WTF is Stoicism?!

If I had to define stoicism, I think this quote from Epictetus, is an excellent starting point. He says, “The chief task of the philosopher, is to determine what's up to us and what's not up to us”.

In a sense, that's really the definition of stoicism. We don't control what happens to us, but we control how we respond to what happens to us in this life.

Think of it like sorting laundry: your thoughts, actions, and virtues go in the "mine to manage" pile, while external factors like traffic jams, weather, and the opinions of your annoying uncle get tossed in the "not my circus, not my monkeys" basket.

Stoicism isn't about suppressing emotions or adopting an apathetic attitude. Instead, it's a school of thought that arms you with the tools to confront life's challenges head-on, without losing your sanity. 

Today, we use the word stoic to mean someone who remains calm under pressure and avoids emotional extremes.

For the stoics, everything is an opportunity to respond with what they called the four virtues, they were courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom.

• Courage means facing daily challenges with clarity and integrity. To be brave and to endure.

• Temperance means Self-discipline and Moderation in all aspects of life. The right amount. It is abstaining from the things that don't matter. 

• Justice means treating others with fairness, even when they have done wrong.

• And then Wisdom, the ability to navigate complex situations in a logical, informed, and calm manner. 

That's what stoicism is. 

The Stoics believe that anything and everything that happened to us in this life was an opportunity to practice one of those virtues. They know stuff is going to go wrong, and stuff does go wrong all the time, but nothing can prevent us from using those virtues, because we always have the opportunity to accommodate and adapt and adjust.

Picture this: you're stuck in traffic, late for an important meeting, and your stress levels are skyrocketing. Instead of succumbing to road rage, a Stoic would take a deep breath, accept the situation, and focus on the things within their control – their reaction, perhaps some deep breaths, or even tuning into an insightful podcast to make the most of the delay.

It's not what happens, it's how you respond to what happens. And you can always respond with courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom.