Examine your impressions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u201cSo make a practice at once of saying to every strong impression: \u2018An impression is all you are, not the source of the impression.\u2019 Then test and assess it with your criteria, but one primarily: ask, \u2018Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?\u2019 And if it\u2019s not one of the things that you control, be ready with the reaction, \u2018Then it\u2019s none of my concern.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Remind yourself of the impermanence of things.<\/strong> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cIn the case of particular things that delight you, or benefit you, or to which you have grown attached, remind yourself of what they are. Start with things of little value. If it is china you like, for instance, say, \u2018I am fond of a piece of china.\u2019 When it breaks, then you won\u2019t be as disconcerted. When giving your wife or child a kiss, repeat to yourself, \u2018I am kissing a mortal.\u2019 Then you won\u2019t be so distraught if they are taken from you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- The reserve clause.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cWhenever planning an action, mentally rehearse what the plan entails. If you are heading out to bathe, picture to yourself the typical scene at the bathhouse\u2014people splashing, pushing, yelling and pinching your clothes. You will complete the act with more composure if you say at the outset, \u2018I want a bath, but at the same time I want to keep my will aligned with nature\u2019 [that is, to apply reason to social living]. Do it with every act. That way if something occurs to spoil your bath, you will have ready the thought, \u2018Well, this was not my only intention, I also meant to keep my will in line with nature\u2014which is impossible if I go all to pieces whenever anything bad happens.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- How can I use virtue here and now?<\/strong> <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For every challenge, remember the resources you have within you to cope with it. Provoked by the sight of a handsome man or a beautiful woman, you will discover within you the contrary power of self-restraint. Faced with pain, you will discover the power of endurance. If you are insulted, you will discover patience. In time, you will grow to be confident that there is not a single impression that you will not have the moral means to tolerate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Pause and take a deep breath<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cRemember, it is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed, you must believe that you are being harmed. If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it is easier to maintain control.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Other-ize<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cWe can familiarize ourselves with the will of nature by calling to mind our common experiences. When a friend breaks a glass, we are quick to say, \u2018Oh, bad luck.\u2019 It\u2019s only reasonable, then, that when a glass of your own breaks, you accept it in the same patient spirit. Moving on to graver things: when somebody\u2019s wife or child dies, to a man we all routinely say, \u2018Well, that\u2019s part of life.\u2019 But if one of our own family is involved, then right away it\u2019s \u2018Poor, poor me!\u2019 We would do better to remember how we react when a similar loss afflicts others.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Speak little and well<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cLet silence be your goal for the most part; say only what is necessary, and be brief about it. On the rare occasions when you\u2019re called upon to speak, then speak, but never about banalities like gladiators, horses, sports, food and drink\u2014common-place stuff. Above all don\u2019t gossip about people, praising, blaming or comparing them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Choose your company well<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cAvoid fraternizing with non-philosophers. If you must, though, be careful not to sink to their level; because, you know, if a companion is dirty, his friends cannot help but get a little dirty too, no matter how clean they started out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Respond to insults with humor<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cIf you learn that someone is speaking ill of you, don\u2019t try to defend yourself against the rumors; respond instead with, \u2018Yes, and he doesn\u2019t know the half of it, because he could have said more.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Don\u2019t speak too much about yourself<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cIn your conversation, don\u2019t dwell at excessive length on your own deeds or adventures. Just because you enjoy recounting your exploits doesn\u2019t mean that others derive the same pleasure from hearing about them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Speak without judging<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cSomeone bathes in haste; don\u2019t say he bathes badly, but in haste. Someone drinks a lot of wine; don\u2019t say he drinks badly, but a lot. Until you know their reasons, how do you know that their actions are vicious? This will save you from perceiving one thing clearly, but then assenting to something different.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Reflect on your day<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cAdmit not sleep into your tender eyelids till you have reckoned up each deed of the day\u2014How have I erred, what done or left undone? So start, and so review your acts, and then for vile deeds chide yourself, for good be glad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nMy take away from the book: be virtuous and have a set of principles for a content life. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I picked \u00a0\u201cHow to be a stoic\u201d out of curiosity. I had watched some lectures on this book earlier on YouTube and it acted as a hook. \u00a0The author, Massimo Pigliucci is a professor of \u00a0Philosophy at CUNY-Lehman College in New York City.\u00a0 I liked the author’s style of storytelling. His analysis on how stoic … <\/p>\n
Continue reading “Book notes: how to be a stoic”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249],"tags":[408],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2884,"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2882\/revisions\/2884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/atuljha.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_2952.jpg\")
<\/p>\n