Stoicism for a Better Life – Weekly exercise (November 18, 2019)

Hello there,

This week on Stoicism for a Better Life, I will seek inspiration from two philosophers. Jean Jacques Rousseau was not a Stoic per se, but his political philosophy contained many Stoic undertones. His work was significant in the Enlightenment period in Europe and even influenced the French Revolution. His ideas have also moulded (and can be observed in) many of our current day political, economic and educational systems. One of his greatest contributions to posterity was his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and this is where I will draw a quote from: 

“[In “organized society] there are people who know how to be happy and satisfied with themselves on the testimony of others sooner than upon their own… This citizen, constantly beside himself, knows only how to live in the opinion of others,…, merely from their judgment that he derives the consciousness of his own existence.” 

In a true Stoic fashion, Marcus Aurelius had summed up this same idea more succinctly in his Meditations XII 4:

“I have often wondered how it is that everyone loves himself more than anyone else, but rates his own judgement of himself below that of others.” 

Much can be taken away from these ideas, but for the purpose of this week’s exercise, let us focus in on the perils of social media and longing for others’ approval and likes.  Don’t get me wrong, social media can be a very powerful tool. For example, you’re reading this post now, aren’t you? Without the advent of social media, you would not have stumbled upon this humble article and worked on improving yourself. 

However, social media is an even more powerful poison.  We give too much credence to others’ opinions when only our own opinion truly matters. Social media not only exacerbate this but is essentially built on this inherent weakness we have and feeds on it. What are we to do then? Quit social media altogether and abstain from the wealth of knowledge that is available at our fingertips? No, our ancient guides would counsel us to use our rational minds to pick and choose our interaction on Social Media wisely.

There is no golden rule on how much time you should spend/not spend on your phone. Nor are there any guidelines regarding what you should be spending this time on. We all have different lives and realities so each person will have a different answer to what is meaningful and how much time it merits. The important thing is that you make this decision rationally and stick to your own guidelines. So this week, take the time to make a rational and intelligent decision on where you spend your time online, and which social media platforms or groups in which you want to spend your time (your very precious and limited time).

As always, I wish you a wise, tranquil and productive week. If you can, share how you are progressing with your exercise. Your journey may very well inspire others. 

Anderson Silver

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