Stoicism: A Game Changer
An exploration through the topic of stoicism

Think of a time where you ran an entire scenario through your head and it went perfectly. Now think of when the real life scenario didn’t go quite as expected. Imagine the emotions you felt. Were you sad, disappointed, enraged? Well, there is a philosophical solution for situations like this. It’s called Stoicism.

Stoicism came to being in an ancient Greek school of philosophy in Athens, by Zeno, a philosopher from Citium. It was, and still is, founded on the belief that we don’t and can’t control or rely on external events- only ourselves and our responses.
One popular way to describe stoicism is the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint. An antonym which you may relate to is libertinism, the act of indulging your desires without reference to any moral restraints.
Stoicism has many main beliefs at its core, which can be easily applied throughout anyone’s life. Virtue is happiness, and judgment should be based on behavior rather than words. The old saying “actions speak louder than words” actually does apply to real life.
Some major inputs and outputs include:
- Virtue: the highest good, is based on knowledge and wisdom
- The wise live in harmony with the divine reason that governs nature
- The wise are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain.
Now, outside of the philosophical, deep thinking, ancient Greek school fantasies, any everyday person can use these methods.
From lowering your expectations for small things like lunch meetings or a school presentation, to premeditating on serious things, like an important relationship, job interview, or competitions, stoicism applies to all of these things.
Premeditation
Premeditating is a great way of controlling your reaction to outcomes, whether they are expected or not.

By using premeditation, you can imagine worse case scenarios and also control your reactions to them much better.
Overview
Stoicism is a very beneficial and a very helpful tool for anyone who deals with difficult situations daily. Although it was founded hundreds of years ago, the thought processes and strategies stay true to this day.
