The What Is Stoicism? Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

The Stoics strongly believed that we should be respectful to everyone, no matter who they are or what they’ve done.

It’s a freeing attitude: not only can we refuse to let the malevolent actions of others harm our free will, but we also always maintain the power to love, respect, and help those same people.

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The ancient Stoic teacher Epictetus said we should contemplate daily the freedom of our will: The fact that no matter what happens or what anyone else does, our thoughts and actions are our own and no one else’s.

This knowledge of what is and isn’t ours, and of what is and isn’t possible for us, allows us to focus on the things we can actually affect.

On the other hand, we are able to calmly assess the events, opinions, and circumstances that don’t land within our sphere of control and effectively say they’re fine as they are.

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It’s a common disruption to our tranquility: putting someone else’s life on a pedestal compared to our own.

We envy the apparent prosperity and happiness of others while losing sight of the things in our own lives that we should be quite content with.

The full story of someone else’s life can’t be known. Their inner world isn’t visible to us. To have their life, we’d need to inherit everything about them. Would we really be willing to take that risk?

To help regain your freedom from this kind of disruption, I’ve constructed a short Stoic exercise for you to practice.

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"It can ruin your life only if it ruins your character. Otherwise it cannot harm you — inside or out."

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.8

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"You have to submit to discipline, maintain a strict diet, abstain from rich foods, exercise under compulsion at set times in weather hot and cold, refrain from drinking water or wine whenever you want — in short, you have to hand yourself over to your trainer as if he were your doctor."

— Epictetus, Enchiridion 29

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Today's episode unpacks the specific guidelines Marcus Aurelius reminded himself of when feeling anger and resentment toward others for their actions.

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How to look beyond isolated quotes, find the deeper meaning, and benefit by applying the principle.

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For today's episode, I welcome 8 guests who kindly submitted their own answers to the question: "What does Stoicism mean to you?"

Their considered responses give great insight into how practitioners of Stoicism view the philosophy.

Many thanks to Enda Harte, Brittany Polat, Michael McGill, Ranjini George, Kasey Pierce, Jamie Ryder, Lydia Scratch, Brandon Tumblin, and Henry Manampiring!

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What we are and what we think we are can sometimes be very different things.

When we get overwhelmed, it can help to look for an alternative perspective.

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A special interview to mark episode 50 of The What Is Stoicism? Podcast!

Today's guest is Jon Brooks, creator of The Stoic Handbook and HighExistence. As a big fan of Jon's work, it was a pleasure for me to have him on the podcast.

In this episode, we discuss using Stoicism to cope with anxiety and talk about Jon's flagship course Stoic Anxiety Mastery.

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