Noted
This post returns to Ryan Holiday and his impressive work on Stoicism. I want to note two things: a recent simple post from Daily Stoic: Ancient Wisdom for Everyday Life, and the celebration of Ryan’s upcoming book Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. The new title is the third in a series of four on the four cardinal Stoic virtues: Courage, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom. Ryan is on track for turning out the series — one each year.
Daily Stoic is approaching one million subscribers. It is a Monday-through-Friday email featuring Stoic wisdom. Hundreds, maybe thousands, have been introduced to Stoic philosophy through Ryan’s best-selling books. I found that the quotation below gets to the heart of Stoic philosophy. The second quotation is about challenge and change in writing Right Thing, Right Now.
Quotes
Stoicism is a selfish philosophy. That’s what you’re supposed to believe. That’s what the critics say. It’s not a coincidence that Stoicism is considered self-help and self-improvement. The Stoics did spend a lot of time emphasizing self-discipline, after all.
Yet a quick textual analysis of Marcus Aurelius obliterates this notion:
More than twenty times in Meditations, Marcus talks about the importance of doing what’s right, talks about ‘the right thing.’
More than thirty times, he talks about the virtue of justice—and he’s not just talking about court cases or the law. He’s talking about how we treat people, the standards we hold ourselves to.
And roughly eighty times, Marcus talks about the common good, which he said one ought to serve above all and always.
Literally, in so many words, Stoicism is a philosophy about doing good in the world, about doing what’s right not in your own selfish interests, but in the interests of others. Yet far too much of the focus of the Stoic conversation is about individualistic struggles—how to manage your temper, how to get over your fear of death—when it was so clearly intended to be about our collective struggle.
“The fruit of this life is good character and acts for the common good,” Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations. This is the perfect formula because it captures both sides of the Stoic coin. We must be men and women of integrity but also men and women of action—putting that integrity to work in the world. The Epicureans retreated to their gardens, but the Stoics held public office. They tried to raise their families right. They tried to contribute to their community. They served in the military, tried cases before the court, helped the vulnerable and misfortunate. They resisted tyranny—many of them dying in opposition to Nero or suffering exile under other emperors.
Just that you do the right thing, Marcus says in Meditations, the rest doesn’t matter.
Daily Stoic May 7, 2024
One of the things I talked about in Discipline is Destiny is the idea of trying to get a little better each day. I definitely try to do that. But one of my favorite quotes in Meditations is about Marcus Aurelius chiding himself for working so hard to be a better wrestler but less hard at being a better friend, a better citizen, a better forgiver of other people's faults. The last two years have been a battle for me in both regards. I've been working really hard to be a better writer, but the subject matter of this book I was working on has made me a better person.
That's the really lovely part of Stoicism. It's not just a philosophy about managing your emotions—it's also a philosophy of decency, kindness, honesty, heroism and community.
Living with wonderful and inspiring examples of people who have embodied that—from Harry Truman to Gandhi and Florence Nightingale—as I wrote Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. has challenged me...and changed me.
Daily Stoic May 10, 2024
Reflection
The first quotation reminded me of Hierocles, a Stoic philosopher, and his simple drawing of concentric circles. Stoics are not navel gazers. Stoics work towards a better self and reach beyond themselves to those in the circles of concern. Marcus Aurelius was a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world. The circles of concern point to a global citizenship.
Ryan’s new book seems timely for the current political season in the United States. The time is ripe for considering values, character, and deeds.
Ryan’s wide range of reading and his gift for highlighting historical figures make his books enjoyable.
Read and reread is a Ryan Holiday mantra.
Resources
Order Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds.
from https://www.thepaintedporch.com/
Join Daily Stoic community here: https://dailystoic.com/