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This is not at all "how to be a stoic". This is "what it is to be a stoic". It's nice to say you have to avoid reacting to things outside of your control. But

This is not at all "how to be a stoic". This is "what it is to be a stoic". It's nice to say you have to avoid reacting to things outside of your control. But how does one do that ? Stoicism fails at explaining any practical way of embrassing the teaching. It's strange since they were quite practical people, but you see that a often in philosophy: lots of theory, very few advices for practice. At least the buddhists suggest meditation as a tool to learn to act instead of reacting, and see things more objectively.

mercer 8y ago
I found stoicism to be stepping stone to buddhism for precisely this reason. One of the things that drove me away from Christianity is that, among other things, I felt it put a lot of emphasis on how I should be and live, without offering much of a practical path to get there, resulting in a lot of guilt. Stoicism was incredibly refreshing in that it seemed to focus primarily on actual living, but what bothered me after a while was that 1) it was practical to a fault, as in it didn't provide me with much of a broader framework of ideas and beliefs about reality, and 2) it ultimately still wasn't really all that practical, but rather seemed to be more descriptive: this is how a stoic does things. go and be that way. While definitely a step up from Christianity in the practical realm, it was only when I came across (zen) buddhism that I felt that I had found something that not only scratched my theoretical itches (I'd probably have been a theologian or monk had I remained 'in the fold'), but something that was , often frustratingly, focused on practice. Every book or article or lecture would regularly interrupt the wonderful thoughts that tickled my brain with some annoying variation on "this is just words, and they're useless if you don't sit and practice". The very fact that I find myself struggling more than ever with putting the buddhist-but-stoicism-compatible stuff into practice is a huge step forward for me, because it means that I'm actually engaging with these ideas, rather than just mentally masturbating to them.
HNLurker2 8y ago
Yes and they are ancient with few practicioners of what it preaches. One example would be Taleb but I couldn't think of a stoic group of people that truly live like that.
briancleland 8y ago
> It's nice to say you have to avoid reacting to things outside of your control. But how does one do that ? The first step is to learn to distinguish between the things that are in your control and those that outside of your control. The second step is to consciously remind yourself that things outside your control are by their nature indifferent - neither good nor bad - and to act accordingly. Both of these things require constant practice to develop skill. One specific exercise that can help is the "Premeditatio Malorum". Another is to keep a journal of one's successes and failures and to review it daily. There are other useful resources online with practical advice. One good example is Donald Robertson's Stoic Therapy Toolkit: https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/p/stoic-therapy-toolkit https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/p/stoic-therapy-toolkit

mercer 8y ago

I found stoicism to be stepping stone to buddhism for precisely this reason. One of the things that drove me away from Christianity is that, among other things, I felt it put a lot of emphasis on how I should be and live, without offering much of a practical path to get there, resulting in a lot of guilt. Stoicism was incredibly refreshing in that it seemed to focus primarily on actual living, but what bothered me after a while was that 1) it was practical to a fault, as in it didn't provide me with much of a broader framework of ideas and beliefs about reality, and 2) it ultimately still wasn't really all that practical, but rather seemed to be more descriptive: this is how a stoic does things. go and be that way. While definitely a step up from Christianity in the practical realm, it was only when I came across (zen) buddhism that I felt that I had found something that not only scratched my theoretical itches (I'd probably have been a theologian or monk had I remained 'in the fold'), but something that was , often frustratingly, focused on practice. Every book or article or lecture would regularly interrupt the wonderful thoughts that tickled my brain with some annoying variation on "this is just words, and they're useless if you don't sit and practice". The very fact that I find myself struggling more than ever with putting the buddhist-but-stoicism-compatible stuff into practice is a huge step forward for me, because it means that I'm actually engaging with these ideas, rather than just mentally masturbating to them.

HNLurker2 8y ago

Yes and they are ancient with few practicioners of what it preaches. One example would be Taleb but I couldn't think of a stoic group of people that truly live like that.

briancleland 8y ago

> It's nice to say you have to avoid reacting to things outside of your control. But how does one do that ? The first step is to learn to distinguish between the things that are in your control and those that outside of your control. The second step is to consciously remind yourself that things outside your control are by their nature indifferent - neither good nor bad - and to act accordingly. Both of these things require constant practice to develop skill. One specific exercise that can help is the "Premeditatio Malorum". Another is to keep a journal of one's successes and failures and to review it daily. There are other useful resources online with practical advice. One good example is Donald Robertson's Stoic Therapy Toolkit: https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/p/stoic-therapy-toolkit https://learn.donaldrobertson.name/p/stoic-therapy-toolkit