Quick Stoic Basics To Get You Going Good!
I often forget the main lessons from Stoicism for quick appliance, so here they are.
I keep forgetting the core tenets of Stoicism. So here they are:
It’s simple, good and bad are not outside but in our choices and attitudes.
You have to focus on what you can control, doing anything else, is stupid, how are you going to control something that you cannot control?
If our choices and actions are the only things under our control, those are the only things we should worry about doing well, as worrying about anything else, is fruitless. And what is well anyway?
You can act either virtuously, or viciously. You can choose to respond to life poised and controlled, like James Bond, or cowardly and meekly, like Grima from The Lord of the Rings.
Daniel Craig’s James Bond
Grima, The Lord of the Rings
These two images perfectly portray the good and the bad, virtuous, or vicious. James Bond looks calm and ready, sure about himself, while Grima looks disgustingly evil, happy about his petty aims at controlling others.
Today, you will be one of these two. It is easy to be James Bond in the morning, after a good night’s rest, but once you start getting tired, and frustrated, you begin to act pettily.
How do you act well? You start with poise and control.
Poise refers to a calm, composed, and self-assured manner. It encompasses grace under pressure, balance in behavior, and a sense of confidence and control over one’s emotions and actions, regardless of the external circumstances. Poise is often associated with elegance and dignity in both posture and in approach to handling difficult or challenging situations. This quality is admired as it reflects maturity, self-awareness, and often, wisdom in managing oneself in a variety of contexts.
Can you say you act like this regularly in your life?
I like Daniel’s acting in James Bond precisely because of his poise. He is obviously suffering greatly, but he doesn’t back down from the challenge, and not just so, he doesn’t back down, and he faces it gracefully.
To finish:
Good and evil are not outside, they are inside of you, and you have a choice over which will win.
Good are composure, camaraderie, humility, courage, bravery, friendship, caring, you name it.
Evil is meekness, cowardly behavior, envy, laziness, treason, you know them.
You don’t need to worry about the world, you only need to worry about your choices and attitudes, for everything else, let the chips fall where they may.
Thanks for reading,
Ricardo
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