Stoicism - Practical Philosophy for Your Daily IT-Life

This corner of the triangle is about virtues and living by them. This means expressing these virtues in our actions.

It should be added that for Stoics all virtues are important. If one is not lived, then it becomes difficult to achieve eudaimonia. Nevertheless, all Stoics have found in their lives that they have problems to always act according to the virtues.

Seneca is a very famous example. As one of the richest men of his time, he was often accused of hypocrisy because he lived in abundance. He used to keep an evening journal in which he openly wrote about all the events of the day. He was aware of his mistakes. The important thing is to do your best!

Colloquially, the term stoic is equated with insensitivity. This is because stoics focus on the controllable. For this purpose, they divide things that happen into four categories:

Only the fourth category we can really control. That is, complaining about the weather, for example, is not useful, since it can only be accepted. The art is to react in any situation in accordance with the stoic virtues.

Without the two foundations, no responsibility can be taken. What really is our responsibility is how we react to an event. Thus, the weather (to stay with the example) doesn’t really care whether we are happy about it, indifferent, or annoyed. So it is our responsibility to decide how we feel.

That’s easy to write, but very difficult to implement! That’s why in the next sections we’ll look at the practical benefits of this and what stoic exercises are available to help us internalize the stoic happiness triangle.

To react appropriately in any situation, it is not enough to have the theoretical knowledge. This was already known to the ancient Stoics. That is why there is a wide range of stoic exercises that train us mentally to react appropriately.

I will present two of my favorite exercises, as they have helped me personally in everyday life.

When it comes to eating, I have a talent for spilling. This exercise has helped me turn off the negative voice in my head after such an incident and instead practice dealing with accidents. Until then, after every spill, I would ponder for a while how stupid it was. In the meantime I can laugh about most of it or I just don’t care. That’s why I buy myself serenity with this exercise. It goes like this:

As soon as a little mishap happens: Take the opportunity to observe yourself. Accept the feelings and then say to yourself during the Clean up: "For this little thing, I buy serenity!" The effects for me have been greater serenity in everyday life. Small mishaps are no longer which has made me more satisfied with myself.

You know those people who plan everything exactly down to the last minute when they go on a trip? Only to realize that they have forgotten something important like toothpaste? I was exactly that kind of person. Now, it is in the nature of things to forget something when traveling. But most things are replaceable. Drugstore items are everywhere and so are larger items like power supplies for electronics.

The Premeditatio Malorum exercise helps with mental preparation for failure. It makes a big difference whether possible difficulties have been thought about or not. This allows for a more rational reaction in the situation, even if it has not yet been played out in the mind. Just the act of thinking about it helps. That’s why I advise not to think through everything completely, but only a few contingencies.

In the meantime, I am very relaxed when traveling, even when I really forgot my toothbrush and toothpaste.