Why Is Stoicism Still Applicable Today?

Why do we learn history at school?

It’s extremely boring, and it contains a bunch of dates, wars, and egomaniacs.

The reason is pretty clear.

It’s the same reason why Stoicism is still applicable today.

Human behavior hasn’t changed much over the last 2,000 years. We are still lying, dying, loving, desiring, stealing, crying.

This is why we study our history, hopefully: to learn from our past mistakes and improve.

But we go much deeper than that.

So much has happened in the past. You’ve messed up. You’ve been hurt. You’ve missed opportunities, and you’ve embarrassed yourself. It’s a miracle how we can get anything done with all that occupying our minds.

Yet, the past doesn’t exist anymore. It’s over. Gone. Forever.

The Stoics used the past to identify potential mistakes and improve.

Dwelling on it causes unnecessary suffering.

No matter how much you cry, past events will remain the same.

And this is where Stoicism comes in and asks us…

Which is easier to change: the past event itself or your attitude towards it?

The answer is obvious.

“It’s not so much about what has happened as how you think about it,” said Epictetus.

Is this email the time that you’ll actually start applying this lesson to your life?

Till Next Time,

Said The Stoic