THE LITTLE BOOK OF STOICISM Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Jonas Salzgeber Disclaimer Please note that this book is for entertainment purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author alone, and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his or her actions. The Power of Philosophy “The power of philosophy to blunt the blows of fate is beyond belief. No missile can settle in her body; she is well-protected and impenetrable. She spoils the force of some missiles and wards them off with the loose folds of her dress, as if they had no power to harm; others she dashes aside, and throws them back with such force that they rebound upon the sender. Farewell. ” - Seneca Introduction Maybe you’ve stumbled upon a smart quote by an ancient Stoic philosopher or you’ve read an article that shared some inspiring Stoic ideas. Maybe you’ve been told about that helpful and flourishing old philosophy by a friend or you’ve already studied a book or two about Stoicism. Or maybe, although chances are very low, you’ve never even heard about it before. However, encountering Stoicism in one way or another is the easy part. Understanding and explaining exactly what it is, though, is the tricky part. Recognizing and seeing exactly how it’s relevant today and how it can help you, is the challenging part. Fully grasping it and putting it into practice, is the ambitious part—that’s where the gold is hidden. What the Stoics taught and practiced in the era of gladiators fighting for their lives and Romans socializing in steaming baths is still remarkably applicable in the era of Game of Thrones and Facebook. The wisdom of this ancient philosophy is timeless, and its value in the quest for a happy and meaningful life is undeniable. With this book, you’re holding the treasure map in your hands. It introduces you to the leading philosophers. It gives you an easy to understand overview of the philosophy. It teaches you the core principles. It provides you with 55 Stoic Practices and helpful hints for the application in your challenging life. And most importantly, it shows you how to translate it from book page to action in the real world. Cool! But how does a twenty-something know how to write the Stoic treasure map for the good life? Fair enough, I’d be wondering about that too. After many years of school and university, I was sick of reading academic books and papers and learning about stuff that didn’t really teach me anything of real life value. So, literally the day after handing in my final paper, I left the country and started my seven months long travel around the world. I wanted to get away, see places and other cultures, but mainly I wanted to get to know myself so I'd know what I wanted to do with my life when I got back. That last part did not work out; however, I did figure out something else instead: "I somehow must have missed the class on howto live?!” In fifteen and a half years of schooling, I learned math, physics, chemistry, biology, and a bunch of other stuff, except how to deal with challenging situations? How to face my fears and struggles? What to do about my depressive feelings? How to deal effectively with the death of my friend? What to do with my anger? How to be more confident? Nope, I must have missed all those classes. That, by the way, is exactly what schools of philosophy were all about in the ancient world, they taught you how to live. And even though these schools don’t exist anymore, you and I and most people are in as much need of a philosophy that teaches us how to live as we ever were. Long story short, I decided to invest in myself and learn how to live well. From all the wisdom I devoured in the following years, Stoic philosophy helped me the most, even though it didn’t start on good terms. Before I knew much (anything) about the philosophy, I thought this must be the most boring thing on earth. I mean, after all, it’s called Stoicism and not “Supermanism” or something else that would indicate it’s worth studying. I gave it a shot anyway, got hooked, and since then I’ve been a voracious student and practitioner of Stoic philosophy. And even though I’ve read and reread countless books. I’ve always lacked a source that provides a simple overview and explains what exactly Stoicism is. So I wrote this massive article that should do exactly that: Give an overview of the philosophy and say what it’s all about. Fortunately, many people loved the article and found it immensely helpful—so much, actually, that someone stole the exact content and sold it as his book. That did not only test my personal Stoic mindset, but all the five-st ar reviews it got told me that people really want to learn about this philosophy. So here I am, passionately writing about what would have saved me countless weeks of research and would have provided so much sought- after and desperately needed wisdom from this exemplar}7 philosophy. I’m positive that this book will contribute to the modern Stoic literature and, most importantly, that it will serve you well oil your quest for the good life. Because that’s really what Stoicism helps you with: living a great life. Whatever you’re going through, there’s advice from the Stoics that can help. Despite the philosophy’s age, its wisdom often feels surprisingly modern and fresh. It can help you build stamina and strength for your challenging life. It can help you become emotionally resilient so you’ll neither get jerked around by outside events nor will others be able to push your buttons. It can teach you to handle yourself and stay calm in the midst of a storm. It can help you make decisions and therefore drastically simplify everyday living. “He who studies with a philosopher,” Seneca says, “should take away with him some one good thing every day: he should daily return home a sounder man, or in the way to become sounder.” Practicing Stoicism helps you improve yourself as a person; it teaches you to mindfully live by a set of desirable values such as courage, patience, self-discipline, serenity, perseverance, forgiveness, kindness, and humility. Its many anchors offer security and guidance and will level up your confidence. And you can get that too. In fact, Stoic philosophy made the good life a reachable goal for everybody, cutting through social classes—whether you’re rich or poor, healthy or sick, well-educated or not, it makes no difference to your ability to live the good life. The Stoics were living proof that it’s possible for someone to be exiled to a desert island and still be happier than someone living in a palace. They understood very well that there’s only a loose connection between external circumstances and our happiness. In Stoicism, what you do with the given circumstances matters much more. Stoics recognized that the good life depends on the cultivation of one’s character, oil one's choices and actions rather than on what happens in the uncontrollable world around us. This, my fellow Stoic student, is at the root of a tough and at the same time highly attractive aspect of Stoicism—it makes us responsible and deprives us of any excuses for not living the best life possible. You and I, we’re responsible for our own flourishing. We’re responsible for not letting our happiness depend on external circumstances—we shouldn’t let the rain, annoying strangers, or a leaking washing machine decide upon our wellbeing. Otherwise, we become helpless victims of life circumstances out of hand. As a Stoic student, you learn that only you can ruin your life and only you can refuse to let your inner self be conquered by whatever nasty challenge life throws at you. So, Stoicism teaches us to live by a set of values that contribute to emotional resilience, calm confidence, and a clear direction in life. Just like an old reliable walking stick, it’s a guide to life based on reason rather than faith, a guide that supports us in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom. Stoicism makes us better human beings and teaches us how to excel in life. Its powerful psychological techniques are almost identical to the ones that are now proven to be effective by research in the scientific study called Positive Psychology’. I am not accusing the researchers of theft, but the exercises discussed in Positive Psychology look suspiciously similar to the ones the Stoics used over two thousand years ago. The fact that modern research often goes hand in hand with what the Stoics taught makes the philosophy even more appealing. On top of that, Stoicism isn’t rigid, but open and looking for the truth. As a Latin saying goes: “Zeno [founder of Stoicism] is our friend but truth is an even greater friend.” If we look around, we see countless people who pursued their dreams of a golden mansion, a Porsche 911, and a six-figure job, and yet they’re not happier than before with the moldy flat, the rusty old car, and the cheap job. They’re living by a formula that looks something like this: If you work hard, you'll be successful, and once you’re successful, then you’ll be happy.