Ideas
The common sense part
- Virtue is what matters
- 4 virtues deemed important by Stoics: courage, moderation, justice, wisdom
- Choose virtue over pleasure (choice of Hercules)
- Dichotomy of control: accept things out of your control
- Emphasis on using reason/being rational/aligning actions with the nature
The opinionated/radical part
- All forms of anger are bad. Aim to eliminate anger entirely
- Even anger against injustice → being angry makes you less effective in fighting the injustice
- Power of the mind/opinions/thoughts to end suffering: choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed / we suffer more in imagination than in reality
- Indifference towards fame/wealth/health (virtue alone is enough)
Practical methods
- Framing for setbacks, misfortunes, obstacles:
- Misfortunes are not punishments but rather divine trials designed to strengthen good people
- The impediment to action advances action, what stands in the way becomes the way
- Negative visualization: be prepared for the bad things and difficult people
- View from the top: consider how trivial this unpleasant thing is in perspective
- Memento mori: consider we will all die soon
- Reflection nightly: how did you do today? how could you do better
- Role model: what would ___ do?
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