My Stoic Thoughts: Days 6 & 7 of Stoic Week 2019

Stoic Week 2019

Saturday, October 12th, 2019

Theme:  Resilience:  Resilience and Preparation for Adversity

Stoic resilience is not about being an emotionless rock unaffected by the world around oneself.  Unfortunate things will befall the Stoic, however they will not be overly emotionally reactive when these things occur.  This is not a natural response. You are not necessarily born to be resilient but rather it takes practice and work to build resilience.  This means, anyone can become resilient.

Stoic resilience is built, in part, by preparing oneself for likely adversity or unfortunate events through thinking about these events and voluntarily becoming uncomfortable or emotionally reactive to them.  One does not become overly uncomfortable as they temper their emotions with reason and practice overcoming emotional stimulation (via changing thoughts about what is happening) or riding out the emotional disturbance inorder to become comfortable/familiar with being uncomfortable (anxious, upset, fearful, worried, etc).  Another part of building resilience is practicing gratitude or gratefulness for the opportunities given us, even in what seems like upsetting situations, and allowing ourselves to feel joy and accomplishment in acting virtuously (such as with courage or wisdom) in the face of such adversity.

Stoics are capable (with practice) of being grateful and finding positives in any situation, which helps to build resilience and a sense of joy.  For example, while attending Stoicon-X Milwaukee a fire alarm went off requiring the building be evacuated. Many looked upon this as an opportunity to practice Stoicism in the moment.  No one was upset and it was met with laughter and joy. Many stated they were grateful for the opportunity to practice what we’d all been studying as a lived and shared experience.

Stoic Week 2019

Sunday, October 13th, 2019

Theme:  Nature: Being a Part of Nature and Caring for It

Understanding the Stoic view of nature as an ordered whole can help us to put things in perspective.  We, as humans, are part of Nature’s ordered whole. However, we are only a small, insignificant things in the grand scheme of the whole.  The things that happen to us are relatively unimportant when you consider the grand total of Nature and time. If something is so unimportant and small, why worry about it?  If it does not reflect the ordered whole of nature or the happy life in living in accordance with Nature, what is there to worry about? Talking this view of Nature and events can help us in refocusing on what is truly good and important in life; living with reason in relation to others, according to Nature and reflecting the ordered whole.

(This is a summary of my thoughts inspired by prompts during Stoic Week and do not fully encompass everything on Stoic resilience or Nature.  I’m still learning, especially when it comes to Stoic Nature, so I highly encourage you to learn more, leave comments, and add to this conversation!)