The Wisdom of Stoic Living

What is Stoicism all about? Where does this ancient philosophy come from? Who were its main characters, and what was their goal in life? This first week focuses on the core ideas of Stoicism. We’ll discover that what matters if you want to flourish in life is who you are and what you do. You want to express your highest self in every moment. The simplest strategy to do that is by focusing on what you control, and ultimately, you want to take responsibility for your own flourishing by being response-able in the present moment.

Stoicism is demanding as it asks you to express your highest Self in every moment. This isn’t easy as life happens and you sometimes get caught off guard. What you need is a certain awareness in the present moment so that you can accept rather than fight what is – an invaluable skill in the art of living. This week is about saying “yes” to life’s challenges.

What is philosophy for if not to prepare yourself for the things that may come upon you? This week is about emotional resilience – the ability to endure stressful situations without getting overwhelmed. What have your expectations and desires to do with getting frustrated and disappointed? And what can you do about it? The stoics were not idle but prepared mentally and physically to face adversity with a certain calmness and trust in their resilience.

Stoic philosophy is a highly practical matter. And its benefit can only be reaped if practiced in everyday life. This week focuses on how to do that. Our primary responsibility is to look after ourselves properly, so that we may flourish and thus naturally support our human relatives. An aspiring stoic is looking for the truth and is willing to learn, apply and reflect – and repeat.