Is Stoicism the Best Philosophy to Live By
Many people are looking for a philosophy that can help them live happy life. All different types of philosophies have come up with different ways of thinking about how to live life, but there is one philosophy that stands out among the rest- Stoicism. Stoicism takes the idea of living in virtue and using it to get through difficult times and has been repeatedly featured in the self-help industry. However, the question remains. Is Stoicism the best philosophy?
Stoicism is the best philosophy to apply if you’re going through a hard time since it consists of ways to build resilience and coping up with stress. Furthermore, its concepts are very practical when applied to real life. However, like other philosophies, Stoicism is not a one-size-fits-all to our problems.
This blog post will talk about what makes Stoicism the best philosophy to apply and when it’s not ideal. This will give you a clear view of Stoicism and its application to modern life.
Is Stoicism the best philosophy?
Stoicism is one of the best philosophies for overcoming trying or challenging times.
In fact, it started in one of the most trying times in Ancient Greece.
When Stoicism was introduced in ancient Greece, the cities were in turmoil and had a very unpredictable life.
Due to a lot of stress, the concept of accepting one’s fate and letting go of things you can’t control became popular to people who were experiencing trying times.
Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, is a merchant that lost everything due to a shipwreck. During his trying times, he discussed philosophy on a Stoa, a Greek term for porch.
That word “Stoa” is where the word Stoicism came from.
As you can see, the need for people to cope up in times of stress brought Stoicism to life.
Stoicism was born due to the need for a coping mechanism to stress. Because it was made for trying times, it is one of the best ways to deal with stress.
The truth is, the reason why a philosophy from ancient Greece suddenly appeared and became famous is because its concepts have been beneficial in the modern era.
We’ll talk about why Stoicism is the best in the next section, but for now, you have an understanding of when Stoicism was born and why it is relevant in understanding what it’s best at.
Why Stoicism is the Best?
Stoicism is the best because it teaches the importance of self-control and self-discipline. It teaches us not to complain and instead do our best to improve our lives. It gives us the ability to assess the situation whether we can control them or not. Stoicism implies the importance of controlling ourselves first before others.
With the increasing popularity of Stoicism, it might seem that it is becoming one of the best philosophies in our time.
There are many reasons why Stoicism is becoming popular and I can say that the biggest reason is its timeliness.
With the increasing number of things outside our control, such as the advent of social media, we can feel exceedingly stressed or overwhelmed.
For example, one of the leading causes of stress in modern times is the number of people who can comment on our social media feeds.
It is easy to see hate comments or comments about our looks on social media.
That’s why it is common to see people lying when posting on their feeds. They’re trying to appease all the people around them and get likes or hearts.
The problem is we can’t please all of them. Because of this, no matter what we do, we will always get comments, whether it be our looks or ideals.
With the rise of things outside our control, Stoicism offers ways to be resilient and accept the things we can’t control.
Furthermore, it helps us refocus our attention on what we can control instead of pondering about the things we have no power over.
The timeliness of Stoicism helped it become one of the best philosophies to follow in our modern era.
I made a blog post talking about why Stoicism became popular. You can find it here: Why is Stoicism so popular?
Is Stoicism a useful philosophy in modern life?
Stoicism is a useful philosophy in modern life because it helps us cope with stress and shift our attention to what we have control. Since our everyday living is filled with stressors like news and online comments, we need a philosophy to help us cope up. That’s where Stoicism can be useful and beneficial.
Right now, let’s see the other implication of Stoicism in the modern life.
We already talked about Stoicism’s influence on social media and how the internet helped stir up the philosophy as it became a need for some people.
Stoicism helped improve people’s quality of life due to how it helped them be resilient.
Another proof of the helpfulness of Stoicism is apparent in the self-help industry.
Media and self-help bloggers have told how Stoicism helped them cope with stress and anxiety.
Due to many people vouching for the positive effects of Stoicism, it gives more proof that Stoicism is one of the best philosophies for life.
However, many people struggle with the very ideal because they don’t know what it is or where to start.
The good news is that you can see many people affected by Stoicism and how they benefited from the practice in forums.
Furthermore, you can also check my other posts about Stoicism.
But take note that Stoicism’s effectivity is situation-based. What I mean by situation-based is that not all people can be positively affected by Stoicism.
Furthermore, even if Stoicism has been beneficial for us, it can’t be helpful at all times.
When we try to take Stoicism to the extreme, we can begin to be satisfied with everything and see our stressors are something we can’t do about.
For example, we can accept that we can’t get a job. However, if we think about it, we can instead begin to improve our skills.
That’s why balance is key. But, unfortunately, when it comes to improving our skills and quality of life, Stoicism might not be the right approach.
For example, if I decided not to quit my job and pursue writing, you won’t be able to see this blog post.
However, in trying times, Stoicism is the best philosophy to follow.
As you can see, there are times where Stoicism is the best and where it’s not.
There needs to be a balance for it to be beneficial. There are times where you need to get out of your comfort zone and accept life’s challenges instead of only accepting it.
At those times, we should do what’s best for us. Just remember that when times become tough again, we have Stoicism to rely on.
What’s Next? So I talked about why and how Stoicism is the best philosophy to follow. However, I also said that balance is crucial since the philosophy can be wrong if used in certain circumstances. To find out where Stoicism can be bad, feel free to check this blog post: Is Stoicism wrong?