Stoicism
Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC.
It is a philosophy of personal eudaemonic virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asserting that the practice of virtue is both necessary and sufficient to achieve happiness and well being. They believe the individual and society will flourish by living an ethical life. The Stoics identified the path to eudaimonia with a life spent practicing the cardinal virtues and living in accordance with nature.
Zeno'e philosophy is not far from the philosophy of the Bible if we do not turn a blind eye to covetous practices of the Roman Emperial Cult like Marcus Aurelius. Not understanding that the use of force to provide welfare and the dainties of rulers was a violation of the Law of Nature was the foolishness of King Saul, the error of the Nicolaitan, Balaam and the masses as described by Polybius, and all the prophets.
Polybius's notion of tyche[1] is to be equated with the Stoic notion of divine providence or pronoia.[2] But the legal charity by the State through public religion and the free bread of Rome had its own effect on the virtue and ethics of the masses. The nature of those institutions degenerated the people and made leaders more and more drunk on, or at least blinded by, the power they were granted by the people.
Virtue and ethics
The Stoics are especially known for teaching that "virtue is the only good" for human beings, and those external things—such as health, wealth, and pleasure—are not good nor bad in themselves (adiaphora) but have value as "material for virtue to act upon." Ethics are a part of this view.
Alongside Aristotelian ethics, the Stoic tradition forms one of the major founding approaches to virtue ethics. The Stoics also held that certain destructive emotions resulted from errors of judgment, and they believed people should aim to maintain a will (called prohairesis) that is "in accordance with nature".
Because of this, the Stoics thought the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how a person behaved. To live a good life, one had to understand the rules of the Natural Law.
Whatever the sages of Stoicism would do is what a human being should do as a right action (katorthoma), which is obedient to the Law of Nature.
To Christianize the Stoic katorthoma[3], which is a duty of everyman, we must fulfill that duty with fervent charity as opposed to legal charity.
Confusion about stoicism
Stoicism is not a religion but a Philosophy but then religion can be founded on a philosophy.
Stoicism is meant to help people deal with adverse situations by raising our awareness of how we can lose things in life.
Stoics may have emotions but their emotions should not control them but should be guided by the reason of virtue.
Stoics are not Fatalistic but distinguish between things that are and are not within their control in hope of eliminating unnecessary stress.
Stoics are willing to encourage minimalism and do not want to fall prey to consumerism but choose to think about spiritual corruption that comes with an emphases on materialism seeing excessive spending never leading to spiritual fulfilment.
Quotes
Zeno
"All the good are friends of one another."
"No loss should be more regrettable to us than losing our time, for it’s irretrievable."
"Extravagance is its own destroyer."
"Man conquers the world by conquering himself."
"Steel your sensibilities, so that life shall hurt you as little as possible."
"Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue"
"A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature."
Marcus Aurelius
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love…”
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
“If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.”
“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?”
“People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.”
“Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.”
“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
“Don’t go on discussing what a good person should be. Just be one.”
“Remember that very little is needed to make a happy life.”
Epictetus
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.”
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.”
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
“Caretake this moment. Immerse yourself in its particulars. Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed. Quit evasions. Stop giving yourself needless trouble. It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.”
“A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope.”
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
“You become what you give your attention to.”
“No person is free who is not master of himself.”
Seneca
“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.”
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
“Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”
“Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms – you’ll be able to use them better when you’re older.”
“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
“He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.”
“The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
“To wish to be well is a part of becoming well.”
“He who is brave is free.”
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Footnotes
- ↑ Roman equivalent: Fortuna) was the presiding tutelary deity who governed the fortune and prosperity of a city
- ↑ 4307 πρόνοια pronoia [pron’-oy-ah] from 4306 pronoeo provide; n f; TDNT-4:1011,636; [{See TDNT 525 }] AV-providence 1, provision 1; 2
- 1) forethought, providential care
- 2) to make provision for a thing
- see free bread, the dainties of rulers, daily bread and Nimrod
- ↑ 2735 κατόρθωμα katorthoma [kat-or’-tho-mah] from a compound of 2596 kata and a derivative of 3717 orthos upright [cf 1357]; n n; AV-very worthy deed 1; 1
- 1) a right action, a successful achievement
- 1a) of wholesome public measures or institutions
- Kathēkonta are contrasted in Stoic ethics with katorthōma(see Acts 24:2). Kathēkon is a Greek concept, forged by the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium. It may be translated as "appropriate behaviour", "befitting actions", or "convenient action for nature", or also "proper function". The term kathēkon was translated in Latin by Cicero as officium, and by Seneca as convenentia.(see Romans 1:28)
Whatever the sages of Stoicism would do is what a human being should do as a right action (katorthōma), which is obedient to nature which is the primary sense of kathēkon. To Christianize the Stoic katorthoma, which is a duty of everyman, we must fulfill that duty with fervent charity as opposed to legal charity which feeds not the humility of the soul through daily sacrifice and love but degenerates the soul of the masses and their tyrants.
- 1) a right action, a successful achievement