瞎写的。。望兄台赐教
Stoicism practices –
How to be free in the predetermined universe
I would like to have a Stoicism life. Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in 3rd centrury BC (Stoicism, Wikipedia, 25 Nov 2021). Stoics believed that true goodness does not lie in pleasure or in external objects, but in the state of the soul. Peace of mind is found in wisdom and self-control, by which people restrain passions and desires that disturb them in daily life. Your mission in life is not to choose your role, but to play well the one you’ve been assigned (Lecture 9: slide 3). After I studied Stoicism, I found that a Stoicism life can lead to a good life. I would like to have apply Stoicism practices in my daily life and as a result, play well on my role in the life.
The first Stoic Practice I would like to talk about is called “The Stoic Fork” ( Worksheet 4: Page 8). The main idea of the practice is, when one meets a condition, before he or she start to jump or cry, the person should keep calm and analyze all the small elements in the condition to find out which parts in in control and which not in control, what can be change and what cannot change, as well as what can be influenced and what cannot be influenced (Worksheet 4: page 8). The Stoic Fork is a good way to face any challenges in life. In a difficult condition, one can analyze and find the changeable parts, and maybe find a good way to change that. For example, if a person is not happy about many things in his or her life, what can this person do? The person can analyze, and find out the changeable parts, maybe the reason is not enough money, so the person can think about how to earn more money. Now the question is how to earn more money, the person can analyze by the Stoic Fork, and find out the changeable parts, maybe he or she need to find a better job. Then the person can analyze the new question… by this meth, he or she can find a way to solve the bad condition.
The second Stoic Practice I want to discuss is called “Premeditation Malorum”, which is to predict all the things could go wrong (Lecture 9: Slide 8). I had watched a young kid playing board game with his friend. The kid predicted he will always win, so every time when he loses, he felt very angry. It is easy to predict for good results, but the reality not always as same as predict. On the contrary, if a person can predict the bad result and prepare for it, when the result arrives, if it is good, the person can be more than happy, but if it is bad, the person already prepared well to handle it. For example, a student will have an exam. He or she should predict it will be a very difficult exam and work hard for it. On the exam day, maybe the student found that it is a very easy exam, so he or she can pass. Or, maybe the student found that it is a very difficult exam, even the one had already spend a lot of time and effort on it, the person still cannot pass. On this condition the student should feel comfort because there is already enough prepare one can do.
The third Stoic Practice I am going to talk about is called “Plato’s view”, which is to take the view from above, to zoom out and see everything from a higher vantage point ( Worksheet 4: Page 10). This is a good view that everyone should apply frequently in the daily life. I would like to describe a scene I applied this practice: years ago, I was unhappy about my life. “Seeing how small we are in the grand scheme of things… (Daily Stoic, What is Stoicism? A Definition and 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started)” I zoom out and analyze everything around me to find out where went wrong. By this step I found the problem is not only lack money but also dissatisfy the environment. To solve my problems, I zoom out and apply a vantage point, to search a solution in a wilder range. Finally, I figured out a solution: go to another country. After many years, I can say I found a good solution.
Stoicism consider the universe is ordered, rational, structured and designed so everything is fated, predetermined and according to plan (Lecture 10: Slide 2). By doing the Stoic Practices, one can be free when he or she choose to act according to the rational nature and also according to the four virtues (such as courage, justice, temperance and wisdom) (Lecture 10: Slide 2). I have described and analyzed three Stoic Practices on the above text. There are more Stoic Practices can be found online. It is good to apply the practices in the daily life. These practices are very useful to solve the problem and make a better life and help you to be free in the well-structured universe.
Bibliography
Anonymous. “Stoicism.” Wikipedia, 25 November 2021,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism
Anonymous. “What is Stoicism? A Definition and 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started.” Daily Stoic, Accessed 25 November 2021.
https://dailystoic.com/what-is-stoi...ercises-to-get-you-started/#how-to-be-a-stoic
