Stoicism is among the most ancient philosophical movements known to mankind. And although they were placed as early as the IV-III century BC. in Ancient Greece by Zeno, some of its principles are still relevant today - helping to control our emotions and reduce stress.
Here are four of his principles that will help us live better, especially in the harsh conditions of the present we all live in.
We come to terms with what we cannot control
The most common phrase that all children repeat is "That's not fair!", especially when they are unhappy. Because even before they fully understand what "justice" really means, they are aware of one thing - they disagree.
Feeling shortchanged is one of life's greatest disappointments, even for adults.
That's why psychotherapist Meg Gitlin advises to distinguish between external factors that we can't control and not waste unnecessary energy trying to fight the unfair. This is also one of the ways to deal with stress.
Stoics believe that when we accept that life is difficult, it will be easier for us to live in balance and recognize both possibilities and limitations.
On the one hand, ancient philosophy encourages us to give up everything that we cannot control, but on the other hand, to focus on the things that are important to us and that we can change. The idea is to approach rationally and act.
When we accept the thought that we cannot change our childhood, we will be aware of how to behave better with our own child in order to create a healthy relationship and give him everything that we ourselves lacked as children.
According to the Stoics, not everything is good or bad, black or white. We will feel better in our own skin if we admit our mistakes and continue to believe that we are good people. At the same time, however, we must be aware of what we need to improve and act in this direction.
When we think that something is only good, we risk feeling totally disappointed in ourselves as soon as we are criticized or fail. And vice versa.
If we think that something is only bad, we can miss important moments in life and lose our inspiration or confidence in pursuing a change or a specific goal.
We should be skeptical of our own thoughts
Often our perceptions do not correspond to reality and worry us in vain. We're talking obsessive thoughts like, "How could I say that! Now everyone hates me."or "Why did I do that, what would people think of this now?"
We can deal with such thoughts by looking for the faults in our own argument. If we begin to treat the thought "I'm not good enough..." as a question rather than a truth, we can come to the conclusion that it is based on emotion rather than logic.
Here are a few chosen quotes that can help you every day to evaluate your thoughts and deeds and improve the quality of your everyday life.
"Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not "This is misfortune," but "To bear this worthily is good fortune."
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own - not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural."
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good."
"How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy."
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil."
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Don't go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one."
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you'll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they're misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard?"
– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Everything that happens, happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so."
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A.A
Stob, Bulgaria