It is time. After reading various works from stoic philosophers and hearing from people who practice the stoic way of life today, I became more and more interested in stoicism. In this blog, I will catalogue my progress in understanding stoic principles and applying them in my life. Will you follow me on this path and start your own stoic journey?
Stoicism, especially today, is a broad concept. Generally, it can be defined as living in accordance with nature. This entails logical thought and self-control to overcome destructive emotions and ultimately leads to tranquillity and inner peace. A person cannot control external events and, thus, should be indifferent about them. External events are good nor evil, and should be accepted as facts. Pain and pleasure only stem from our interpretation of these facts, and is therefore subjective. By means of objective indifference (apatheia), we keep our emotions in check and cannot be harmed. In this way, we can live a virtuous and meaningful life and experience eudaimonia: a state of contentment and flourishing.
I have been reading about the stoic philosophy and it deeply resonated with me. Although I have always been interested in philosophy (even when I was only ten years old), I had never found a way of life that felt ‘right’ to me. But I have found it now, in the form of stoicism. I am by no means an expert on stoicism, but I intend to become one. This blog is the journal of my attempts in understanding an applying stoicism. I expect my stoic journey to be rough and capricious. I expect to encounter doubt and hardships. And in the end, I can only hope to get near the ideal of a stoic sage and eudaimonia. The good news is that you can follow this journey and even start your own. I intend this blog to be just as much a journal for myself, as an inspiration and guide to you. For now: it is time. I will start my stoic journey today.