Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (November 13, 2019)

Hello there,

This week on Stoicism for a Better Life, let us find inspiration from Epictetus’ Discourses I 29.4: 

“God laid down this law, saying: if you want some good, get it from yourself.”

First off, let us recall that the ancient Stoics used the word “God” and “Zeus” to denote nature and the universe. So what Epictetus is saying here is that a good day is entirely within our control, as decreed by the laws of nature.

Let’s break this down a little bit. What do we control? Our judgments and choices for action. These are the only two things that the universe (the Gods) have put entirely within our care. All else falls in the domain of indifferents (what the Stoics referred to as external things that are out of our control. The domain of indifferents is, to varying degrees, in the hands of fate. So these events cannot possibly bring us happiness. Or rather, whatever comfort or joy they bring us is akin to winning the lottery. If we seek joy in such (external) things, we set ourselves up for disappointment and misery most of the time (one can’t constantly win the lottery all the time).

So we must seek joy in the domain that is dependent on us: In our judgments and our decisions for actions. They are an end to themselves. Whatever results happen as a result of our decisions are irrelevant, as results are not 100% in our control. Only our intentions to work towards a result is. This is a small distinction but an important one: Results and intentions for actions are mutually exclusive of each other.

So this week, try and remain focused on your choices, not what ends up happening. As long as you chose to do the right thing and you try your best to be the best person you can be, you are living a good life. You are guaranteed a good day if you do good things. Any other source of joy is outside your control or is nonrenewable. Just be good and do good. It is the ultimate form of self-reliance.

As always, much love to you all and I wish you a wise, tranquil and productive week. If you can, share what you are working on and how it’s going on Reddit or Twitter. Your journey may very well inspire others. 

Anderson Silver

(Author of “Your User’s Manual” and “Vol 2: Your Duality Within”)