Stoicism is a 2000-year-old philosophy created with the intention to help individuals to live a more meaningful, more peaceful and more enjoyable life. In its essence, Stoicism achieves this by challenging us to focus only on the things that we can control, and to cease worrying about the things that we do not control. Most of the things in life are out of our control but if we can focus all of our energy and attention towards the things that we do control – such as our opinions and reactions to events – we can live very fulfilling lives indeed.
The reason that Stoicism is still popular 2000 years later and has undergone a boom in popularity in recent years is due to the timeless wisdom that it contains. It talks about the human predicament and the human character that has remained largely unchanged throughout history. Although one of the most popular Stoics Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor – an unimaginably different life to the ones that most of us live each day – the concepts that he writes about speak to us deeply. This is because challenging thoughts, anxiety, anger, striving for meaning and other subjects are something that we all deal with as humans – from emperors to slaves to regular individuals with day jobs in the 21st century.
How Does The Starter Pack From Stoic Store UK Help To Make Stoicism Even More Practical And Easy To Follow With Its Products?
There is more literature than ever on Stoicism and although some of the more popular concepts remain largely intact, there is also much misinformation about Stoicism and what it means to be ‘Stoic’. The free Stoicism Starter Pack that we have created on the website takes this into account. It only recommends resources from those who are well-read and well-versed in Stoic philosophy in its historical and philosophical context – with the Tao of Seneca being the centerpiece due to its simplicity and practicality. Quotes and resources from the original Stoics are extremely important to preserve their true meaning.
The starter pack, with the 3 volumes of the Tao of Seneca, demonstrates insightful lessons and timeless wisdom from famous Stoic Lucius Annaeus Seneca, along with his inspirational letters which are packed full of wisdom. The philosophy of Stoicism communicates that morality is the key to happiness, whilst individuals must also cultivate courage, self-control, wisdom, and justice to make their lives and the lives of those around them more meaningful.
What Advantages Are There To Adopting a Stoic Mindset In Everyday Life?
Helps To Live a Virtuous Life
Virtue is the essence of Stoicism and explains that a man’s wealth cannot and should not be measured in monetary terms or reputation, but rather how virtuous and morally sound he is in his own everyday deeds. In this way, a measure of a person can never come from the outside, as outsiders only see a superficial, partial image of the person. Only from the inside can virtue, love, peace and equanimity come. Again, this comes back to what we can’t control (other people’s opinions) versus what we can control (how we act in our own lives).
The Cultivation of Gratitude, Contentment, Equanimity and ‘Having Enough’
Through the cultivation of gratitude for things that you do have and the wisdom to not chase after things that you do not, the individual who truly embodies Stoicism always has enough. If more comes their way, great. If some things that they possessed disappear, that’s fine too. There are some perversions of Stoicism that represent a ‘nothing will ever be enough’ motivational mindset to achieve superficial, egoic goals. True Stoicism is precisely the opposite.
Stoicism Promotes Emotional Intelligence
As human beings, we are destined to experience the full range of emotions: fear, anger, sadness, grief, anxiety, happiness, joy. These emotions are to be welcomed and embraced, rather than seeked out or resisted. Being ‘stoic’ has a bad reputation for being completely emotionless. This in contrast to capital ‘s’ Stoic, which implies someone who is able to see their emotions clearly as they arise and as they fall, without getting entangled with them and being at their mercy.
Individuals Become More Productive and Creative
Adopting a Stoic mindset can help individuals to become more productive and creative. In the sense that they become increasingly better at understanding what lies in their control and what doesn’t, practitioners of the philosophy of Stoicism can clearly see where their time and energy should be focused – increasing productivity. At the same time, much time is freed up from worrying about irrelevant things, making the space for creative insights.
Final Verdict
The Stoicism Starter Pack is a fantastic way to begin cultivating a Stoic mindset and enjoying all of the advantages that it brings. Our collection of Stoicism philosophy books are recommended to not just those that are new to the philosophy, but experienced Stoics as well. It is free to download from our website, requiring only your email address to send you the pack.
