StoicWeek2015HandbookNumberIIofStoicWeek

StoicismTodayStoicismToday(2015)

Tags: Stoic,Stoicism,Philosophy

TheStoicWeek2015HandbookModern-dayMeditationsInspiredbyMarcusAurelius

‘Donotactasifyouweregoingtoliveforathousandyears…whileyouarealive,whileitisstillpossible,becomeagoodperson.’—MarcusAurelius,TheMeditations,4.17

LatestRevision:25thOctober2015

ContentsIntroductionWhoWeretheStoics?CentralStoicIdeasStoicMaxims&AffirmationsStoicWeek:YourDailyRoutineTheStoicSelf-MonitoringRecordMonday:LifeTuesday:ControlWednesday:MindfulnessThursday:VirtueFriday:RelationshipsSaturday:ResilienceSunday:NatureAfterStoicWeek

Appendices

MeettheTeamFurtherReading

CopyrightNotice

Copyright©ChristopherGill,PatrickUssher,JohnSellars,TimLebon,JulesEvans,GillGarratt,andDonaldRobertson,2014-2015.Allrightsreserved.

Allimagescopyright©RocioDeTorres,reproducedwithpermission.

Termsofuse

Thecontentsofthishandbookarenotintendedasasubstituteformedicaladviceortreatment.Anypersonwithaconditionrequiringmedicalattentionshouldconsultaqualifiedmedicalpractitionerorsuitabletherapist.Thisexperimentisnotsuitableforanyonewhoissufferingfrompsychosis,personalitydisorder,clinicaldepression,PTSD,orotherseverementalhealthproblems.Undertakingthistrialshallbetakentobeanacknowledgementbytheparticipantthattheyareawareofandacceptresponsibilityinrelationtotheforegoing.

IntroductionWelcometothisopportunitytotakepartinauniqueexperiment:followingancientStoicPhilosophyasaguidetolivinginthemodernworld!ThishandbookwasdevelopedbytheStoicismTodayproject,whichstartedin2012asanattempttobringtogetheracademicsandpsychotherapistsinterestedinexploringthepotentialbenefitsofStoicphilosophyasawayoflife.

In2014,StoicWeekprovedextremelypopularandwasfollowedbyover2,650people.Wearenowrepeatingtheexperimentinthelightofthefeedbackwegainedfromitandfromourside-project,theStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining(SMRT)e-learningcourse,inwhichover500participantsfollowedStoicpracticesforfourweeks.

Inthishandbook,youwillfindadviceonhowtoadaptandfollowStoicprinciples,withacombinationofgeneraltheoryandmorespecific,step-by-stepguidanceoncertainStoicexercises.Thesematerialshavebeenpreparedbyexpertsinthefieldandgiveyouanunusual,andcompletelyfree-of-charge,opportunityforpersonaldevelopment.

Frequently-askedQuestions

Q:HowdoIknowthatlivinglikeaStoicwillbenefitme?

A:Youcan’tknowforcertain,untilyoutry.Indeed,oneofthereasonswe’reconductingtheexperimentistofindoutwhether,andhow,Stoicpracticescanhelpustolivebetterlives.

Havingsaidthat,in2014,ourresearchfindingsshowedthatonaverageLifeSatisfactionincreasedby16%,flourishingby10%,positiveemotionsby11%,andtherewasa16%reductioninnegativeemotions.Thisconfirmedourpreviousfindings,includingdatacollectedfromthe2014StoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining(SMRT)course,showingthatwhenweextendedtheexercisestofourweeks,LifeSatisfactionincreasedby27%,andnegativeemotionsdecreasedby23%.

Thebenefitforyoumaybeeducationalorphilosophical,ifithelpsyoutounderstandwhatStoicismmeans;itmaybepsychological,helpingyoubecomemoreresilientandpossiblyevenhappier;itmaybemoral,youmayfindthattheweekhelpsyoudevelopcertainethicalqualities.Ofcourse,somepeoplemayfindthatStoicismjustisn’tforthem,whichmightinitselfbeavaluablethingtodiscover.However,fromthequestionnairedatacollectedandpersonaltestimonywecanseethatmostpeoplewhoparticipatedinStoicWeekandrelatedeventsfoundtheexperienceveryenjoyableandbeneficial.

Q:What’sthebasicidea?

A:Youneedtodothefollowing:

1. CompletetheonlinequestionnairesatthebeginningandendofStoicWeek.2. Followthedailyschedule,consistingofapassageforreflectionandStoicmeditation

morningandevening.Atlunchtime,oratanothertimethatisgoodforyou,considertheStoicexerciseforthatday.

Themorningandeveningmeditationpracticeswillprovideyouwithadailyroutineorstructuretohelpyoureflectonwhathappenseachday.InstructionsfortheStoicmeditationsareofferedinthisbooklet,buttherearealsoguidedaudioexercisesifyouwishtousethem.YoucandownloadthesefromtheStoicismTodayblogsite:

MP3AudioRecordingsonStoicismToday

You’llbeginbylearningtokeeparecordofyourthoughts,actions,andfeelings,andtostartobservingtheminamoredetachedand“philosophical”way.OneofthemainpracticalthemesthatrunsthroughStoicism,andthereforethisHandbook,isthestrategyofdistinguishingbetweenthingswhichareunderyourcontrolandthingswhicharenot.TheStoicsbelievedthistakestrainingtodowellbutthatit’sthekeytoself-disciplineandovercomingemotionaldisturbance.Itrequirescontinualattentiontoyourownthoughtsandjudgements,whichwecandescribeasakindof‘mindfulness’practice.You’llthenbuilduponthisfoundationbyexploringdifferentStoicconceptsandtechniqueseachday,throughthecourseoftheweek.

Q:I’mworriedImaynothavetimetodoeverything.HowcanIgivemyselfthebestchanceofmakingthemostofit?

A:Itwillprobablybehelpfulforyoutothinkofthisasadefinite,short-termcommitment—similarperhapstotheeffortyouwouldputintorehearsingtheweekbeforeappearinginaplay,oranexam,ortrainingforasportingevent.Ideally,thismighttakeabout15minutesinthemorningandevening,andthesameatlunchtime,althoughyoumightwanttospendmoreorlesstimeonthings.Somepeoplehavetoldustheycanonlysparefiveortenminutes,andthat’sabsolutelyfine.(Thisisverysimilartothecommitmentrequiredformostresearchstudiesonpsychologicalself-helporskillstraining.)

Q.HowcanImakeuseofmoderntechnologywhilelivinglikeaStoic?

Herearesomeideas:

Video.RecordavideodiaryofyourexperiencesoflivinglikeaStoicandpublishonYouTubeoranothervideo-sharingsiteBlogging.Blogaboutyourexperiencesonyourownsite,orsendthemtoourWordPressblog:StoicismTodayTwitter.Tweetaboutyourexperiences,orpostStoicadagesonTwitterasyougoalong,using#stoicweekFacebook.MakeuseoftheonlineFacebookgrouptoshareyourideasand

experiencesGoogle+.YoumayalsowanttoshareyourthoughtsonourGoogle+communitypageMobile.UseyourphonetosetreminderstostartyourStoicpractices

Whichoftheseappealtoyou?HowmanyotherwayscanyouusetechnologytohelpyoulivelikeaStoic?Ifyouaredoingtheexperimentwithotherpeople,itmighthelptodiscussyourexperiencesregularly.Perhapsyoucouldhavea10minuteStoiccoffee-breakeachdaywhereyoutouchbasewithothersanddiscusshowyouaredoing.

Q:HowwillIknowwhetherithashelpedornot?

A:Youwillfillinquestionnairesbeforeandaftertheweekwhichwillhelpyoutoseeobjectivemeasuresofchangeandalsoallowyoutoreflectontheexperience.YourdoingsowillalsohelpustoevaluatethebenefitsandlimitationsofStoicpractices.InStoicterms,youcouldevensaythatparticipationintheexperimentcanbeseenascontributingtowardlivingagoodlife.

WhoWeretheStoics?

StoicismisanancientGraeco-Romanphilosophy.ItwasfoundedinAthensbyZenoofCitiumaround301BC.ThenamecomesfromthepaintedporchorStoawhereZenolecturedhisstudents.StoicismlaterbecameverypopularinancientRome,whereitcontinuedtoflourishafterthedisappearanceoftheoriginalGreekschool.LessthanonepercentoftheoriginalwritingsofStoicismnowsurvive,however.Themostsignificantancientsourceswehavetodayare:

1. ThemanyLetters,EssaysandDialoguesoftheRomanstatesmanSeneca,whowasacommittedStoic,andalsoadvisortotheemperorNero.

2. TheHandbookandfoursurvivingDiscoursesofEpictetus,aGreekex-slave,compiledfromhislecturesbyastudentcalledArrian–EpictetusistheonlyStoicteacherwhoseworksurvivesinanysignificantquantity.

3. TheprivateStoicnotebookordiary,calledTheMeditations,oftheRomanemperorMarcusAurelius,whowasstronglyinfluencedbyEpictetus.

IntheStoicWeekHandbookwehaveincludedquotationsfromallthreethinkers,especiallyMarcusAurelius,whoexpressesStoicideasinadistinctivelybriefandeloquentformthatmanypeoplefindespeciallypowerful.WethinkthatMarcuswrotehisMeditationsasmorningoreveningreflectionstohelpprovidephilosophicalsupportforhimselfinanintenselybusyanddemandinglifeasemperorandgeneral.Inthe17thcentury,AnthonyAshley-Cooper,thethirdEarlofShaftesbury,wrotehisownStoicjournalcloselybasedonTheMeditationsandtheDiscoursesofEpictetus,whichisavailableinprinttodayasThePhilosophicalRegimen.

StoicWeekgivesyouachancetofollowasimilarroutinetoMarcuseachday.Youmight

liketowritedownyourownmorningandeveningmeditationsandkeeptheminanotebook,orsharethemwithotherpeoplethroughsocialnetworks.YoucanbaseyourpersonalmeditationsonthetopicssuggestedoruseotherStoicideasthatyouhavelearntaboutandfindhelpful.

YoumightliketoreadmoreofMarcus’Meditationsduringtheweek.Therearerecenttranslationinpaperbackande-bookformatsfromOxfordWorld’sClassicsandPenguin.WehopeyoufindfollowingStoicWeekashelpfultoyouasMarcusobviouslyfoundwritinghisMeditations.AnothertranslationofBooks1-6ofTheMeditations(byChristopherGill)providesafullintroductionandcommentaryifyouwantmoreguidance(OxfordUniv.Press,2013).

CentralStoicIdeasWhatisStoicism?Howmightithelpustolivebetter,happierlivestoday?SomeofyouwillbedrawntothisexperimentbecauseyoualreadyknowalittlebitaboutStoicismandwanttoputitintopracticeforyourselves.OthersmayknowverylittleaboutStoicismandaresimplycurioustolearnmore.TheancientphilosophicalsystemofStoicismwaswell-knownforbeingbothlargeandcomplex,addressingawiderangeoftopics.Soitwillbeimpossibletointroduceitall,butherearethreecentralideasthatareattheheartofStoicethicalphilosophy.

1.Virtue

TheStoicsarguedthatthemostimportantthinginlifeandtheonlythingwithrealvalueis‘virtue’,bywhichtheymeantexcellenceofcharacter.ThecorevirtuesfortheStoicswerewisdom,justice,moderation,andcourage.ButStoicvirtueneedstobeunderstoodquitebroadly,intermsofethicalprinciplesaswellashavingagoodcharacterandgoodattitudestowardotherpeople.Virtueisnotjustamatterofwhat’sgoingoninyourheadbutalsoofwhat’sgoingoninyourfamilyandsocialrelations,yourintentions,youractions,andyourpatternoflifeasawhole.

ThecentralStoicclaimwasthatvirtueisultimatelytheonlythingthatreallymatters;itistheonlythingthatistrulygoodanditistheonlythingthatcanbringuswell-beingorhappiness.Cultivatingvirtue,intermsofunderstanding,characterandourrelationships,oughttobeourtoppriority,aboveallotherthings,ifwewanttoliveagood,happylife.

TheStoicsalsobelievedthat,ashumanbeings,wearenaturallyinclinedtorecognisetheoverridingvalueofvirtue,andthatwearebornwithaninstinctivewishtobenefitothersandtoexpressthisinsocialinvolvement.Fromthisnaturalbasis,wemaycometoseethebondbetweenourselvesandallhumanbeings.

ConverselytheStoicsclaimedthatallthoseexternalthingsthatpeopleoftenpursue—agoodjob,money,success,fame,andsoon—cannotguaranteeushappiness.Theycouldwellbepartsofahappylifebut,ontheirown,theywillneverdelivergenuinefulfilment,unlesswealsohavethevirtues.

Indeed,thisstressontheroleofvirtuedoesnotmeanthatthosethingsthatpeoplenormallythinkofasgoodarenotimportant—thingssuchashealth,havinggoodfriends,andfinancialmeans.Itisjustthatourhappinessdependsultimatelyondevelopingvirtueratherthanonhavingtheopportunitytoacquiretheseexternalthings,whichisalwayspartlyinthehandsoffate.

2.Emotions

InthepopularimaginationaStoicissomeonewhodeniesorrepressestheiremotionsinapotentiallyunhealthyway.However,thisisamisconception,albeitawidespreadone.ThecentralStoicclaimwasthatouremotionsareultimatelytheproductofjudgementswemake.Itisbecausewethinkexternaleventsarewhat‘reallymatters’thatwefeelangerorfear.Aswegetabetterunderstandingofwhatreallymatters,andwhatis‘uptous’,thentheseunhealthyorirrationalemotionswillbereplacedbyhealthy,rationalones.Inshort:aswedevelopethicallyandasweseetheabsolutevalueofvirtue,ouremotionallifewillchangeforthebetter.

Inthesamewaythatfaultyjudgementsleadtoirrationalemotionsormisguideddesires,sotoowillwisejudgementsleadtowell-groundeddesiresandemotions.Forexample,theStoicsclaimedtherewerethreebroadcategoriesofgooddesiresandemotions,whicharepartofahappylifeandwhichnaturallyfollowasaconsequenceofdevelopingvirtuousattitudes:

1. Joyordelight,intheexperienceofwhatistrulygood,asopposedtoemptyorirrationalpleasures.

2. Cautionordiscretion,directedattheprospectofwhatistrulybad,asopposedtoirrationalfear.

3. Wishingorwillingwhatistrulygood,includingthewell-beingofothersandourselves,asopposedtoirrationalcravingforthingsthatarenot‘uptous’likehealth,wealth,orreputation.

SotheStoicSageisnotsimplyanemotionless,coldfish.Infact,theancientStoicsrepeatedlysaidtheirgoalwasnottobeasunfeelingassomeonewithaheartofstoneoriron.Ratheritwastodevelopthenaturalaffectionwehaveforthoseclosetous,inaccordancewithvirtue.Ultimatelythismeansextendingourethicalconcerntohumankindingeneral,bydevelopinganattitudeofphilanthropy.

Noschoolhasmoregoodnessandgentleness;nonehasmoreloveforhumanbeings,normoreattentiontothecommongood[thanStoicism].Thegoalwhichitassignstousistobeuseful,tohelpothers,andtotakecare,notonlyofourselves,butofeveryoneingeneralandofeachoneinparticular.(Seneca,OnClemency,3.3)

TheStoicsalsoacknowledgedtheexistenceofcertainreflex-likeaspectsofemotion,physiologicalreactions,suchasblushing,stammering,orbeingstartled.Thesetypicallyremaininvoluntaryandbeyondourdirectcontrol,althoughwecanchoosehowwerespondtothemandwhetherweallowourselvestodwellonorescalateourfirstimpressionsandinitialreactionsintofull-blown“passions”ofanexcessiveorunhealthysort.It’sonethingtobestartledortakenbysurprise,andanothertocontinueneedlesslydwellingonandworryingaboutunimportantthings.

3.Nature&theCommunityofHumankind

OneofthemostfamousancientStoicsloganswasthatweoughttoliveinharmonywithNature.Whatdidtheymeanbythis?TheStoicsthoughtofNatureinatleastthreekeyways.

1. Ourtrueinnernature,whichtheybelievedtoconsistinourcapacityforreason2. Thenatureofourexternalenvironmentasawhole,theuniversearoundus3. Thenatureofsociety,andourrelationshipwiththerestofmankind

TheStoicsbelievedthatleadingalifewithvirtueasyourgoalisthenaturalwayforahumanbeingtolive.Theyencourageustoseethatifwecreateawholenessandcoherenceofmoralcharacterinourselves,wearematchingthecoherenceandunitythattheyseeintheworldasawhole.

TheStoicsalsoencourageustoseeourselvesasintegralpartsofnature.Today,manyhumanbeingsareawarethattheyneedtothinkmoreabouttheimpactofhumanactionsonthenaturalenvironmentandtoseethemselveswithinthecontextofnatureandtheStoicworld-viewcanhelpusdevelopthisattitude.FortheStoics,ourlife-cycle(frombirthtodeath)isbutoneinfinitesimalpartoflifeinnature,andrealisingthiscanhelpusaccepteveryevent,includingourowndeathandthatofothers,withequanimity.

Asnotedalready,virtueisnotjustamatterofyourstateofmindbutofhowyourelatetootherpeople.TheStoicsbelievethatmostspeciesofanimals,andespeciallythehumanspecies,arenaturallysociableincharacter.Wenaturallyformattachmentsandwenaturallyliveincommunities.FromthisnaturalaffectionstemstheStoicidealofthe‘communityofhumankind’.AsMarcusAureliuswrites:

Wewerebornforcooperation,likefeet,likehands,likeeyelids,liketherowsofupperandlowerteeth.Sotoworkinoppositiontooneanotherisagainstnature:andangerorrejectionisopposition.(Meditations,2.1)

TakingPart

IfyouaregoingtofollowStoicWeekthenyouneedtobeopentothesethreecentralideasaboutvalue,emotions,andnature.Youdon’tneedtoacceptthemuncritically,butyoudoatleastneedtobepreparedtoexplorethemfurtherandconsiderwhethertheyseemtoyouactuallytrueaswellaspotentiallybeneficialtoyouinhowyouleadyourlife.

Ouraiminthisprojectisnottotrytoconvinceyouofthetruthoftheseclaimsbutsimplytoseeiftheyarehelpfulforyouinthewayyouleadyourlife.IfthesekeyideasseemcompletelyabsurdtoyouthenitmaybethatStoicWeekisnottherightexperimentforyou.

StoicMaxims&AffirmationsTheStoicsappeartohaverepeatedcertainkeyphrasesormaximstothemselvesinordertomemorisethemandhavethemconstantly“ready-to-hand”,especiallyinthefaceofacrisis.Epictetustoldhisstudentstorepeatvariousstatementstothemselvesmentally.Someoftheseareofageneralnature,whereasothersarethingsStoicsweretoldtosayinresponsetospecificemotionalchallenges.Forinstance,“Youarejustanimpressionandnotatallthethingyouclaimtorepresent”and“Thisisnothingtome”,inresponsetotroublingthoughts.Whensomeoneactedinawaythatmightbeupsettingorobjectionable,Epictetustoldhisstudentstosay“Itseemedrighttohim”.

Hence,theStoicliteratureisfullofbrief“Laconic”phrases,memorablesayingsthatareeminentlyquotablebutalsohelpedStoicstocommitkeyphilosophicalideastomemoryasawayofcopingwithadversecircumstances.Indeed,whensomeonecomplainedtoZeno,thefounderofStoicism,thatthesephilosophicalsayingsweretoocondensed,herepliedthattheyweresupposedtobeconciseandthatifhecouldhe’dabbreviatethesoundofthesyllablesaswell!

Havingthesethoughtsalwaysathand,andengrossingyourselfinthemwhenyouarebyyourself,andmakingthemreadyforuse,youwillneverneedanyonetocomfortandstrengthenyou.(Epictetus,Discourses,3.24)

ExamplesofSelf-Statements

HerearesomeexamplesoftypicalStoicsayings,derivedfromtheclassicalliterature.Insomecasesthey’vebeenmodifiedveryslightlytomakethemmoresuitableforuseasaffirmations.Whenyourepeatthem,trytocontemplatetheirmeaningor,ifyouprefer,imaginethatyou’rerehearsingwhatitwouldbeliketoreallyacceptthemandbelieveintheseprinciplescompletely.

FromtheHandbookofEpictetus

“Somethingsareundermycontrolandotherthingsarenot.”“Peopleareupsetnotbythingsbutbytheirjudgementsaboutthings.”“Youarejustanappearanceandnotatallthethingyouclaimtorepresent.”(Responsetoatroublingimpression.)“Youarenothingtome.”(Responsetothingsnotunderyourcontrol.)“Virtueistheonlytruegood.”“Whatisbeyondmycontrolisindifferenttome.”“Ifyouwantanygood,getitfromwithinyourself.”“Don’tdemandthatthingsgoasyouwill,butwillthattheyhappenastheydo,andyourlifewillgosmoothly.”“Sicknessisahindrancetothebody,butnottothewill.”

“Neversayofanything‘Ihavelostit’but‘Ihavereturnedit.’”“Itseemedrighttothem.”(Responsetosomeonewhoseactionsseemdisagreeabletoyou.)“Everythinghastwohandles,andcanbepickedupandcarriedeitherwiselyorfoolishly.”“WhoeveryieldsproperlytoFate,isdeemedwiseamongmen,andknowsthelawsofheaven.”(QuotedfromEuripides)

ThesetwofamoussayingswerealsoassociatedwithEpictetus’brandofStoicism:

“Rememberthoumustdie.”“Endureandrenounce”or“bearandforbear”,havingthevirtuesofcourageandself-discipline.

SomemoresuggestionsfromtheStoiccommunity:

“Remembertoooneveryoccasionwhichleadstheetothepresentdifficultytoapplythisprinciple:notthatthisisamisfortune,butthattobearitnoblyisgoodfortune.”(Meditations,4.49)“Thethingthatmattersthemostisnotwhatyoubearbuthowyoubearit.”(Seneca,OnProvidence)“Beginatoncetolive,andcounteachseparatedayasaseparatelife.”(Seneca,Letters)“IfIknewthatitwasfatedformetobesick,Iwouldevenwishforit;forthefootalso,ifithadintelligence,wouldvolunteertogetmuddy.”(Chrysippus)

AudioDownload:StoicAttitudesMeditationYoumayalsowanttolistentotheMP3audiorecordingwecreatedcalledtheStoicAttitudesMeditation.Thiscontainsacontemplativeexerciseconsistingofascriptedseriesofphilosophicalaffirmations,closely-basedontheStoicliterature.YoucandownloadthisalongwiththeotherexercisesviathelinksintheIntroductiontothisHandbook.

StoicWeek:YourDailyRoutineEachdayinStoicWeekhasitsowncentraltheme.Thesewillbuildupononeanotherastheweekprogresses,makingthewholeweek,potentially,thebeginningofadeeperjourneyintoStoicism.Takesometimeoutatlunchtimeeachday,oranytimethatsuitsyou,toreflectontheday’sthemeandthinkabouthowitmightshapethevariousactivitiesinwhichyouareengaged.

Therearealsomorningandeveningmeditationstopractise,whichyoushouldtry,ifpossible,topractiseatthebeginningandendofeachday.Let’snowexplorethesetwopracticesinmoredetail.

Early-MorningMeditation

Whenyouwakeupeachmorning,takeafewmomentstocomposeyourselfandthenpatientlyrehearsethedayahead,planninghowyoucanmakeyourselfabetterperson,whilealsoacceptingthatsomethingsliebeyondyourcontrol.

1. MarcusAureliustalksaboutwalkingonyourowntoaquietplaceatdaybreakandmeditatinguponthestarsandtherisingSun,preparingforthedayahead.Youcanalsodothisathome,sittingontheendofyourbed,orstandinginfrontofthemirrorinyourbathroom,andstillthinkofthesunrisingagainstabackdropofstars.

2. Pickaspecificphilosophicalprinciplethatyouwanttorehearseandrepeatittoyourselfafewtimesbeforeimagininghowyoucouldputitintopracticeduringtherestoftheday.YoumightchoosethekeygeneralStoictheme:‘Somethingsareunderourcontrolwhereasothersarenot’,andtothinkaboutgivingmoreimportancetobeingagoodpersonandactingwellandtreatingthingsyoucannotcontrolasultimatelymuchlessimportant.

3. Alternatively,youmightpickaspecificvirtuethatyouwanttocultivateandprepareyourselfmentallyforyourdayahead—imagininginbroadoutlinehowyouwouldactifyoushowedmorewisdom,justice,courage,ormoderation.

4. Practisethismeditationforabout5-10minutes,pickingoutkeyeventsorspecificchallengesthatmightarise.

Onceyou’vegotintothehabitofdoingthis,tryimagininggreaterchallengesinthedayaheadsuchassomeofyourplansnotgoingasyouhopeanddealingwithdifficultpeople.Asyouconsiderapossibledifficulty,thinkabouthowyoucouldtackleitwithaStoicprincipleorvirtue.

Saytoyourselfatdaybreak:Ishallcomeacrossthemeddlingbusy-body,theungrateful,theoverbearing,thetreacherous,theenvious,andtheantisocial.Allthis

hasbefallenthembecausetheycannottellgoodfromevil.(Meditations,2.1)

Late-EveningMeditation

EpictetusandSenecabothalludetotheusewithinStoicismofaformofcontemplative,philosophicalself-analysis,practisedregularly,eachevening,whichwasborrowedfromPythagoreanism.Forexample,EpictetusquotedthefollowingpassagefromtheGoldenVersesofPythagorastohisstudents:

“Allownotsleeptocloseyourweariedeyes,Untilyouhavereckonedupeachdaytimedeed:‘WheredidIgowrong?WhatdidIdo?Andwhatduty’sleftundone?’FromfirsttolastreviewyouractsandthenReproveyourselfforwretched[orcowardly]acts,butrejoiceinthosedonewell.”(Discourses,3.10.2—3)

Forourpurposes,atnight,beforegoingtosleep,take5-10minutestoreviewtheeventsofyourday,picturingtheminyourmindifpossible.It’sbestifyoucandothisbeforeactuallygettingintobed,whereyoumightbegintofeeldrowsyratherthanthinkingclearly.Youmayfindithelpfultowritenotesonyourreflectionsandself-analysisinajournal,documentingyour‘journey’asyoulearntoapplyStoicpracticesindailylife.Trytoremembertheorderinwhichyouencountereddifferentpeoplethroughouttheday,thetasksyouengagedin,whatyousaidanddid,andsoon.Askyourselfthefollowingquestions(orquestionssimilartothese):

1. Whatdidyoudobadly?Didyouallowyourselftoberuledbyfearsordesireofanexcessiveorirrationalkind?Didyouactbadlyorallowyourselftoindulgeinirrationalthoughts?

2. Whatdidyoudowell?Didyoumakeprogressbystrengtheningyourgraspofthevirtues?

3. Whatdidyouomit?Didyouoverlookanyopportunitiestoexercisevirtueorstrengthofcharacter?

4. Considerhowanythingdonebadlyorneglectedcouldbedonedifferentlyinthefuture-dothisbycriticisingyourspecificactionsratherthanyourselfasapersoningeneral.

5. Praiseyourselfforanythingdonewell.

Indoingthis,asSenecaputit,youareadoptingtheroleofafriendandwiseadvisortowardyourself,ratherthanaharshorpunitivecritic.

WecanprobablyassumethataStoicwhoseself-analysisandreviewoftheprecedingdayleadshimtoconcludehehaserredinhisjudgement,actedbadly,orfailedtofollowhisprinciples,wouldseektolearnfromthisandactdifferentlythefollowingday.Wakingupthenextday,you’llfinditnaturaltobaseyourmorningmeditation,inpart,onyourreflectionsbeforegoingtosleepthepreviousnight.Thesemeditationscancombinetoforma‘learningcycle’,asyouplanhowtoliveandactmorewisely,putthisintopracticeduringtheday,andthenreflectontheoutcomeafterwards,whichleadstothesamecyclethe

followingday.

Theadvicefrommodernpsychotherapywouldbethatyou’llneedtobecautioustoavoidreflectionturningintomorbid‘rumination’.Don’tdwelltoolongonthingsorgoaroundincircles.Rather,trytokeepapracticalfocusandarriveatcleardecisionsifpossible;ifnot,thensetyourthoughtsasidetoreturntotheminthemorning.Therearemanyhiddenaspectstothisexercise,whichwillbecomeclearerasyouprogressinyourstudiesofStoicism.Forexample,bearinginmindthatthepastisbeyondyourabilitytocontrol,youmightwanttousethisreviewtoadoptanattitudeofprovisionalacceptanceofyourownfailings,forgivingyourselfwhileresolvingtobehavedifferentlyinthefuture.Hence,asSenecaemphasises,whendescribinghisuseofthesameeveningroutine,weshouldnotbeafraidofcontemplatingourmistakesbecauseasStoicswecansay:“Bewareofdoingthatagain-andthistimeIpardonyou.”

AudioDownload:MorningandEveningMeditationsAudioexercisesforStoicWeek,includingthemorningandeveningmeditation,canbefoundviathelinksintheIntroductionchapterofthisHandbook.

TheStoicSelf-MonitoringRecordYoumayfindithelpful,ifyousochoose,tomakeuseofaself-monitoringrecord.Thiswillhelpyoukeeparecordofthingsyou’dliketostop,suchasdwellingonnegativethoughtsandthingsyoumightlaterregret.Ifyoufeelyou’venotgottimetodothis,don’tworry,it’soptional,butifyouareabletomakethetime,we’resureyou’llfinditcontributessignificantlytothebenefitsyouderivefromStoicWeek.

Theself-monitoringrecordisbasedonmethodsusedincognitive-behaviouraltherapy(CBT).However,althoughtheancientStoicsdidn’tactuallyfilloutaformlikethis,wecanfindsimilarself-monitoringpracticesrecommendedintheirwritings.Therecordwesuggestyoukeepisjustasimplesheetofpaperwithseveralcolumnsmarkedonitasbelow.Youcanmakeyourownversionoryoucanfindaversionwehavecreatedintheappendices.

Thisprocessisabouttakingastepbackfromthings,andgainingwhattherapistscall‘psychologicaldistance’fromyourinitial,upsettingthoughtsandfeelings.Becomeadetachedobserverofyourselfforawhile.Writethingsdownassoonaspossible,asdoingsowillhelpyouviewthingsinthisdetachedway,observingeventsanddescribingtheminanobjectivemanner.

1.Date/Time/Event

Notethedateandtimeoftheevent,whenyoustartedtofeelangryorafraid,forexample,andbrieflydescribetheactualsituationyouwerefacing,e.g.,perhapssomeonecriticisedyourwork,ormaybesomeoneofferedyousomejunkfoodwhileyouweretryingtoleadahealthylife.

2.Feelings

Whatemotionsordesiresdidyouactuallyexperience(theStoicsusethetechnicalterm‘passions’forboth).Remember,we’reonlyreallyinterestedinfeelingsthatmightbeconsideredirrationalinthesenseofbeingmisguidedandnegative.So,followingonfromourexamplesabove,youmightwritedownthatyoufeltexcessivelyanxiousorangryaboutbeingcriticised,orthatyoufeltastrongcravingtoeatjunkfood,whichyoufoundhardtoresist.Rememberthatyou’realsotryingtocatchthesefeelingsearly,sotrytonote‘early-warningsigns’,whichareoftensensationssuchastremblingwhenafraid,althoughsometimestheymightbethoughtssuchastellingyourself‘justonewon’thurt’whenyou’retemptedtoeatsomethingunhealthy.

3.Thoughts

Whatrelatedthoughtswentthroughyourmind?Stoicpsychologyheldthatouremotionsanddesiresfundamentallydependuponourthoughts,particularlyourvalue-judgements.Beforewarnedthatmostpeoplefinditdifficultatfirsttoidentifythespecificthoughtsthat

areresponsiblefortheirfeelings.You’llprobablyneedtoworkonthis,butwithpractice,andstudy,itshouldbecomeeasier.Wereyoutellingyourselfthatsomethingexternalisverygood(desirable)orbad(upsetting)?Forexample,someonewhofeelsanxiousandangryaboutbeingcriticisedmightcometorealisethatthey’rethinking‘Imustberespectedatwork’andplacinggreatimportanceorintrinsicvalueonotherpeople’sopinionsofthem,insteadofwantingtodotheirjobwellforitsownsake.

4.Control

Aswe’llsee,thisisthecentralquestionthatStoicsusetoevaluatetheirimpressions:‘Isituptome?’.Theymeant‘Isthis-thethingthatmyfeelingsareabout—undermydirectcontrol?’Again,don’tworrytoomuchaboutthisforyourfirstdayorso,becauseasyoulearnmoreaboutStoicismyou’llgetbetteratposingthisquestion.Forexample,youmightobservethatotherpeople’sopinionsofyou,andwhetherornottheycriticiseyou,isultimatelybeyondyourdirectcontrol—allyoucancontrolinthissituationisyourcurrentresponsetotheirwordsandperhapsyourplansforhowtoactinthefuture.Evenyourpreviousfailingsarenolongerwithinyourpowertochange—youcan’trewritethepast.

ThisdistinctionbetweenwhatisuptousandwhatisnotiscrucialforStoics,asyou’llsee,becausetheyurgeustoacceptthosethingsinlifewecannotpossiblychange,whileseekingtochangethethingswecan,tobringthemmoreintolinewithwisdomandourethicalprinciples.Justwriteafewwordsheresummingupyouranalysisofthesituation,intermsofwhichaspectsyoudoordonotcontrol.Alternatively,ratehowmuchcontrolyouhaveovertheaspectsofthesituationthatupsetyou,onaroughsubjectivescalefrom0-100%.We’llneedtoexplorethisquestionmorecarefullyinthefollowingpartsofthecourse,however.

5.Actions

Inthissituation,howfardidyouractionsactuallymatchyourethicalprinciples?Didyouactinawaywhichmatchesyourunderstandingofvirtue,thatiswisely,justly,courageously,temperatelyordidyouactinawaythatwasmarkedbyfoolishness,unfairness,cowardiceandself-indulgence?Thinkabouthowyoutreatedotherpeopleandnotjusthowyouractionsaffectedyou,sincethatisanessentialpartofvirtue.Youmightwanttoratehowconsistentyouractionswerewithyourcorevalues,ordefinitionof“virtue”,onaroughpercentagescale,from0-100%.

Monday:Life

LifeasaProjectandRoleModels

MorningTextforReflection

FromMaximus[Ihavelearnttheimportanceofthesethings]:tobemasterofoneselfandnotcarriedthiswayandthat;tobecheerfulunderallcircumstances,includingillness;acharacterwithaharmoniousblendofgentlenessanddignity;readinesstotacklethetaskinhandwithoutcomplaint;theconfidenceeveryonehadthatwhateverhesaidhemeantandwhateverhedidwasnotdonewithbadintent;nevertobeastonishedorpanic-stricken,andnevertobehurriedortohangbackorbeatalossordowncastorcringingorontheotherhandangryorsuspicious;tobereadytohelporforgive,andtobetruthful;togivetheimpressionofsomeonewhosecharacterisnaturallyuprightratherthanhavingundergonecorrection;thefactthatno-onecouldhavethoughtthatMaximuslookeddownonhim,orcouldhavepresumedtosupposethathewasbetterthanMaximus;andtohavegreatpersonalcharm.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,1.14

PractisetheEarlyMorningMeditation

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:WritingyourownMeditations

WebeginourfirstdaybythinkingabouttwoStoicthemesthatarecentraltothefirstbookofMarcusAurelius’philosophicaljournal,TheMeditations.Oneistheideathatourwholelifeshouldbeseenasanongoingprojectorjourneyofethicalself-development.Theotherthat,onthisjourney,wecantakeforwardourowndevelopmentbyreflectingonthegoodqualitiesandwayoflifeofthepeoplewhomeanmosttous.Inthemorningtextquoted

above,MarcusthinksaboutwhathelearntfromMaximus,anolderfamilyfriendwhowasaleadingpoliticianwithdeepphilosophicalinterests.HefocusesonMaximus’integrityofcharacter,hisemotionalbalance,andhisgenuinenessandeaseindealingwithotherpeople–allqualitiesvaluedbyStoicismwhosebasiswillbecomeclearinthecomingweek.

AnimportantfeatureofStoictheoryliesbehindBook1ofMarcus’Meditations.Itistheideathathumanlife,iflivedproperly,isanongoingprojectorjourneydirectedtowardsthebestpossiblehumancondition,thatofwisdom.Therearetwostrandstothisjourney,oneisindividual,theothersocial.Atanindividuallevelwecanlearntomovefromaninstinctivedesireforsuchthingsasself-preservation,healthandpropertytowardswantingtoliveinthebestpossibleway.FortheStoicsthismeanslivingaccordingtothevirtues,virtuessuchaswisdom,justice,moderationorself-controlandcourage.Theculminationofthisstrandisrecognisingthatvirtueistheonlythingthatisfundamentallyofvalueandtheonlyrealbasisforhappiness.Thesecondstrandconcernsourrelationstootherpeople.TheStoicsthoughtthathumanbeingsandotheranimalsareinstinctivelydrawntocareforothersoftheirkind–mostobviouslytocarefortheirchildren.However,ashumanbeingsdevelopwedeepenandextendthisinstinctofcare,forminglastingfamilyandcommunitycommitmentsandcomingtorecognisethatallhumanbeingsakin,our“brothers”and“sisters”,becausetheyare,likeus,rationalcreaturescapableofethicaldevelopment.

TheStoicsalsothoughtthatthesetwostrandsofdevelopmentgohandinhandandsupporteachother;andthatallindividualsarecapableofdevelopinginthisway,regardlessoftheirinborncharactersandsocialbackground.However,thisprogressdoesnotjusthappenautomatically;youneedtoworkatit,otherwiseitcangobadlywrong.Marcususeshisregularnote-takingandreflection(TheMeditations)tohelpthisprocessofdevelopment,whichheoftendescribesashisreal‘job’or‘work’asahumanbeing(forinstance,intomorrow’smorningtextforreflection).InBook1hethinksabouthiswholelifefromearlychildhoodtillhislate50sasacycleofdevelopment,andreflectsontheethicalqualitieswhosevaluehehaslearnttorecognise,andthewaythathisrelationshipswithotherpeoplehavehelpedhimtodothis.

WehavewrittenthisHandbookinawaythatisdesignedtomirrorMarcus’reflectivepracticeandtoencourageyoutotrytodothesameasMarcusdid,formingyourownnotesandreflections,basedonthethemesexploredeachdaythisweek.Takeafewminutestothinkaboutthequalitiesyouhavecometovalueinthecourseofyourlife,howeveryoungoroldyouare.Haveyouchangedyourideasaboutwhatismostimportantinthecourseofyourlife,asyoursituationhaschanged?Doyouthinkyourideashavedeepenedonthistopicovertime–ornot?Youmightliketomakesomenotesonthis,ordrawsomepicturessuggestingthequalitiesyoufindmostsignificant.Ifyouwanttodothiscollaboratively,youcouldusetheonlinediscussionforumsorFacebookpage.

Thinktooaboutthepeoplewhohavehelpedyouappreciatetheimportanceofthesequalitiesandwhatqualitiesorwaysoflifetheyhaveledyoutovalue.Theymightbefamily

members,closefriendsorpartners,workassociatesorpeopleyoudonotknowdirectlybutwhomyourespectandadmire.Youmightliketomakenotesorpicturesonthis,andalsotochartlinksbetweenspecificindividualsandthequalitiesyouhavecometovalue.

Youmightliketodothisatonego,orspaceitthroughtheday,whileyouaredoingotherthings.Likemostoftheexerciseswesuggest,itcanbeusefultocomebacktothemastheweekprogresses,andseehowyourthinkinghasdevelopedonthesetopics.

EveningTextforReflection

Letusgotooursleepwithjoyandgladness;letussay‘Ihavelived;thecoursewhichFortunesetformeisfinished.’AndifGodispleasedtoaddanotherday,weshouldwelcomeitwithgladhearts.Thatmanishappiest,andissecureinhisownpossessionofhimself,whocanawaitthemorrowwithoutapprehension.Whenamanhassaid:‘Ihavelived!’,everymorningheariseshereceivesabonus.—Seneca,Letters,12.9

PractisetheLateEveningMeditation

Tuesday:Control

WhatisinourControlandWishingwithReservation

MorningTextforReflection

Earlyinthemorning,whenyouarefindingithardtowakeup,holdthisthoughtinyourmind:‘Iamgettinguptodotheworkofahumanbeing.DoIstillresentit,ifIamgoingouttodowhatIwasbornforandforwhichIwasbroughtintotheworld?OrwasIframedforthis,tolieunderthebedclothesandkeepmyselfwarm?’‘Butthisismorepleasant’.Sowereyoubornforpleasure:ingeneralwereyoubornforfeelingorforaffection?Don’tyouseetheplants,thelittlesparrows,theants,thespiders,thebeesdoingtheirownwork,andplayingtheirpartinmakingupanorderedworld.Andthenareyouunwillingtodotheworkofahumanbeing?Won’tyouruntodowhatisinlinewithyournature?—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,5.1

PractisetheEarlyMorningMeditation

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:WhatisinourControlandWishingwithReservation

TodayandtomorrowwefocusonthemesthatareimportantforthemeditativepracticeswearerecommendinginthisHandbook.Thesethemeshaveparallelsinsomemodernpsychotherapeuticmethods.ButtheyalsohaveafirmbasisinStoicwritingsandpractices.ThethemesfortodayandtomorrowareexpressedwithspecialforceinMarcus’Meditations,1.7,whichwasultiamtelybasedonthewritingsofEpictetus.MarcuswasgreatlyinfluencedbyEpictetus,andthesethemesformthebasisofhisownmeditativeapproach.

Todaywethinkabouttwoimportant,linkedStoicthemes:distinguishingbetweenwhatisandisnotinourpowerandwishing‘withreservation’.Bothofthemfollowfromtheideasabouthumandevelopmentoutlinedyesterday.Stoicsbelievethatallofuscanandshouldworkattakingforwardourownethicaldevelopmentbylearninghowtoactvirtuouslyandbybroadeninganddeepeningourrelationshipswithotherpeople.Thisissomethingthatis‘uptous’or‘withinourpower’asrationalbeings.Buttherearemanythingswecannotdeterminebyourownactions,suchaswhetherwebecomerichorfamous,whetherwegetillorwhetherclosefamilymembersdie.

Stoicsbelievethatwhatis‘uptous’or‘withinourpower’isofultimateimportanceinourlives,ratherthanthethingsthatwecannotcontrol.Althoughtheyrecognisethatitisnaturalforustopreferthingssuchasbeinghealthyorwell-off,Stoicsregardtheseasbeingfundamentallyoflessvaluethanvirtue.Theyalsobelievethatrecognisingthedistinctionbetweenwhatisandisnotwithinourpoweriscrucialforleadingagoodhumanlifeandonethatisfreefrom‘passions’ornegativeanddestructiveemotions.

Forthisreason,whenweformwishesaboutthingsthatarenotwhollywithinourpower,weshouldwish‘withreservation’orwitha‘reserveclause’,acaveatsuchas‘ifnothingpreventsit’.Otherwise,ourplansandwishesarenotbasedontherealitiesofhumanlifeandmayleadtofrustrationanddisillusionment.

Epictetusexpressesthedistinctionbetweenwhatisandisnotinourpowerveryclearlyinthispassage:

Somethingsarewithinourpower,whileothersarenot.Withinourpowerareopinion,motivation,desire,aversion,andinaword,whateverisofourowndoing;notwithinourpowerareourbody,ourproperty,reputation,socialroleorstatus,and,inaword,whateverisnotofourowndoing.—Epictetus,Handbook,1

Healsopointsoutthatifwefocusourwishesanddesiresonthingsthatarenotwhollywithinourpower,suchashealth,wealthandsocialstatus,thiswillleadtodisappointmentandnegativeemotions(Handbook,2).ThisdistinctionisalsoimportantforMarcustoo,asisclearinthesetwopassages:

Tryouthowthelifeofagoodpersonsuitsyou–someonewhoispleasedwithwhatisallocatedfromthewhole,andsatisfiedwithhisownjustactionsandkinddisposition.—Meditations,4.25

Lovetheexpertisewhichyouhavelearnedandtakesupportfromthis.Passtheremainderofyourlifeasonewhohasentrustedallhehas,inafull-heartedway,tothegods…—Meditations,4.31

Ontheonehand,Marcusadviseshimselftofocusontheprojectofethicaldevelopment,whichiswithinhispower:tryingtoleadthelifeofagoodperson(someonewhodoes‘just

actionsandhasakinddisposition’)andgraduallycomingtolovethe‘expertise’or‘skill’oflivinginthisway.Ontheotherhand,Marcusalsourgeshimselftoacceptthathisactionsandlifearepartofamuchwiderpatternofevents,ofwhichhecontrolsaverysmallpart.Heispartofamuchlarger‘whole’,aninterconnectedseriesofevents(orFate),whichcanalsobeattributedto‘thegods’.(WewilldiscussMarcus’thinkingonnatureor‘thewhole’onSunday.)ThisisacontrastthatrunsthroughmuchofTheMeditations,andhelpsMarcustofacemanyharshrealitiesinhislife,abovealltheloomingprospectofhisowndeath.

Thisdoesnotmeanpassivelyresigningyourselftoevents,however.Stoicacceptanceentailsrecognisingthatsomethingsareoutsideyourcontrol,andthatifthoseeventshaveactuallyhappened,thismustbeacknowledgedandaccepted.However,youstilltrytodoyourbestinrespondingtotheseevents,becausethatissomethingwhichisunderyourcontrol.Putanotherway:Stoicserenitycomesfrom‘acceptingreality’or‘acceptingthefacts’—butnotgivingup!Itisalsoaboutmaintainingasenseofpurposeregardingtheaspectsofyourlifethatyoucanactuallydetermine.

Thefamous‘SerenityPrayer’usedbyAlcoholicsAnonymousgivesamemorablesummaryoftheStoicdoctrine:

God,grantmetheSerenitytoacceptthethingsIcannotchange;Courage,tochangethethingsIcan;AndWisdomtoknowthedifference.

ThatiswhytheStoicssuggestthatweformourplansandwisheswitha‘reserveclause’inmind.Inanutshell,it’samatterofqualifyingeveryintentionbysaying,‘Iwilldosuchandsuch,ifnothingpreventsme’.Thismarksthedistinctionbetweenwhatisandisnotinourpower,andhelpsustorecognisethatitisonlywhatiswithinourpowerthatisgenuinelyimportant.(Thisisveryhelpfuladviceonjourneysofallkinds,wherelotsofthingsareoutsideourpower!)

Takeafewminutestothinkinaspecificwayaboutwhatthisdistinctionwouldmeaninyourlife.Youcouldbeginbymakingtwolists:oneofthingsinyourcurrentlifeandsituationthatyoucancontrolbyyourownactionsandaspirationsandoneofthingsthatyoucannotcontrol.Youcouldthenexaminethecontentsofthetwolistsandthinkaboutwhichofthesetwolistsis,onreflection,moreimportantandvaluable.HowfardoyourlistsmatchtheStoicdistinctionbetweenthingsthatareandarenotwithinourpower,assummarisedbyEpictetus,forinstance,inHandbook1(quotedabove)?HowfardoesitmatchtheStoicdistinctionbetweenvirtuousactionsand‘externals’or‘indifferents’(suchashealth,propertyandsocialstatus)?

Duringyourmorningmeditation,youcanpractiseincorporatingthe‘reserveclause’,sayingtoyourself:‘Iwilldoxory…ifnothingpreventsit’or‘ifthisfitsinwiththelargerpatternofeventsorFate’.Imagineallthethingsthatcouldgowrongandadoptanattitudeof

detachedacceptancetowardsthem,rememberingthattheonlythingthatreallymattersisthatyoudoyourbestandtrytoactinawaythathelpsyoudevelopthevirtues.

EveningTextforReflection

Trytopersuadethem;andactevenagainsttheirwill,whenevertheprincipleofjusticeleadsyoutodoso.Butifsomeoneusesforcetoresistyou,changeyourapproachtoacceptingitandnotbeinghurt,andusethesetbacktoexpressanothervirtue.Remembertoothatyourmotivewasformedwithreservationandthatyouwerenotaimingattheimpossible.Atwhatthen?Amotiveformedwithreservation.Butyouhaveachievedthis;whatweproposedtoourselvesisactuallyhappening.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,6.50

Wednesday:Mindfulness

StoicMindfulnessandExaminingyourImpressions

MorningTextforReflection

Peoplelookforretreatsforthemselves,inthecountry,bythecoast,orinthehills;andyoutooareespeciallyinclinedtofeelthisdesire.Butthisisaltogetherun-philosophical,whenitispossibleforyoutoretreatintoyourselfatanytimeyouwant.Thereisnowherethatapersoncanfindamorepeacefulandtrouble-freeretreatthaninhisownmind,especiallyifhehaswithinhimselfthekindofthoughtsthatlethimdipintothemandsoatoncegaincompleteeaseofmind;andbyeaseofmind,Imeannothingbuthavingone’sownmindingoodorder.Soconstantlygiveyourselfthisretreatandrenewyourself.Youshouldhavetohandconciseandfundamentalprinciples,whichwillbeenough,assoonasyouencounterthem,tocleanseyoufromalldistressandsendyoubackwithoutresentmentattheactivitiestowhichyoureturn.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,1.3.1-3

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:StoicmindfulnessandexaminingyourImpressions

We’vealreadysuggestedthatyoucanhelpdevelopaStoicapproachbyself-monitoring.Anotherwayofputtingthisistousetheideaof‘Stoicmindfulness’.‘Mindfulness’inmodernpsychotherapyisbasedonBuddhism.However,thereisacomparablefocusinancientStoicismonlivinginthehereandnowandpayingcloseattentiontoourthoughtsandfeelings.Today’smorningtextforreflectiongivesaverypowerfulexpressionofStoicmindfulness,asMarcusremindshimselfofthevalueofputtinghismindingoodorderandrenewinghimselfinpreparationforthechallengesofhislife.

Aswithyesterday’stheme,EpictetusgivesaveryclearstatementofwhatisinvolvedinStoicmindfulness,andonethatinfluencedMarcus’thinkingtoo.

Practise,then,fromtheverybeginningtosaytoeveryroughimpression,‘You’reanimpressionandnotatallwhatyouappeartobe.’Thenexamineitandtestitbythestandardsthatyouhave,andfirstandforemostbythisone,whethertheimpressionrelatestothosethingswhicharewithinourpowerorthosewhicharen’tuptous;andifitrelatestothosethingswhicharen’twithinourpower,bereadytoreply,‘That’snothingtome’.—Epictetus,Handbook,1.5

Hesaysthatweshouldtrainourselvestoavoiderrorsinourjudgementsandbeing‘carriedaway’byourthoughtsandfeelings.ForStoics,thekeyerrorofjudgementliesintreatingexternalthings(suchashealthandmoney)asiftheywereintrinsicallygoodorbad,andforgettingthatvirtueistheonlytruegood.We’vealreadylookedatthisaspectofStoicismwhenwetalkedaboutreflectingonwhetherourjudgementsrefertothingswithinourpowerornot.Epictetussaysthekeytoretainingourgriponobjectiverealityandnotbeingsweptawaybyirrationaldesireoremotionsisthatbeforeweevenbegintochallengeourthoughts,wemustlearntostepbackfromthemtemporarily.Thatiswhathemeansby‘examiningyourimpressions’.‘Impression’isaverygeneralterminStoicismcoveringallthoughts,feelingsandsensations.Epictetusstressesthatweshould‘examine’allthesebeforeacceptingthemasvalidandasmatchingobjectivereality.

TounderstandwhatEpictetusmeant,itmayhelptocompareittoapsychologicalstrategyemployedinmoderncognitivetherapycalled‘psychological(or‘cognitive’)distancing’.Incognitivetherapy,whichwasoriginallyinspiredbyStoicism,it’sassumedthatbeforewecanchallengenegativepatternsofthinking,wehavetospotthemfirst,andinterrogateourownthoughts.InStoicism,thefirststepinrespondingtotroublingdesiresandemotionsistogainpsychologicaldistancefromthembyremindingourselvesthattheimpressionsthey’rebaseduponarejustimpressions,justthoughts,andnottoassumethattheyarewhatmatchesreality,whenweconsiderthesituationmorecarefully.

OnequotationfromEpictetusputsthissowellthatitisstilltaughttoclientsincognitivetherapytoday.‘Itisnotthethingsthemselvesthatdisturbpeoplebuttheirjudgementsaboutthosethings’(Handbook,5).ThetwopassagesfromMarcusquotedbelowfortheeveningreflectionconveythesamepoint.EpictetusrepeatedlyadvisedhisstudentsthatrememberingthisStoicprinciplecouldhelpthemtoavoidbeingcarriedawaybytheirtroublingemotionsanddesires.Weshouldbealertfortheearly-warningsignsofproblematicemotionsanddesires,whichareoftenhabitualandbarelyconscious.Whenwespottheseinitialsigns,oftencertainbodilysensationsorinternalfeelings,weshouldquicklytrytoidentifytheinitialimpressionsandunderlyingvalue-judgementsthatarecausingthem.

Forexample,themoderncognitivemodelofanxiety,whichisderivedfromStoicpsychology,saysthatanxietyiscausedbyathoughtorjudgementalongthelinesof

‘SomethingbadisgoingtohappenandIwon’tbeabletocopewithit.’Distancingwouldconsistinsaying‘InoticeI’mhavingthethought“somethingbadisgoingtohappen”andthat’supsettingme’,ratherthanbeingsweptalongbytheimpressionthatsomethingbadisgoingtohappenandallowingyourfeartoescalateunnecessarily.

Oneofthesimplestwaysofrespondingtotroublingthoughts,whenyouspottheirearly-warningsigns,istopostponedoinganythinginresponsetothem.Modernresearchershavefoundthatthiscanreducethefrequency,intensityanddurationofworryepisodesbyaboutfiftypercentonaverage.EpictetusgaveverysimilaradvicetohisStoicstudents,nearlytwothousandyearsago.Hesayswhenwespotinitialtroublingimpressions,especiallyiftheyseemoverwhelming,weshouldremindourselvesthatthesearejustthoughtsandwaitawhilebeforegivingthemanyfurtherattention,ordecidingwhatactiontotake.Inmodernangermanagement,thisissometimescalledthe‘takingatime-out’strategy.TheStoicstalkedaboutwithholdingour‘assent’,oragreement,fromupsettinginitialimpressions.

You’vealreadystartedmonitoringyourthoughts,actions,andfeelings,anddistinguishingbetweenthingsunderyourcontrolandnot.FromthispointonwardduringStoicWeek,trytocatchtheearly-warningsignsofstrongdesiresorupsettingemotions.Pausetogiveyourselfthinkingspaceandtogainpsychologicaldistancefromyourinitialimpressions.Ifyourfeelingsareparticularlystrongordifficulttodealwith,postponethinkingaboutthemanyfurtheruntilyou’vehadachancetocalmdown,whichmaybeduringyoureveningmeditation.Then,tryaskingyourselfthefollowingthreequestions:

1. Mostimportantly,askyourselfwhetherthethingsthatareupsettingyouarewithinyourpowerornotandifthey’renot,acceptthisfact,andremindyourselfthatsuchthingsarenotfundamentallyimportantinthewaythatvirtueis.

2. Askyourselfwhataperfectlywiseandvirtuouspersonwoulddowhenfacedwiththesameproblemorsituation.TheStoicsusedtheidealofthe‘wiseperson’orsage’injustthisway.Thinkaboutsomeoneyouknowpersonallyorsomeoneyouknowbyreputation,whocomesclosesttothisideal,andtakethemasyourmodelinyourreflections.

3. Askyourselfwhatstrengthsorresourcesnaturehasgivenyoutodealwiththesituation,e.g.,doyouhavethecapacityforpatienceandendurance?Howmightusingthosecapacitieshelpyoudealwiththisproblemmorewisely?

EveningTextsforReflection

Getridofthejudgementandyouhavegotridoftheidea.‘Ihavebeenharmed’;getridoftheidea,‘Ihavebeenharmed’,andyouhavegotridoftheharmitself.—Meditations,4.7

Allturnsonjudgement,andthatisuptoyou.Sowhenyouwanttodothis,getridofthejudgement,andthen,asthoughyouhadpassedtheheadland,theseawillbe

calmandallwillbestill,andtherewon’tbeawaveinthebay.—Meditations,12.22

PractisetheLateEveningMeditation

Thursday:Virtue

VirtueandValues-clarification

MorningTextforReflection:

Ifyoufindanythinginhumanlifebetterthanjustice,truthfulness,self-control,courage…turntoitwithallyourheartandenjoythesupremegoodthatyouhavefound…butifyoufindallotherthingstobetrivialandvaluelessincomparisonwithvirtuegivenoroomtoanythingelse,sinceonceyouturntowardsthatanddivertfromyourproperpath,youwillnolongerbeablewithoutinnerconflicttogivethehighesthonourtothatwhichisproperlygood.Itisnotrighttosetupasarivaltotherationalandsocialgood[virtue]anythingalienitsnature,suchasthepraiseofthemanyorpositionsofpower,wealthorenjoymentofpleasures.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,3.6

PractisetheEarlyMorningMeditation.

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:VirtueandValues-clarification

Intheearliersectionon‘CentralStoicIdeas’,under‘Value’,wehavealreadysetoutsomekeyfeaturesofStoicthinkingonvirtue.Thecorevirtuesarewisdom,moderation,courage,andjustice.Virtueistheonlythingthatisfundamentallyvaluable,andthesolebasisforrealhappiness.Otherthingsthatpeoplepursueinsearchofhappiness,suchashealthandproperty,arethingsthathumanbeingsnaturallydesire;but,incomparisonwithvirtue,theyarerelativelyunimportant,even‘mattersofindifference’.Otherancientphilosophersthoughtthatvirtuewasanimportantelementinahappylife;theStoicswereexceptionalinclaimingthatitwastheonlythingneededforhappiness.Tohaveagoodlife,inother

words,itisonlynecessarytobeagoodperson.

WhydidtheStoicsgivethevirtuessuchimportance?Aren’totherthingsalsoimportant,suchasthewelfareofourfamily,goodhealthandameasureofmaterialprosperity?

FortheStoics,thevirtuesarethequalitiesthatenableustoliveafullyhumanlife.Theyarefeaturesofunderstandingandcharacter,andwaysofdealingwithotherpeople,whichmakeusfullyhuman,thatis,rationalandsocialbeingsinacompletesense.Thefourchiefvirtues,takentogether,areintendedtocoverthemainareasofhumanexpertiseor‘livingwell’:rationalunderstanding,managementofemotionsanddesires,propertreatmentofothers.TheStoicssawthevirtuesasamatchedset,whichweremutuallysupporting,sothatyoucouldnothaveonevirtuewithouthavingtheotherstoo.Theyalsorecognisedthereweremanysubdivisionsofthemainfourvirtues,andthattheycouldbeunderstoodfromanumberofdifferentperspectives.

Thevirtuesareseenbythemasformsofexpertiseinliving.Soifyouhavethevirtues,youwillbegoodatdoingeverythingelseinlife.(Includinglookingafteryourhealth,propertyandthewelfareofyourfamilyorfriends.)Butifyoulackthem,youwillnotbegoodatdoinganyoftheseotherthings,andwillmakemistakesinyourhandlingoflife.ThatiswhytheStoicssawvirtueastheonlythingthatisneededforhappiness,incomparisonwithwhichotherthingsarerelativelyunimportantandwithoutfundamentalvalue.

TheStoicsacknowledgedthatachievingvirtueinthefullsensewasextremelydifficult.Inthatsense,the‘wiseperson’,whohasallthevirtues,remainsverymuchanideal.However,Stoicsalsobelievedthatallhumanbeingsareinprinciplecapableofachievingvirtueandthatthisshouldbeouroverallgoalinlife.Theyalsothoughtthatalifecentredonaspirationandprogresstowardsvirtuewasafarbetterlifethanonedirectedatothergoals,suchasgainingmaterialwealthorpowerfortheirownsake.ThismeansthattheStoiclifeisanongoingjourneytowardsvirtue,whichishowMarcuspresentshisownlifeinthefirstbookofTheMeditations,asillustratedinMonday’slunchtimeexercise.ThemorningtextfortodayalsoshowstheimportanceforMarcusofdirectinghislifetowardsdevelopingthevirtuesratherthantowardsgainingexternalthingssuchasfameorwealth.

Let’ssupposethatyoufindthisviewofvirtueattractiveingeneralbutwanttoknowmoreaboutwhatitmeansforyoupersonallyandhowyoucouldliveyourlifeinthisway.Onewayofreflectingonthisisbyatechniquesometimesusedinmodernpsychologicaltherapyandcounsellingcalled‘values-clarification’.Therearetwomainaspectsofthismethod.Oneisreflectingonwhatourcorevaluesare,whatqualitieswegenuinelythinkaremostimportantforleadingagoodhumanlife.Theotherisaskingourselveswhetherouractionsonaday-to-daybasisactuallymatchoutethicalbeliefs,andifnot,howwecanbegintochangeouractionstomatchourvalues.Somemodernpsychotherapiststhinkthatpsychologicalproblemsmaystemfromamismatchbetweenouractionsandwhatwevalue,andthatbringingthetwoclosertogetheriscrucialforhelpingustogetfreeofthesepsychologicalproblems.Stoicsalsothinkitisveryimportanttoreflecthonestlyonyour

corevalues:Epictetus’adviceto‘examineyourimpressions’ispartlyaboutthis.StoicslikeEpictetus,MarcusandSenecaalsostressthevitalimportanceofmakingsurethatyourday-to-dayactionsmatchyourcoreethicalconvictions.ThismaybepartofwhatthefoundersofStoicismmeantby“livinginagreementwithnature”,includingourownrationalandmoralnature;laterStoicscertainlyplacedgreatimportanceonwhattodaywetendtocall“integrity”.

Asafirstmoveinthisdirection,herearetwoexercisesthatmighthelp.First,usethesequestionstoclarifyyourcorevalues:

What’sultimatelythemostimportantthinginlifetoyou?Whatdoyouwantyourlifeto‘standfor’or‘beabout’?Whatwouldyoumostlikeyourlifetoberememberedforafteryou’vedied?Whatsortofthingdoyoumostwanttospendyourtimedoing?Whatsortofpersondoyoumostwanttobeinyourvariousrelationshipsandrolesinlife,e.g.asaparent,friend,atworkorinlifegenerally?YoucouldalsoaskhowfaryourcorevaluesmatchwhattheancientStoicsmeantby‘virtue’,especiallycharactertraitssuchaswisdom,justice,courage,andmoderation.

Second,lookatallyouranswerstothefirstsetofquestionsandaskhowfaryourrealactionsonaday-to-daybasismatchyourcorevalues.Iftheydonotmatchcompletely(anditwouldbesurprisingiftheydid!),thinkaboutwaysinwhichyoucouldbringthetwoclosertogether.Thinkofonespecificactivityyoucouldbedoing(butaren’t),whichwouldhelpyoudeveloptowardsexpressingyourcorevaluesorwhichwouldenableyoutoexpressthemfully.

EveningTextforReflection

Everyhabitandfacultyisformedorstrengthenedbythecorrespondingact—walkingmakesyouwalkbetter,runningmakesyouabetterrunner.Ifyouwanttobeliterate,read,ifyouwanttobeapainter,paint.Goamonthwithoutreading,occupiedwithsomethingelse,andyou’llseewhattheresultis.Andifyou’relaidupameretendays,whenyougetupandtrytotalkanydistance,you’llfindyourlegsbarelyabletosupportyou.Soifyoulikedoingsomething,doitregularly;ifyoudon’tlikedoingsomething,makeahabitofdoingsomethingdifferent.Thesamegoesfortheaffairsofthemind…Soifyoudon’twanttobehot-tempered,don’tfeedyourtemper,ormultiplyincidentsofanger.Suppressthefirstimpulsetobeangry,thenbegintocountthedaysonwhichyoudon’tgetangry.‘Iusedtobeangryeveryday,thenonlyeveryotherday,theneverythird…’Ifyouresistitawholemonth,offerGodasacrifice,becausethevicebeginstoweakenfromdayone,untilitiswipedoutaltogether.‘Ididn’tlosemytemperthisday,orthenext,andnotfortwo,thenthreemonthsinsuccession.’Ifyoucansaythat,youarenowinexcellenthealth,believeme.—Epictetus,Discourses,2.18

PractisetheLateEveningMeditation

Friday:Relationships

RelationshipswithOtherPeopleandSociety

MorningTextforReflection

Saytoyourselffirstthinginthemorning:Ishallmeetwithpeoplewhoaremeddling,ungrateful,violent,treacherous,envious,andunsociable.Theyaresubjecttothesefaultsbecauseoftheirignoranceofwhatisgoodandbad.ButIhaverecognizedthenatureofthegoodandseenthatitistheright,andthenatureofthebadandseenthatitisthewrong,andthenatureofthewrongdoerhimself,andseenthatheisrelatedtome,notbecausehehasthesamebloodorseed,butbecausehesharesinthesamemindandportionofdivinity.SoIcannotbeharmedbyanyofthem,asnoonewillinvolvemeinwhatiswrong.NorcanIbeangrywithmyrelativeorhatehim.Wewerebornforcooperation,likefeet,likehands,likeeyelids,liketherowsofupperandlowerteeth.Sotoworkagainsteachotheriscontrarytonature;andresentmentandrejectioncountasworkingagainstsomeone.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,2.1

PractisetheEarlyMorningMeditation

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:RelationshipswithOtherPeopleandSociety

Stoicsaresometimesmistakenlyseenasrathercoldanddetachedfromotherpeople.Thisisapuzzlingview,asStoicism,morethananyotherancientphilosophy,stressesthathumanbeingsarenaturallyinclinedtocareforotherpeopleandtobecomeinvolvedintheircommunities.Thisisakeypartoftheirideasabouthumanethicaldevelopment(discussedonMonday).

Stoicsthinkthathumanbeings,likeotheranimals,instinctivelyfeelaffectionandcareforothersofourkind,aboveallourchildren.Theyalsothinkhumanbeingsarenaturallycapableofdeepeningandextendingthisinstinctiveaffectioninrationalandsociableways:forinstance,byengaginginfamilylifeordeepfriendshipsandbyinvolvementinlocalornationalcommunities.Anotherverydistinctiveidea–andanunusualoneinancientGreeceandRome–isthatweshouldextendthisattitudeofcaretoallhumanbeingsassuch,seeingthemasourbrothersandsistersandasfellow-citizensinakindofworld-community.Wehavethiskinshipandco-citizenshipbecauseweareallnaturallysocialanimals,capableofreason,andofdevelopingtowardsvirtueandwisdom.

Marcus’Meditationsareveryrichinreflectionsaboutinterpersonalandsocialrelationships.Theyalsohavealottosayaboutthepositiveorgoodemotionsthatformpartofahumanlifecentredonvirtue,asopposedtothenegativeanddestructiveemotionsor‘passions’basedonethicalmistakes(seethesectiononEmotionsintheCentralStoicIdeasearlyinthishandbook).Hereisonesuchpassage:

Wheneveryouwanttocheeryourselfup,thinkofthegoodqualitiesofthosewholivewithyou:suchastheenergyofone,thedecencyofanother,thegenerosityofanother,andsomeotherqualityinsomeoneelse.Thereisnothingsocheeringastheimagesofthevirtuesdisplayedinthecharactersofthosewholivewithyou,andgroupedtogetherasfaraspossible.Soyoushouldkeepthemreadyathand.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,6.48

Book1oftheMeditations,discussedonMonday,conveysverypowerfullyMarcus’affectionforthosewhohavesharedhislifeandhelpedhimunderstandthequalitiesthatarereallyworthwhileinahumanlife.Thoughtfulandaffectionatecareforothersfiguresprominentlyinthequalitieshepicksoutintheindividualsheremembersinthisway.

Marcus,likeotherStoics,refersoftentothe‘brotherhoodofhumankind’,‘citizenshipoftheworld’,andtheideathatweareallpartofalargerbodyofhumanbeingsorrationalandsocialanimals.Heusestheseideasintwowaysthatareespeciallystrikingandmaybehelpfultoustoo.

Hedrawsontheseideasinsituationswhenotherpeopleareactingtowardshiminahostileornegativemanner–inawaythatmighthaveprovokedhimtofeelemotionssuchasangerorresentment.Heremindshimselfthattheirbehaviourstemsfrommistakesaboutwhatreallymattersinlifeandthat,iftheycouldbeledtoabetterunderstanding,theywouldnotactinthisway.Asintoday’sMorningReflection,heremindshimselfthatthesepeople–likeeveryoneelse–areessentiallyhisbrothersorsistersorpartsofasinglebodyofhumankind,andthathecannotbeangrywithorhatethosewhoarehisownkin.Oftenhespeaksofthegoodwillorgoodintentionstowardssuchpeoplewhichresultfromhisthinkingabouttheminthisway.

Marcusalsodrawsontheseideasinreflectingonhissocialandpoliticalrole,asRoman

emperor.LikeSeneca,heusestheimageof‘dualcitizenship’:‘AsAntoninus[hisRomanfamilyname],mycityandfatherlandisRome,asahumanbeing,itistheuniverse.Itisonlywhatbenefitsthesecitieswhichisgoodforme’(Meditations,6.44).ForMarcus,thisservestoputhisimperialstatusinabroader,cosmicperspectiveandtoprovideamoralframeworkand‘reality-check’.Elsewhere,heremindshimself:‘TakecareyouarenotturnedintoaCaesar,orstainedwiththepurple;thesethingsdohappen’(Meditations,6.30).Bybeing‘turnedintoaCaesar’,or‘stainedwiththepurple’(thepurplerobewornbyemperors),hemeans,beingturnedintoatyrant,whoabuseshispower.Healsopresentshispoliticalidealasbeing‘astatebasedonequalitybeforethelaw,whichisadministeredaccordingtotheprinciplesofequalityandfreedomofspeech,andofamonarchywhichvaluesaboveallthelibertyofitssubjects’(Meditations,1.14).

Marcus’adultlifewasintenselypolitical.Fromtheageof17,hewasfirstthechosensuccessoroftheemperorandthenemperorhimselffornearlytwentyyears.Manyofhispredecessorsandsuccessorsasemperor(includinghisownson,Commodus)becamebloodthirstytyrants,whereasMarcuswasmostlyseenbyRomansofthetimeasawiseandbenevolentruler.TheMeditationssuggestthatoneofthethingsthathelpedhimtoactinthiswaywashisbeliefthathewaslivinghislifeaspartofthecommunityofhumankind(rationalandsocialanimals)andtryingtomaintaintheethicalaspirationsthatgoalongwiththis.OtherStoicthinkersrefertotheideaofhumanity’sbrotherhoodasawayofsettinghigherthannormalethicalstandardsinbusinessdealings,suchasbuyingandsellingproperty.

TheCirclesofHierocles

Hereisanexercisethatyoumightusetoexploreanddevelopasimilarlyphilanthropicattitude.ItisbasednotonMarcus,butontheadviceofanotherStoicofthesecondcenturyAD,Hierocles.

Hieroclessuggestedweshouldthinkofourselvesaslivinginaseriesofconcentriccircles,andthatweshouldtryto‘drawthecirclessomehowtowardthecentre’.Heexplainedthat,‘Therightpointwillbereachedif,throughourowninitiative,wereducethedistanceoftherelationshipwitheachperson.’Healsosuggestsusingverbaltechniquessuchascallingone’scousins‘brother’,andone’sunclesandaunts‘father’or‘mother’.

ThefollowingvisualisationormeditationtechniqueislooselybasedonHierocles’comments:

1. Closeyoureyesandtakeafewmomentstorelaxandfocusyourattentiononthethingsyou’reabouttovisualise.

2. Pictureacircleoflightsurroundingyourbodyandtakeafewmomentstoimaginethatitsymbolisesagrowingsenseofaffectiontowardyourowntruenatureasarationalanimal,capableofwisdomandvirtue,thechiefgoodinlife.

3. Nowimaginethatcircleisexpandingtoencompassmembersofyourfamily,orothers

whoareveryclosetoyou,towardswhomyounowprojectanattitudeoffamilyaffection,asiftheyweresomehowpartsofyourownbody.

4. Next,imaginethatcircleexpandingtoencompasspeopleyouencounterindailylife,perhapscolleaguesyouworkalongside,andprojectnaturalaffectiontowardthem,asiftheyweremembersofyourownfamily.

5. Again,letthecircleexpandfurthertoincludeeveryoneinthecountrywhereyoulive,imaginingthatyouraffectionisspreadingouttowardthemalso,insofarastheyarerationalanimalsakintoyou.

6. Imaginethecirclenowgrowingtoenveloptheentireworldandthewholehumanraceasone,allowingthisphilosophicalandphilanthropicaffectiontoencompasseveryothermemberofthehumanrace.

EveningTextforReflection

Onetypeofperson,wheneverhedoessomeoneelseagoodturn,isquickincalculatingthefavourdonetohim.Anotherisnotsoquicktodothis;butinhimselfhethinksabouttheotherpersonasowinghimsomethingandisconsciousofwhathehasdone.Athirdisinasensenotevenconsciousofwhathehasdone,butislikeavinewhichhasproducedgrapesandlooksfornothingmoreonceithasproduceditsownfruit,likeahorsewhichhasrunarace,adogwhichhasfollowedthescent,orabeewhichhasmadeitshoney.Apersonwhohasdonesomethinggooddoesnotmakeabigfussaboutit,butgoesontothenextaction,asavinegoesontoproducegrapesagaininseason.Soyoushouldbeoneofthosewhodothiswithoutinasensebeingawareofdoingso.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,5.6

PractisetheLateEveningMeditation

Saturday:Resilience

ResilienceandPreparationforAdversity

MorningTextforReflection

Beliketheheadlandonwhichthewavesbreakconstantly,whichstillstandsfirmwhilethefoamingwatersareputtorestaroundit.‘Itismybadluckthatthishashappenedtome!’Onthecontrary,say,‘Itismygoodluckthat,althoughthishashappenedtome,Icanbearitwithoutgettingupset,neithercrushedbythepresentnorafraidofthefuture.’—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,4.49

PractisetheEarlyMorningMeditation

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:PreparationforAdversity

AswepointedoutinthechapteroncentralStoicideas,theStoicsbelievethataswedevelopethicallysoouremotionallifewillchangeaccordingly.Andgraduallywewillcometohavewhattheycallthe‘goodemotions’,positiveemotionssuchasjoyandwishingotherswell,ratherthannegativeandmisguidedemotionssuchasangerandfear.

However,theStoicsrecognisethatgettingtothispointrequiresagooddealoftrainingandreflection,andoneoftheexercisestheyproposeforthisisthepremeditationoffutureadversity.WeneedtorememberthattheStoicsdidnotthinkthatmanyofthethingspeopleworryaboutareactually‘bad’things:theonlythingthatisreallybadisbecomingamorallyweakorviciousperson.Wenaturallyfearsomesituations,suchasrisktoourlife;buteventhisisnot‘bad’inthefullsense,justsomethingwewouldnaturallyprefernottohappen.

TherearenumerousreferencesinthesurvivingStoicwritingstothisstrategyofanticipating

futurecatastrophesandpreparingtofacethembyimaginingtheminadvance.Typicalexamplesincludebereavement,poverty,exile,illness,and,perhapsmostimportantlyofall,one’sowndeath.

Marcusreferstodeath,especiallyhisownfuturedeath,veryofteninTheMeditations,andsomepeoplehavemistakenlythoughthewasmorbidlyobsessedwithdeath.Marcuswasprobablyinthelastyearsofhislife(hediedat59)whenhewaswritingTheMeditationsandhemayindeedhavebeenawareoftheimminenceofhisdeath.Buthewasalsodrawingonthewell-establishedStoicmethodoffacingcatastrophesbyimaginingthem.Also,heoftenremindshimselfthattheloomingpresenceofdeathdoesnotpreventhimfromcontinuingwiththemostimportanthuman‘work’,oftryingtomakeprogressinvirtueandwisdom.Indeed,thewayyoufaceyourowndeathcanbecomeanintegralpartofthis‘work’.Thispassageistypical:‘Strivetoliveonlythelifethatisyourown,thatistosay,yourpresentlife;thenyouwillbeabletopassatleastthetimethatislefttoyouuntilyoudieincalmandkindliness,andasonewhoisatpeacewiththeguardian-spirit[reason]thatdwellswithinhim’(Meditations,12.3).Today’seveningtextformeditationexpressesthesameidea.

Byrepeatedlypicturingfuturecatastrophes–atleastwhataregenerallyregardedascatastrophes—Stoicsaimedtoreduceanxietyaboutthem,justasexposuretherapyinCBTtodayaimstoreducetheanxietyattachedtospecificsituations.Weknowfrommodernpsychologicalresearchthatthebestwaytoovercomeanxietyistoexposeyourselftothefearedsituationinreality,repeatedlyandforprolongedperiods.However,psychologistshavealsoestablishedthatsimplypicturingthesameeventinthemind,repeatedlyandforlongenough,oftenworksalmostaswell.

Tobeginwith,youshouldnotdothiswithanythingthatmightleadyoutobiteoffmorethanyoucanchew.Don’timaginethingsthataredeeplypersonalortraumaticuntilyou’redefinitelyreadytodosowithoutfeelingoverwhelmed.Beginbyworkingonsmallthingsthatupsetyou.Don’tletyourselfworryaboutthem’;justtrytopicturetheworst-casescenariopatiently,andwaitforyouremotionstoabatenaturally.RemindyourselfoftheStoicprinciplesyou’velearned,inparticular,themaximthatpeopleareupsetnotbyexternaleventsbutbytheirownjudgementsaboutthem,particularlyvalue-judgementsthatplacetoomuchimportanceonthingsthatarenotunderyourdirectcontrol.

Trytospendatleast20—30minutesdoingthiseachday.(Ifyoucannotsparethismuchtimethenit’sessentialthatyoupickamuchmildertopictoworkon,whichgeneratesalevelofemotionlowenoughtonaturallyabatewithinfewerminutes.)

Youmightfindithelpfultokeeparecordofyourexperiencesasfollows:

1. Situation.Whatistheupsettingsituationthatyou’reimagining?2. Emotions.Howdoesitmakeyoufeelwhenyoupictureitasifit’shappeningright

now?Howstrongisthefeeling(0—100%)?

3. Duration.Howlong(inminutes)didyoumanagetositwithitandpatientlyexposeyourselftotheeventinyourimagination?

4. Consequence.Howstrongwastheupsettingfeelingattheend(0—100%)?Whatelsedidyoufeelorexperiencebytheend?

5. Analysis.Hasyourperspectivechangedontheupsettingevent?Isitreallyasawfulasyouimagined?Howcouldyoupotentiallycopeifitdidhappen?What’sunderyourcontrolinthissituationandwhatisn’t?

Ifyouranxietylevelhasn’treducedtoatleasthalfitspeaklevelthenyoumightneedtopickaneasiersubject,orelsespendmoretimeonthisexercisetogetitsfullbenefit.Usethenatural“wearingoff”ofupsettingfeelingsasanopportunitytore-evaluatethesituationinamorerationalanddetachedmanner,i.e.fromamorephilosophicalperspective.WhatdoyouthinkaStoiclikeSeneca,Epictetus,orMarcusAureliuswouldmakeofthesamesituation?Howmightyouviewitdifferentlyifyouhadmademoreprogresstowardsdevelopingthevirtuesofwisdom,justice,courageandself-control?Taketimetonotedownwhatyoucanlearnfromthisexperience.

EveningTextforReflection

Ateveryhourgiveyourfullconcentration,asaRomanandaman,tocarryingoutthetaskinhandwithascrupulousandunaffecteddignityandaffectionateconcernforothersandfreedomandjustice,andgiveyourselfspacefromotherconcerns.Youwillgiveyourselfthisifyoucarryouteachactasifitwerethelastofyourlife,freedfromallrandomnessandpassionatedeviationfromtheruleofreasonandfrompretenceandself-loveanddissatisfactionwithwhathasbeenallottedtoyou.Youseehowfewthingsyouneedtomastertobeabletoliveasmoothlyflowinglife:thegodswillasknomorefromsomeonewhomaintainstheseprinciples.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,2.5

Sunday:Nature

NatureandtheViewfromAbove

MorningTextforReflection

Theworksofthegodsarefullofprovidence,andtheworksoffortunearenotseparatefromnatureortheinterweavingandintertwiningofthethingsgovernedbyprovidence.Everythingflowsfromthere.Furtherfactorsarenecessityandthebenefitofthewholeuniverse,ofwhichyouareapart.Whatisbroughtbythenatureofthewholeandwhatmaintainsthatnatureisgoodforeachpartofnature.Justasthechangesintheelementsmaintaintheuniversesotoodothechangesinthecompounds.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,2.3

PractisetheEarlyMorningMeditation

Today’sLunchtimeExercise:NatureandtheViewfromAbove

Onourfinaldaywethinkaboutourplacewithinnatureasawhole.AnyonewhoreadsMarcus’Meditationsislikelytobestruckbyhismanyreferencestotheideaofseeinghimselfaspartofalargercosmicwhole,governedbydivineProvidence,forinstanceinthemorningtextforreflection.Sometimeshealsostressesthevastnessofspaceandtimeandthesmallnessofhumanliveswithinthis.Healsosometimesurgeshimselftoadoptaviewfromaboveorfromacosmicperspective.

WhydoesMarcusthinkitishelpfultothinkaboutnatureasawholeinthisway?Partlythisisawaytopurgeusofourover-attachmenttotrivialthingsbyexpandingourmindsbeyondtheirhabitual,narrowperspective.We’relessupsetaboutthingswhenwepicturethemas

occurringinatinycornerofthecosmos:likeagrainofsandincosmicspaceandthemereturnofascrewintermsofcosmictime.Thishelpsusrealizethatweare,inreality,verysmallpartsofthenaturaluniverseandthatwedo,infact,haveaverytemporaryexistencewithinthislargerwhole.

ButthereisalsoamorepositivedimensioninStoicthoughtaboutthistopic.TheStoicsbelievedthattheuniverseasawholeexhibitedqualitieswhichcouldprovideexemplarymoralnormsforhumanbeingstryingtoleadagoodlife.Thequalitiestheyattributedtotheuniverseasawholewereorder,structureandrationalityontheonehandandprovidentialcareontheother.Orderandstructurewereshownintherepeatedpatternsofnature,suchastheregularmovementsoftheplanetarysystem,thealternationofdayandnight,thecycleoftheseasons,andthegrowthandregenerationoflivingthings.Providentialcarewasshowninthefactthatallspecies,includinghumanbeings,havethein-builtnaturalcapacityandinstinctivedesiretomaintaintheirownexistenceandtopropagateandcareforothersoftheirkind.So,inaimingtocarryoutthetwostrandsofethicaldevelopmentnaturalforhumanbeings(discussedonMonday),Stoicsthinkitishelpfultoreflectonthesefeaturesofnatureasawholeandtothinkaboutyourselfaspartofalargernaturalpattern.

Canwemodernssharethisviewofnatureandderiveanythingusefulfromit?Ofcourse,themodernscientificworld-viewisverydifferentfromtheStoicone.Ontheotherhand,attheverygeneral(andbyourstandardsnon-scientific)levelatwhichtheStoicsthoughtaboutnatureasawhole,itmaystillbepossibleforustootoseenatureasorderedandprovidential.Also,wemodernshavereasonstheStoicsdidnothavethatmakeitratherurgentforustothinkaboutourselvesaspartofalargernaturalwhole.Sincethe19thcentury,humanbeingshavedonegreatdamagetotheenvironmentandtheecologyoftheplanet,whichwearenowbelatedlytryingtorepair.Wehavealsoputatriskthesurvivalofmanyspeciesofanimalsandplantswithwhichwesharethisplanet.Sowehaveveryforcefulreasonstowanttorecoveraviewofourselvesaspartsofalargerwhole,andtotrytoenablenaturetoregainitspropercharacterasorderedandprovidential.ReflectingontheStoicviewofhumanityaspartofalargercosmicwholemayhelpustodothis,inadditiontothereasonsthattheStoicsthemselveshadfortakingthisview.

HereisapassagefromMarcusthatexpressesvividlythethemeofadoptingaviewfromabove,fromacosmicstandpoint.Marcus’mainfocushereisonstandingbackfromyournormalperspectiveandseeingtherelativesmallnessandtransienceofhumanlife.Butelsewherehealsostressesthepositiveethicaldimensionofviewingyourselfaspartofnature.

AfinereflectionfromPlato.Onewhowouldconverseabouthumanbeingsshouldlookonallthingsearthlyasthoughfromsomepointfarabove,uponherds,armies,andagriculture,marriagesanddivorces,birthsanddeaths,theclamouroflawcourts,desertedwastes,alienpeoplesofeverykind,festivals,lamentations,andmarkets,thisintermixtureofeverythingandorderedcombinationofopposites.—

MarcusAurelius,Meditations,7.48

The‘ViewfromAbove’isaguidedvisualizationthatisaimedatinstillingasenseofthe‘biggerpicture’,andofunderstandingyourrolewithinnatureasawhole.Youcanpractiseavisualisationofthe‘ViewfromAbove’here:

DownloadRecordings

EveningTextforReflection

Itravelalongnature’swayuntilIfalldownandtakemyrest,breathingoutmylastintotheair,fromwhichIdrawmydailybreath,andfallingdowntothatearthfromwhichmyfatherdrewhisseed,mymotherherbloodandmynursehermilk,andfromwhichforsomanyyearsIhavetakenmydailyfoodanddrink,theearthwhichcarriesmyfootstepsandwhichIhaveusedtothefullinsomanyways.—MarcusAurelius,Meditations,5.4

PractisetheLateEveningMeditation

AfterStoicWeekWhatnext?HaveyouenjoyedfollowingStoicWeek?Haveyoufoundithelpful?Ifyouhavethenthereisnoneedtostopattheendofthisweek!Oneofthereasonsforadoptingthisformatisthatitgivesyouaready-madetemplatethatyoucancontinuetofollowweekafterweek.

InordertodeepenanddevelopyourStoicpracticethenextstepistostartexploringsomeoftheancientStoictextsforyourselfifyoudon’tknowthemalready.

1. ObtainacopyofTheMeditationsofMarcusAurelius.Everydayinasparemomentreadatleastonenewsectionofthetext.Asmanyoftheseareveryshortyouwillprobablyreadmanymorethanjustone.

2. StartreadingtheTheDiscoursesofEpictetus.Setasidesometimeeveryweekendtoreadtwonewchapters(mostonlyacoupleofpageslong).Thereare95chaptersintheDiscoursessothiswillkeepyougoingformuchofthecomingyear.

3. AfterthatdothesamewiththeLettersofSeneca,oneortwoeachweekend.Thereare124lettersbutmanymoderntranslationsprintonlyaselection.Twoaweekwilloccupyyouforjustoverayear.IfforwhateverreasonyouwouldratherstartwithSenecathendo!

Thefollowtranslationsarerecommended:

MarcusAurelius:OxfordWorld’sClassicsorPenguinClassics.NotealsotheeditioninthePenguinGreatIdeasseries.Epictetus:OxfordWorld’sClassicsorPenguinClassics(onlyselections).ThereisalsoaselectioninthePenguinGreatIdeasseries.Seneca:PenguinClassics(aselection)orOxfordWorld’sClassics(aselection),whoalsopublishhisessays.NotealsoaselectionofessaysinthePenguinGreatIdeasseries.

Appendices:MeettheTeam

ThesearethemainpeopleinvolvedinStoicWeekandinputtingtogetherthisHandbook,andsomeoftheirrelevantpublications.

ChristopherGillEmeritusProfessorofAncientThoughtatExeterUniversityandauthorofMarcusAurelius:Meditations,Books1-6(2013).

PatrickUssherPhDclassicsstudentatExeterUniversityresearchingStoicismandorganisingStoicWeekandeditorofStoicismToday:SelectedWritings,Vol.1.

JohnSellarsResearchfellowatKing’sCollege,UniversityofLondon,andauthorofStoicism(2006)andTheArtofLiving(2009).

TimLeBonPsychotherapistandauthorofWiseTherapy(2001)andAchieveYourPotentialwithPositivePsychology(2014).

GillGarrattCognitive-behaviouraltherapistandauthorofIntroducingCBTforWork(2012).

JulesEvansPolicyDirectorattheCentrefortheHistoryofEmotionsatQueenMary,UniversityofLondon.AuthorofPhilosophyforLifeandOtherDangerousSituations(2012).

DonaldRobertsonInstructionaldesignerandcognitive-behaviouraltherapist.AuthorofThePhilosophyofCognitive-BehaviouralTherapy(2010),BuildyourResilience(2012),andStoicismandtheArtofHappiness(2013).

FurtherReadingHerearesomefurtherreadingsuggestionsifyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutancientStoicism,puttingStoicismintopractice,ortheconnectionsbetweenStoicismandpsychotherapy.

Firstofall,weshouldmentionStoicismToday:SelectedWritings:1,editedbyPatrickUssher,acollectionofwritingsfromdifferentauthorstakenfromtheStoicismTodayblog.ThisisaverygoodintroductiontoStoicismbecauseitapproachesthesubjectfrommanydifferentperspectives,inshortarticleswrittenbyauthorsfromdifferentbackgrounds.Someofthefollowingbooksshouldalsobeonyourpersonalreadinglist:

PuttingStoicismintoPractice

W.B.Irvine,AGuidetotheGoodLife:TheAncientArtofStoicJoy(NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2009)D.Robertson,StoicismandtheArtofHappiness(London:TeachYourself,2013).T.Morris,TheStoicArtofLiving(Chicago:OpenCourt,2004)R.Pies,EverythingHasTwoHandles:TheStoic’sGuidetotheArtofLiving(Lanham:HamiltonBooks,2008)P.J.Vernezze,Don’tWorry,BeStoic:AncientWisdomforTroubledTimes(Lanham:UniversityofAmericaPress,2005)E.Buzare,StoicSpiritualExercises(Lulu,2011)S.Lebell,ArtofLiving(HarperOne,2007)P.Ussher,Ed.,StoicismToday:SelectedWritings(2014).

IntroductionstoAncientStoicism

J.Sellars,Stoicism(Chesham:Acumen/Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2006)T.Brennan,TheStoicLife(Oxford:ClarendonPress,2005)B.Inwood,ed.,TheCambridgeCompaniontoTheStoics(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2003)

StudiesExploringthePracticalSideofAncientStoicism

M.C.Nussbaum,TheTherapyofDesire:TheoryandPracticeinHellenisticEthics(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,1994)R.Sorabji,‘IsStoicPhilosophyHelpfulasPsychotherapy?’,inR.Sorabji,ed.,AristotleandAfter(London:InstituteofClassicalStudies,1997),197-209.R.Sorabji,EmotionandPeaceofMind:FromStoicAgitationtoChristianTemptation(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2000)J.Sellars,TheArtofLiving:TheStoicsontheNatureandFunctionofPhilosophy(London:Duckworth,2009)

BooksonPracticalAspectsofRomanStoicism

P.Hadot,TheInnerCitadel:TheMeditationsofMarcusAurelius(Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress,1998)A.Long,Epictetus:AStoicandSocraticGuidetoLife(Oxford:ClarendonPress,2002)Reydam-Schils,G.,TheRomanStoics(UniversityofChicago,2005).J.Xenakis,Epictetus:Philosopher-Therapist(TheHague:MartinusNijhoff,1969)

StoicismandPsychotherapy

D.Robertson,ThePhilosophyofCognitive-BehaviouralTherapy(CBT):StoicPhilosophyasRationalandCognitivePsychotherapy(London:Karnac,2010)A.Still&W.Dryden,TheHistoricalandPhilosophicalContextofRationalPsychotherapy:TheLegacyofEpictetus(London:Karnac,2012)A.Still&W.Dryden,‘EllisandEpictetus:Dialoguevs.MethodinPsychotherapy’,JournalofRational-Emotive&Cognitive-BehaviorTherapy21(2003),37-55(reprintedinStill&Dryden2012).A.Still&W.Dryden,‘ThePlaceofRationalityinStoicismandREBT’,JournalofRational-Emotive&Cognitive-BehaviorTherapy17(1999),143-64(reprintedinStill&Dryden2012).S.A.MooreBrookshire,‘UtilizingStoicPhilosophytoImproveCognitiveBehavioralTherapy’,NCPerspectives1(2007),30-36.R.W.Montgomery,‘TheAncientOriginsofCognitiveTherapy:TheReemergenceofStoicism’,JournalofCognitivePsychotherapy7(1993),5-19.

TheEnd

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