Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (November 1, 2020)

Hello there, 

For this week’s exercise, let us find some inspiration from an often overlooked Stoic teacher Gaius Musonius Rufus. This is from the translated fragments by Cynthia King [Stobaeus 3.1.48 = 3.1. 77. Chapter 1: about virtue.]:

“It is not possible to live well today unless you treat it as your last day.”  

Little known fact, Musonius Rufus was Epictetus’ teacher, and he was so revered for his knowledge of philosophy that he has been called the Socrates of Rome. Personally, I believe Socrates was so unique that there could never be a Socrates of “XYZ”. I mean his impact on philosophy was so significant that we even split philosophy into Pre and Post Socratic eras. However, this does not take away from Musonius Rufus’s insights into life, philosophy and impact on posterity starting with his Stoic students (or Prokoptons).

I chose this quote above because this cuts to the heart of a the Stoic philosophy. A cornerstone of this school of thought is always trying to be aware of the immanence of death. Our impermanence is a reality that we tend to ignore all too often, and this ignorance is directly responsible for a detrimental paradigm shift that our ancient guides constantly warns us against.

Our lives are short. We can exit this temporal existence at any time. So we must try and accomplish our goals right now. And what are these goals? Being virtuous and always working towards the betterment of humanity. So as a practical exercise this week, focus your energies in each moment…in each act…in each conversation as if it is your last one. You will find that at the end of the day as you reflect on your efforts, you will find a sense of peaceful pride  and tranquillity as it relates to your efforts.

Let me know how you felt, and whether treating each moment as a last one gave you a sense of peace and tranquillity in your efforts. This exercise really can help you find that inner tranquillity with indifference to externals. I would love to hear your stories so reach out to me on Twitter, Reddit or Patreon (you can comment on the articles directly). 

Anderson Silver

(Author of “Your User’s Manual”, “Vol 2: Your Duality Within”, and Vol 3: Your Dichotomy of Control)