Stoicism 101

Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying…or busy with other assignments- Marcus Aurelius

What is Stoicism?

Stoicism, originally known as Zenonism, is a philosophy of life which emphasizes self-improvement and living life with virtue. For a stoic, the process is the only thing that matters. The result is just a by-product. To be the best one can be, and try and improve every single day, that is the mission every stoic lives by.

Stoicism started off in ancient Greece, but no complete writings survive of those times. The Romans brought it further, the most famous figure being Marcus Aurelius, largely considered to be one of the last great emperors Rome had. Other famous figures include who promoted or follow Stoicism include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, J.K. Rowling, Robert Greene and many more.

In an ever-stressful world, especially in a business environment, I feel that stoicism has a lot to offer everyone, improve people’s standard of life and help them lead more fulfilling lives.

With this weekly series of articles, I hope to write about what Stoicism means to me and what I understand these great philosophers are trying to tell us through time. I do not believe myself to be an expert in these subjects and hence would love to hear anyone’s opinions, positive or negative regarding the same.

So, join in if you’re interested in what stoics represent. I hope to change your life in some way for the positive or at least give you something interesting to think about.

Until then, Memento Mori.