Our existence is colored by our thoughts.
We cannot control what happens to us, but we do control our thoughts about what happens to us.
“Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue – if you care for yourself at all – and do it while you can.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.14
When bad things happen it is our responsibility to pick ourselves up and work on saving ourselves.
The first step is controlling our attitudes and our thoughts about the situation.
Just because we think positively doesn’t mean the outcome will be positive.
Fear will certainly set in when we are faced with an unexpected change.
If we worry about something bad happening that doesn’t mean that it will happen either.
“Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic – that is the spiritual path.” -Pema Chodron
No matter what is happening around us or to us, panic is not helpful.
We have to be willing to have hope that no matter what is going on around us that we have the capacity to handle it.
“Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” -Václav Havel
We have to have the faith that our future selves will be able to handle whatever life puts in our path.
If we are positive (or as positive as our circumstances allow) our lives will inevitably be better.
How do we find teachers of stoicism? It feels so difficult given than the principals of the philosophy require that we don’t excessively bring attention to ourselves as pariahs, a good teacher would be nearly invisible
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The Stoics, especially Seneca and Epictetus, were teachers. I think Stoic teaching is about leading by example, not good and bad. It’s about embodying the philosophy rather than telling it.
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So a watchful eye is the best way to find a teacher? What about friends? Are these desires just childish and to be put away or do they have credit to them? I feel like it’s almost impossible to find someone who acts in the path of stoicism nowadays even slightly.
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A friend is a good place to start. Seneca’s Letter to Lucilius are letters to his friend. No one is the perfect Stoic. Seneca served Nero long past his realization of how evil he was. I think the hope is that Stoicism lets us live a little better today.
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“no one is a perfect stoic” I suppose it’s always Important to remember that
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