Spring Week # 2: Introduction to Stoicism

Stoicism is an ancient philosophy of self reliance.  The ancient Greeks believed that a person's fate was set in stone and this took the responsibility off of a person for what happened to them.  If you read any of the plays by Sophocles, such as Oedipus Rex and Antigone, a major theme is the control of the gods over man's fate.  No matter what Oedipus did he was destined to kill his father and marry his mother.  Oedipus was not responsible for his actions because he was simply a pawn of the gods.  The stoics paid particular attention to actions/behavior.  To the Stoics you are what you do.  In a similar fashion, they valued knowledge, logic, and control over one's emotions.  

Modern society could use a dose of Stoicism in my opinion.  I am in my early 30's and I am so over people my age blaming others, especially their parents, for their current situation.  I totally understand and empathize with people that have serious trauma from their childhood, but for the average adult in their 30s their current situation tends to be a product of their own virtues.  Why do some people I know have crippling student debt and others do not?  Well beyond the question of privilege, it is a matter of choice.  Some people's parents paid for their college and they have no debt, others had to pay for their college but they made choices that either increased or decreased their debt.  I am not perfect.  I left college with debt, but less than others I know because I made some financially smart choices (e.g. choose a public university over a private one).  I feel completely responsible for my debt.  I took it out and I have control over how quickly or slowly I decide to pay it back.  

The stoic quote that spoke most to me was “no person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have," by Seneca.  I think this is the challenge of happiness.  We all think that if only we had ____ we would be happy, but if we keep thinking that we will never be happy.  The key to happiness is to be grateful and content with what we do have an make the most of it.  I think this a internal battle that I will always wage against myself which is worth it for those few moments of contentment.

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