasingly well known philosophy dating back to ancient Rome (and Greece) and such key figures as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus. Two brief pieces I have written around Stoic maxims are:
- Amor Fati and “I did it My Way”
- Memento Mori (and, linked to that phrase, the Steve Jobs commencement speech here is anchored on it): Three Powerful Commencement Speeches)
So, what is Stoicism as opposed to stoicism?
Ryan Holiday of The Daily Stoic has done much to popularise Stoicism in recent times, I highly recommend spending time on his site, as well as downloading such books as Letters from a Stoic by Seneca.
What Are The 4 Virtues of Stoicism?
Courage.
Temperance.
Justice.
Wisdom.
They are the most essential values in Stoic philosophy. “If, at some point in your life,” Marcus Aurelius wrote, “you should come across anything better than justice, truth, self-control, courage—it must be an extraordinary thing indeed.” That was almost twenty centuries ago. We have discovered a lot of things since then—automobiles, the Internet, cures for diseases that were previously a death sentence—but have we found anything better?
…than being brave
…than moderation and sobriety
…than doing what’s right
…than truth and understanding?
No, we have not. It’s unlikely we ever will. Everything we face in life is an opportunity to respond with these four traits:
From The Daily Stoic
You can see from my home page that I seek to bring Authentic Insights to add value to the leaders who are my clients, then to support them to Leverage Bravery so as to make a Meaningful Impact with What’s Next.
If you meet me or know me, know that I am a student of Stoicism and aspire to these four virtues. I hope you can see the Stoic virtues of Wisdom and Bravery flowing through that intention and focus. With that, to me the greatest of the Stoic virtues is Justice, of doing what’s right. Another way I put this is that my core value is fairness.
Also, the four core attributes essential to #OpenLeadership are to be : Brave, Hungry, Open and Humble.
So, I aspire to being a Stoic. Again stoicism ≠ Stoicism, and for more on this in depth, see this piece on the case for a “Passionate Stoicism“.