Member-only story
9 Stoic Practices That Will Help You Thrive In The Madness Of Modernity
When Zeno of Cyprus was shipwrecked and stranded on Athens, he wasn’t expecting any good to happen.
Having lost everything and with not much else to do, Zeno wandered into a bookshop and was quickly absorbed by the teachings of Socrates. After studying with the great philosophers of his time, he decided to impart his wisdom to anyone who would care to listen.
Thus the philosophy of Stoicism was born. Zeno’s teachings would quickly spread and would be adopted by both slaves and kings alike. As he would later joke: “I made a prosperous voyage when I suffered shipwreck.”
But that’s not where the story of Stoicism ends. Centuries later, the philosophy remains as relevant — if not more so — in modern society. These stoic practices will help bring calm to the chaos we face today.
1. Develop An Internal Locus Of Control
“Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them.” — Epictetus
Much of what happens in life is not within our control. The Stoics recognised this undeniable truth, and focused instead on what they could do.
Born a slave, it would seem that Epictetus had no reason to believe he could control anything. He was permanently…
