Why Stoic Philosophy is the Secret Ingredient for Happiness During the Holidays
4 Spiritual Exercises in Friendship, Gratitude and Indulgence
Stoicism has been misunderstood as the philosophy of killjoys since nearly its inception in 300 BCE in ancient Greece. Yet its goal isn’t to take away life’s pleasures, so much as aid your selection of the right ones.
Seneca the Younger (4–65 CE), a Roman Stoic who lived during Nero’s reign, puts the point straightforwardly:
I do not maintain that the body is not to be indulged at all; but I maintain that we must not be slaves to it (Epistle 14).
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude and indulgence — as are most other holidays. What Stoicism offers us is a toolbox to do these activities well.
In this piece, my practical purpose is to explain the top four Stoic “spiritual exercises” to help you along.
My philosophical purpose is to show that even professionals have missed these Stoic practices for indulgence because they haven’t recognized the way in which good company is crucial for our best pleasures.
