Lust. Envy. Ignorance. Power. Ambition. Stoicism is a philosophy designed to help us fight them.
We all have desires and aversions, habits we indulge and things we let ourselves get away with. In a sense, Stoicism is a philosophy designed to help us fight this. We all battle different vices, and we all need help with different ones.
Donald Robertson writes about the role Rusticus, Marcus Aurelius' philosophy teacher, played in the young emperor's battle against these lower tendencies. “On close examination,” Robertson writes, “Rusticus appears to have helped Marcus first and foremost to overcome two vices, which are often found together, vanity and anger.”
Many people struggle with those two, but no one can afford them less than a leader. Vanity leads us astray, makes us vulnerable to manipulation and stops us learning. Anger makes us do stupid things. It makes us harm people. It blinds us. It robs us of peace and serenity.
Stoicism has much to teach us about slaying these demons, and we can watch Marcus trying to do it again and again in Meditations. He writes things designed to keep him humble and puncture his vanity. He uses writing to calm himself down, venting his frustrations on the page instead of on other people. He reminds himself that it's often his ego, or his sense of entitlement, that causes his anger.
“
If we don't master our vices, they will surely master us.
That's the work, for all of us: to identify our vices and then meet them with discipline, humility and reason.
TRY THIS TODAY
Name your two biggest vices, honestly, and write them down. The next time one shows up, do what Marcus did: get it out on paper before you act on it.
Much of what I've learned about Stoicism comes from Ryan Holiday. Find more of his writing at dailystoic.com and ryanholiday.net.
While I have edited much of this content, there are some cases where I have taken Ryan Holiday's words directly. I've included them because I think they are powerful and will be helpful for you. They are also helpful for me, and I've put them here so I can learn and understand more myself.
Visit Daily Stoic