A Stormy Day in the Netherlands

Storm Eunice is passing though the Netherlands today. This storm is so mighty that code red has been declared in many provinces. That means that we are advised to stay at home, because it could be potentially dangerous out there.

Inside the safety of my home, I can hear how hard the wind blows. The wind could rip off a roof or knock-down a tree as it already had in some places. So far, the storm hasn’t caused us any damage yet.

There is nothing we can do now but wait. All we can do is to endure the storm as calm as we could. The storm will eventually pass as they always do.

Being Stoic When Tested Positive for Covid-19

It started with pain in my throat as it usually does. Then, I started coughing and sneezing. I started to suspect it: I got the flu.

The next day, I tested my self. It turned out positive. On that same day, I called the clinic and book an appointment to confirm the test. The result of their test is also positive.

While Corona did not make me very ill, I was nevertheless not in the proper frame of mind to do anything at all. My being sick has interrupted my daily routine. All I wanted to do was to lie down on my bed and watch Netflix the whole day.

February 9: You don’t have an opinion | Knowing when not to over think.

We have the power to hold no opinion about a thing and to not let it upset our state of mind – for things have no natural power to shape our judgements.

marcus aurelius, meditations, 6.52

The philosophy of Stoicism teaches us external things and events have no power to hurt us. Instead, we are being hurt by the way we think about them. It is our relationship with our encounters in life that affects how we feel about them.

When a negative thing has happened to us, Marcus Aurelius tells us that it is possible not to have opinions about those events especially if those opinions is just making us upset. I think what Aurelius is suggesting here is that we should not over think our life experiences that are – at least at first glance – perceived to be undesirable.

The Daily Stoic: Did that make you feel better? | Endurance of pain in quiet dignity

You cry, I’m suffering sever pain! Are you then relieved from feeling it, if you bear it in an unmanly way?

seneca, moreal letters, 78.17

When the word stoic is being used today, it refers to a person who do not show pain or emotion when faced with hardships or difficulties. But being Stoic with the capital S – that is leading a life guided by the philosophy of Stoicsm – goes beyond than just not showing pain or emotion for the sake of just bottling them up. The philosophy of Stoicsm teaches us that exhibiting our pain and performing our suffering will not bring me any where.

Do not get me wrong. I am not suggesting that we should suppress our emotions and that the pains we experience, both physically and emotionally, are not valid. On the contrary. We ought it to ourselves to recognise and acknowledge how we feel. But what Stoicsm teaches us is to endure them with quiet dignity by changing our relationships with our pains and emotions.

The Daily Stoic: Fear is a self-fulling prophecy |

Many are harmed by fear itself, and many may have come to their fate while dreading fate.

Seneca, oedipus, 992

When my colleague got a permanent contract last summer and I didn’t, it was difficult not to feel deflated and discouraged. I felt overlooked and unfairly treated.

Like my colleague, I also excel in what I do. So why is he rewarded and I wasn’t? I am conscientious and hold my work to the highest possible standard. I always give my 100%.

Not being able to acquire a permanent contract dragged me down. Aside from feeling miserable, it has also provoked anxieties. I was worried to be unemployed. I was worried about my future.

The Daily Stoic: Don’t Seek Out Strife | Learn how to chose your battle

I don’t agree with those who plunge headlong into the middle of the flood and who, accepting a turbulent life, struggle daily in great spirit with difficult circumstances. The wise person to be at peace than at war.

Seneca, Moral Letters 28.7

When somebody crossed the line – for instance, said or did something to me that can be construed as abusive or disrespectful – I usually do not respond. I do not show that what they said or did affected me in any way. I choose peace and harmony rather than war and confrontation.

But I chose to be at peace than to be at war not because I am a wise man like Seneca said in the quote above. Instead, I often chose harmony than confrontation, because as an introvert man (and perhaps a pathologically shy one), I find confrontations to be stressful.

So, in the face of injustice, I may respond stoicly, but I am not actually being Stoic. I do not respond and pick a fight not because I am being Stoic, but because I cannot stand confrontation. Confrontation is just causing me so much energy, which could be better used in more important pursuits.

The Daily Stoic: Steady Your Impulses | And how writing can help you in understanding your impulses.

The days are getting noticeably longer. As I took the early morning walk with my dog, the sun was already starting to rise. The sun is already announcing that it will be a wonderful day today: cold maybe, but sunny nonetheless.

These morning walks are great opportunity to reflect on the Stoic quote of the day. Today’s Stoic quote is from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations:

Don’t be bounced around, but submit to every impulse to the claims of justice, and protect your clear conviction in every appearance.’

Marcus aurellius, meditations 4.22

Everyday, I try to reflect on Stoic wisdom. The book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman is my guide in my meditations. In each day throughout the year, the authors provides us some Stoic thought to think about.

The Daily Stoic: On Being Invincible | How to remain calm and composed in the face of adversary

Look at my best friend. Look how serene she looks. She gives an air of equanimity. So unmoved, unprovoked and unaffected by her noisy surroundings. One could almost say – at least for this very moment when the phot is taken – that she is being Stoic.

Being able to maintain equanimity especially when confronted by hostile and provocative encounters is one the traits that can be ascribed to Stoicism. Stoicism teaches us not to be ruled by our emotions. Instead, no matter how emotional we become, we ought to remain composed and calm.

Equanimity is today’s The Daily Stoic theme. The Daily Stoic is a book written by two contemporary Stoics named Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. The authors provide us daily quotes from ancient Stoics through out the year. Today’s words of wisdom is from Epictetus.

Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.

Epictetus, Discourses, 1.18.21

The Daily Stoic: The Source of Your Anxiety

When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want? For if a person wasn’t wanting something outside of their own control, why should they be stricken by anxiety?

Epictetus, Discourses, 2.13.1

Epictetus once said that the philosophers are doctors of the mind. If philosophers are doctors of the mind, then, the ideas they produce and the philosophy they teach are medicines of the mind. In my own case, I could not possibly agree more.

The philosophy of postmodernism has for instance helped me and continue to help me making sense of who I am and my position in this wonderful life I inhabit. The philosophy of Stoicism has provided me some mental tools, so that I could be better equipped in dealing with my anxieties.

Anxiety has been part of my life. I often say that anxiety is my evil twin brother. He is always present, he is always lurking.

The Daily Stoic: A Proper Frame of Mind

Very recently, I have encountered this Hellenistic school of thought called Stoicsm. I have been so inspired by its ideas on how to live a happy and fulfilling life that I have decided to subscribe to its teaching.

As I embark on this journey, I have encountered many articles and books. One of the books that I find useful is The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

It is like a stoic calendar. Everyday, through out the year, the authors provide a quote from Stoic philosophers and invites us to reflect on them. Today’s meditation is about having a proper frame of mind and the quote is from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations.

Frame your thoughts like this – you are an old person, you won’t let yourself be enslaved by this any longer, no longer pulled like a puppet by every impulse, and you’ll stop complaining about your present fortune or dreading the future

Marcus aurelius, meditations, 2.2