Analysis Of Marcus Aurelius Why Stoicism Is Changing People

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it and this you have the power to revoke anytime” (Fu 2011). I believe this quote by Marcus Aurelius is one of the most relatable quotes to the article. In the article ‘Why stoicism is changing people’s lives for better’ by Sarah Berry we see the very first example mentioned in article relates to how stoics disregard the element of pain. The definition of Stoicism as accepted by the Oxford dictionary in simple terms is someone who does not react to situation of pain, emotion and pleasure. Stoicism as mentioned in the lecture slides had started off in the Stoa. According to Erskine (2000) Stoa was the place chosen by the Zeno of Citium

Stoics argued that knowledge is something that is better when it is a part of a bigger system just as the argument of nature. In this article we see Stoicism used by athletes, on a day to day basis athletes go through a lot of struggles and hard work, for example in a game of football, one team is going to lose but it is the judgment they make after being faced with a defeat and not letting it effect their mindset is what matters. Another way in my opinion, stoicism can be used by athletes is by voluntarily accepting uncomfortable situations, it an important quality of an athlete to master situations in which he is severely uncomfortable, for example boxers go through the process of being voluntarily beaten at times to be familiar with pain. As an athlete or any person in his field grows he becomes accustomed to the comfort that comes with it, however according to Stoics they should still voluntarily prepare for the worst-case situation from time to time so that if things do not go their way, they can still be ready to face their problems and come back even stronger. It is important to acquire this knowledge of defeat to be ready to enhance it in a

Epictetus had a way to classify who could be considered as a Stoic, his criteria was to evaluate them on the disciplines of assent, desire and action (Inwood 1985). In my opinion it would be very difficult to find Stoics in this generation as most of the modern generation has brought up in a technological environment and is provided with a lot of luxury from a young age, hence giving up such a lifestyle would be extremely difficult. Stoicism may be difficult but not impossible, people should have a positive approach towards every situation and see it as an opportunity to improve or focus their energy on something else. It is all based on changing the way we think about things; different people may have different approaches to the same situation as there is no way in which stoicism is practiced. It is very important to not confuse stoicism with passiveness as stoicism encourages people to involve themselves in social human interactions. In fact, Aurelius was leader in for Romans during war with no war training as such it can be said stoicism as mentioned if practiced in the right situation and mindset can solve big problems and lead to a happier life. It is a lifechanging practice which cannot be forced upon anybody and hence is a voluntary