THE PHILOSOPHY OF STOICISM PART 1

 

 

STOICISM

Simply put, Stoicism was designed to help people live their best life possible. Its a philosophy that maximizes positive emotions, reduces negative emotions and helps individuals hone their virtues of character.

Stoicism provides a framework for living well. It reminds people of what is truly important, providing practical strategies to get more of what is valuable. It was deliberately created to be understandable, actionable and useful. It offers an immediate, useful and practical way to find tranquility and improve one strength of character. This article contains the history of Stoicism, who were the stoics, the main principles of Stoic philosophy and the ways people practice Stoicism today. 

Stoicism is a school of philosophy that hails from Greece and Rome in the early parts of the 3rd century, BC. 

Back then, people's primary concern was avoiding living an unfortunate life. Therefore, they were more likely to order their thoughts, decisions and behaviors to promote increased life satisfaction. Most importantly to note is that individuals did not assume that they would achieve happiness by attaining money, prestige or beautiful things. People wanted to understand how they could have an excellent soul.

It was one of the famous schools of thought as the Stoics provided compelling answers to anxiety, stress, fear, and troubling questions of life by providing an operating system that dealt with the trials of human condition.

The ultimate answer to all of these went as follows: I want enduring happiness and tranquility of mind, which come from being a virtuous person. 

In summary, Stoicism was an ancient school of philosophy that taught a particular way of living. Its principal focus was to live a virtuous life, to maximize happiness and reduce negative emotions. Its principles may have started long time ago, but Stoic strategies are as relevant today as they were in ancient times.

who were the stoics?

A handful of thinkers helped to form the Stoic philosophy. This section will provide pertinent information about several of the most famous Stoics, as well as what they contributed to the Stoic philosophy.

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was one of the most influential human beings in human history. He was the head of the Roman empire for two decades at a time when it was one of the largest and most influential civilization the world has ever seen. Despite being an individual of limitless power, emperor Aurelius ardently practiced the Stoic philosophy.

He wrote in his journal about his struggles to live a restrained, wise and virtuous human being. He wrote them for himself entirely, later his writings were uncovered, collected and published under the title Meditations. His writings are a direct look at the thoughts of a practicing Stoic and he Stands as an incredible example of how Stoic strategies can help individuals deal with stressful situations. 

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