ITT we read and discuss each days excerpt from The Daily Stoic. What it means to us, how it's important, and how we can apply the concepts in our daily lives.
Philosophy and especially stoicism is very misunderstood in todays culture. There are a lot of pop-philosophy misrepresentations for stoicism and its applications (podcasts, youtube videos, and instagram are notorious) but it can sometimes be daunting to read the original texts.
This book and thread kind of bridges that gap because we are still reading from the original (translated) source, but in digestable digestable chunks, and doing so as a group to check our own understanding. The Daily Stoic is a good book, its introduction on its own is worth reading when you have the time.
The Daily Stoic
Re: The Daily Stoic
October 23rd:
It's a shame but so many people on the net today (especially incel types) are completely obsessed with their genetic disposition and throw their hands up in the air and give up on success in life. "I'm a short manlet" "I'm already balding" "I have negative canthal tilt" or no jaw or whatever absurd small detail they've decided makes their lives "so over bros". But if they just tried despite whatever genetic deficencies they may have they could find success. Even people with serious genetic deficencies like Shane Burcaw and Ricky Berwick have found success romantically and financially by cultivating positive traits.
It kind of reminds me of this picture I saw a bit ago
Some people are gifted with height, good looks, or intelligence. But these qualities are by no means essential. In many ways they can even be traps, often the most intelligent people are the most depressed, the most good looking the most dependent on their looks. I think the best qualities in a person are not those that are given at birth, but are those that are cultivated over time and that takes will and reverence to maintain them.People aren’t in awe of your sharp mind? So be it. But you have many other qualities you can’t claim to have been deprived of at birth. Display then those qualities in your own power: honesty, dignity, endurance, chastity, contentment, frugality, kindness, freedom, persistence, avoiding gossip, and magnanimity.
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.5
It's a shame but so many people on the net today (especially incel types) are completely obsessed with their genetic disposition and throw their hands up in the air and give up on success in life. "I'm a short manlet" "I'm already balding" "I have negative canthal tilt" or no jaw or whatever absurd small detail they've decided makes their lives "so over bros". But if they just tried despite whatever genetic deficencies they may have they could find success. Even people with serious genetic deficencies like Shane Burcaw and Ricky Berwick have found success romantically and financially by cultivating positive traits.
It kind of reminds me of this picture I saw a bit ago
Re: The Daily Stoic
yeah alot of issues/qualities are not born and it sucks people percieve them that way. Its used against others to their detriment, yes but also to onesself.
It brings me back to the discussion of disengagement or in these terms a 'throwing up of hands' and 'going to bed forever' and there is a form of that that plagues the minds of the incel type.
One Piece fans like myself like to annoy others with the tales and adventures as much as any good christian evangelical wishes to cite verses to randos, and tell them the good word of the lord.
However I must rave yet again, as Echiro Oda encapsulates even the concept of born-traits in his story.
In this fantasy setting, many characters in the world assume the Color Of Kings is an aura you have to be born with. They put themselves down, throw their hands up, and assume it's just bad luck that only certain people have the power to stare their will into the hearts of others.
However the reality of the situation is ANYONE can get this power through what you describe as Reverence.
Reverence for the MC's ACTIONS and not just who he was born as is necessary as it inspires the side characters to beat up their metaphorical wardens using an inner strength they've had the whole time, and escape the prison together. Reverence is also what manifests this power in the revered individual.
Its not that its a born power, its just that its rare to find one in a social feedback loop that creates an important figure enough out of them to have their will power split the clouds.
This is relevant to the real world, as most writers try their best to package a real concept in a way that is entertaining or hyperbolic.
Doing things out of inspiration because you reveer someone or something
and then becoming someone to be reveered is powerful, rare, and difficult.
When not wanting to absorb with the mechanics of the world or engage with it in an uncomfortable way, one can end up being like the minor side characters in One Piece who incorrectly exposit that the "CoK" is something you are born with..... l o l....
It brings me back to the discussion of disengagement or in these terms a 'throwing up of hands' and 'going to bed forever' and there is a form of that that plagues the minds of the incel type.
One Piece fans like myself like to annoy others with the tales and adventures as much as any good christian evangelical wishes to cite verses to randos, and tell them the good word of the lord.
However I must rave yet again, as Echiro Oda encapsulates even the concept of born-traits in his story.
In this fantasy setting, many characters in the world assume the Color Of Kings is an aura you have to be born with. They put themselves down, throw their hands up, and assume it's just bad luck that only certain people have the power to stare their will into the hearts of others.
However the reality of the situation is ANYONE can get this power through what you describe as Reverence.
Reverence for the MC's ACTIONS and not just who he was born as is necessary as it inspires the side characters to beat up their metaphorical wardens using an inner strength they've had the whole time, and escape the prison together. Reverence is also what manifests this power in the revered individual.
Its not that its a born power, its just that its rare to find one in a social feedback loop that creates an important figure enough out of them to have their will power split the clouds.
This is relevant to the real world, as most writers try their best to package a real concept in a way that is entertaining or hyperbolic.
Doing things out of inspiration because you reveer someone or something
and then becoming someone to be reveered is powerful, rare, and difficult.
When not wanting to absorb with the mechanics of the world or engage with it in an uncomfortable way, one can end up being like the minor side characters in One Piece who incorrectly exposit that the "CoK" is something you are born with..... l o l....
Re: The Daily Stoic
I initially thought of this as people don't see how smart you are as in iq as if iq is some type of measurement of a person. And that what's more important is all your other qualities given to you as an individual. But then I realized it might be about something more general. The idea that people will always have something to say about you whether it is your looks, mind, or pursonality. And that you can't make each one of individuals happy because they are just looking at one part of you and not all your other qualities per say. So when we look at ourselves and see ourselves we should live in our skin with open humility and as Marcus says, honesty and power.
I feel like because of the rise of social media it has caused people to judge themselves based on other people's shallow ideas of them and it has caused a lot of people who don't fit well in their own skin.
I feel like because of the rise of social media it has caused people to judge themselves based on other people's shallow ideas of them and it has caused a lot of people who don't fit well in their own skin.
Re: The Daily Stoic
October 23, "Show the qualities you were made for"
I think that there is a general lack of appreciation for what we have in the developed world. It's so easy for us to focus on our desires and our faults, rather than appreciate the things which we do have. How selfish is it for someone born with more opportunity and wealth than is needed to thrive, to feel disdain towards their own circumstances. Of course, I too am guilty of this. There are always things I wish were different about me, and these thoughts often overwhelm me. So while I agree that focusing on self-developed qualities such as truthfulness and dignity can help to improve our and others perceptions on life, I find it more important to take the time to see and appreciate what we already have. To have a place to live, food to eat, and drink to drink, is sadly more than many in our world have today.
I believe that appreciating your own existence and situation is crucial before beginning to develop ones-self.
I think that there is a general lack of appreciation for what we have in the developed world. It's so easy for us to focus on our desires and our faults, rather than appreciate the things which we do have. How selfish is it for someone born with more opportunity and wealth than is needed to thrive, to feel disdain towards their own circumstances. Of course, I too am guilty of this. There are always things I wish were different about me, and these thoughts often overwhelm me. So while I agree that focusing on self-developed qualities such as truthfulness and dignity can help to improve our and others perceptions on life, I find it more important to take the time to see and appreciate what we already have. To have a place to live, food to eat, and drink to drink, is sadly more than many in our world have today.
I believe that appreciating your own existence and situation is crucial before beginning to develop ones-self.
Last edited by pan on Wed Oct 25, 2023 1:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Daily Stoic
To me this means that, even when we're stressed or upset or tired we can still be noble. We can still act good. We have to check ourselves, look within, and channel that 'fountain of goodness'.Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging.
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.59”
That's a really interesting perspective and one that I don't hear often in discussion around self-improvement. I'm personally religious and I practice gratitude daily. I thank god for my health, friends, situation, and all manner of things. Generally I'm just grateful to be alive.pan wrote: ↑Tue Oct 24, 2023 6:31 am I think that there is a general lack of appreciation for what we have in the developed world. It's so easy for us to focus on our desires and our faults, rather than appreciate the things which we do have. How selfish is it for someone born with more opportunity and wealth than is needed to thrive, to feel disdain towards their own circumstances.
...
So while I agree that focusing on self-developed qualities such as truthfulness and dignity can help to improve our and others perceptions on life, I find it more important to take the time to see and appreciate what we already have. To have a place to live, food to eat, and drink to drink, is sadly more than many in our world have today.
I believe that appreciating your own existence and situation is crucial before beginning to develop ones-self.
I think too, that not only is self-improvement without gratitude selfish, but it can be toxic. I think it could end up being quite harmful, not knowing when (or how) to pump the breaks on the quest of self-improvement. The gym rat that is never satisfied with their gains, or the career man that is never satisfied with their raise. Yes, each person is improving their selves/situation but in a way that brings them no happiness or fulfillment.
Re: The Daily Stoic
Stoic quote of the day, October 25th
Where wealth may bring you financial freedom, it is not true freedom.
Where a high position of state may bring you freedom of choice and privileges, it is not true freedom.
The only true freedom comes from mindset. Even in cases where people are literally imprisoned, a mindset of freedom and an unbreakable will is true freedom.
Learning this 'true freedom' and excercising it takes a deep rooted desire to be free, even at the expense of comforts and conveniences. It also takes practice. Practicing emotional control, self-discipline, meditation, and practicing detachment.
When you excercise this true freedom, making the decisions in life that maintains your freedom, you are walking the path to true fulfillment.
To me this excerpt means that the only thing that can bring you true freedom is a mindset of freedom.What, then, makes a person free from hindrance and self-determining? For wealth doesn’t, neither does high-office, state or kingdom—rather, something else must be found . . . in the case of living, it is the knowledge of how to live.
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.1.62–64
Where wealth may bring you financial freedom, it is not true freedom.
Where a high position of state may bring you freedom of choice and privileges, it is not true freedom.
The only true freedom comes from mindset. Even in cases where people are literally imprisoned, a mindset of freedom and an unbreakable will is true freedom.
Learning this 'true freedom' and excercising it takes a deep rooted desire to be free, even at the expense of comforts and conveniences. It also takes practice. Practicing emotional control, self-discipline, meditation, and practicing detachment.
When you excercise this true freedom, making the decisions in life that maintains your freedom, you are walking the path to true fulfillment.
Re: The Daily Stoic
Honestly,
I both agree and disagree with you on this. Yes, thinking that your 5'1" height is preventing you from becoming a 'Giga-Chad' is quite naive. You should strive to be a better version of yourself every day, every week, and every month. I dislike this phrase, but there are also 'missed opportunities' that exist solely due to your physique. For instance, if you have a heart condition, you will never become a Top Gun pilot. It won't happen unless you lie on your medical exam, potentially endangering many people due to your sheer recklessness. I'm not suggesting that you should just give up and resign yourself to failure, but if you genuinely believe you have a problem, you should either accept that there's nothing you can do or actively work to address it. You can't simply ignore the quiet voices in your head that whisper doubts; you must confront them first. It's a much longer topic, exploring what happens when who you are mentally does not align with who you are physically. But I believe that's a topic for another day.
I both agree and disagree with you on this. Yes, thinking that your 5'1" height is preventing you from becoming a 'Giga-Chad' is quite naive. You should strive to be a better version of yourself every day, every week, and every month. I dislike this phrase, but there are also 'missed opportunities' that exist solely due to your physique. For instance, if you have a heart condition, you will never become a Top Gun pilot. It won't happen unless you lie on your medical exam, potentially endangering many people due to your sheer recklessness. I'm not suggesting that you should just give up and resign yourself to failure, but if you genuinely believe you have a problem, you should either accept that there's nothing you can do or actively work to address it. You can't simply ignore the quiet voices in your head that whisper doubts; you must confront them first. It's a much longer topic, exploring what happens when who you are mentally does not align with who you are physically. But I believe that's a topic for another day.
- 78044f54-1ff2-46fd-871d-d18d736e4d26.jpg (46.12 KiB) Viewed 127 times
-CmdPirx
Re: The Daily Stoic
Having good morals ensures your default, near-subconscious, actions are correct and good. It also ensures that your rhetoric and philosophy is torwards noble goals. Smart men can certainly philosophize all day long about how "greed is good" or such, but its just that. Smart men, but not good men with quality morals. If good morals were not instilled in you at birth, I think religion (christianity, buddhism, taoism) can assist, as well as reading and applying philosophy of people with good morals (like Marcus Aurelius!)“The best and the greatest number of authors have asserted that philosophy consists of three parts: the moral, the natural, and the rational. The first puts the soul in order. The second thoroughly examines the natural order of things. The third inquires into the proper meaning of words, and their arrangements and proofs which keep falsehoods from creeping in to displace truth.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 89.9”
I don't really know what Seneca means by "the natural" here. I think I'm looking too deep into it and he is just asserting that good philsophy consists of examining the natural order of things, "the natural". I do think though that this is essential! The things that seem to bring the most human fulfillment are those that align with our 'natural' way of living; being outdoors, working in groups, natural foods. Also, by examining the natural order of things, the way ecosystems work, how other forms of life interact with eachother, I think we can begin to see common threads that point torwards universal truths.
And of course, being a rational human being and not an emotional animal is essential to good living and good philosophy. I think meditation, prayer, journaling all helps slow down our thoughts and help us be more rational people in our day-to-day.
Re: The Daily Stoic
October 26, "Three parts, one aim"
I very much agree with the sentiments of Seneca. I believe that living in according to the natural world, as well as being both a moral and rational person is important in living a good life. For if we do not live by some standard of morality, we have no way to guide our lives. We would be less than the animals, for even they have a sense of morality. The same goes for rationality, without it our very survival as a species would not be possible.
Now that's not to say that I don't have some issues with these concepts as well. The main issue which I see, especially in the context of living a good life, is that they are all quite vague. To define how exactly one is to live in accordance with nature, morality, and rationality is effectively impossible to do. This has been the goal of philosophers for centuries. If we could define exactly what is moral, what makes a person rational, and what makes something natural, I believe much of our issues as a species would cease to exist.
But that said, I do think that for the every man, these are good concepts to follow. As though we cannot quite define the how, I believe that following one's own ideals for each of these will lead them to live a better life.
I very much agree with the sentiments of Seneca. I believe that living in according to the natural world, as well as being both a moral and rational person is important in living a good life. For if we do not live by some standard of morality, we have no way to guide our lives. We would be less than the animals, for even they have a sense of morality. The same goes for rationality, without it our very survival as a species would not be possible.
Now that's not to say that I don't have some issues with these concepts as well. The main issue which I see, especially in the context of living a good life, is that they are all quite vague. To define how exactly one is to live in accordance with nature, morality, and rationality is effectively impossible to do. This has been the goal of philosophers for centuries. If we could define exactly what is moral, what makes a person rational, and what makes something natural, I believe much of our issues as a species would cease to exist.
But that said, I do think that for the every man, these are good concepts to follow. As though we cannot quite define the how, I believe that following one's own ideals for each of these will lead them to live a better life.
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