I'll explore three ways to be happy, to care less and to have more peace of mind, inspired by Stoicism.
#stoicism #stoicphilosophy #dailystoic #stoic #ResilientMindsetTV
3 Stoic Strategies for Becoming Happier
Stoicism was a philosophical system that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. It has also had a significant impact. For over two thousand years, intellectuals and leaders have read and pondered the writings of Stoic thinkers such as Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius.
William Irvine argues in his brief but wonderfully readable book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (Oxford University Press, 2009) that Stoicism is an ideal and rational philosophy of life. He also thinks that becoming a Stoic would make many of us happier. This is an amazing assertion. In our continuously changing, technology-dominated society, how can the theory and practice of a philosophical school formed fifteen hundred years before the industrial revolution have anything to say to us today?
In response to that question, Irvine had a lot to say. The most intriguing portion of his response, however, is his description of particular techniques that the Stoics advocate everyone adopt on a regular basis. Negative visualization, internalization of goals, and constant self-denial are three of the most crucial.
Negative Visualization
When parents kiss their children goodnight, Epictetus advises them to consider the potential that the child will die during the night. And as you say goodbye to a friend, remember that you may never see them again, say the Stoics. Along the same lines, you can envision your home being destroyed by fire or a tornado, your job being lost, or the gorgeous car you just purchased being crushed by a runaway truck.
Benefits of Imagining the Worst
Why indulge such dreadful thoughts? What good can come from what Irvine refers to as "negative visualization"? Here are a few advantages to contemplating the worst-case scenario:
Anticipating tragedy can lead to proactive measures. Imagining your family dying from carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, may drive you to install a carbon monoxide detector.
If you have already envisioned how something terrible could happen, you will be less surprised if it happens. On a more mundane level, we are all familiar with this. Many people, before taking an exam, think or even convince themselves that they have done poorly so that they will be less upset if this is the case. Negative visualization, in this and other contexts, prepares us intellectually and emotionally to deal with bad experiences when they occur, which they will undoubtedly do.
Thinking about the loss of something allows us to appreciate it more thoroughly. We're all familiar with the inclination to take things for granted. We think it's fantastic when we first acquire a new house, car, guitar, smartphone, shirt, or whatever. However, the novelty wears off quickly, and we no longer find it exciting or even intriguing. Psychologists refer to this as "hedonic adaptation." However, imagining the loss of the thing in issue can reinvigorate our admiration for it. It is a technique that assists us in following Epictetus' instructions and learning to desire what we already have.
The third of these arguments for negative visualization is perhaps the most essential and convincing. And it extends far beyond newly purchased gadgets. There is so much to be thankful for in life, yet we frequently moan that things aren't perfect. However, everyone reading this post is most likely living a life that most people throughout history would have considered inconceivably pleasant. There is little reason to be concerned about famine, plague, war, or violent oppression. Anesthesia, antibiotics, and modern medicine; instant communication with anybody, anytime; the capacity to travel nearly anywhere in the world in a matter of hours; and instant access to great art, literature, music, and science via the internet. The list of things to be thankful for is nearly endless. Negative visualization serves as a reminder that we are "living the dream."
Internalization of Goals
We live in a culture that places a high value on worldly accomplishment. As a result, people seek to gain admission to elite colleges, acquire a lot of money, start a successful business, become famous, attain high status in their employment, win prizes, and so on. The problem with all of these objectives is that whether or not they are achieved is largely determined by events beyond one's control.
