Hi All.
I have been a follower of Stoicism for around 20 years now. I am fairly well read on the subject. My Stroke story is on the my story section.
Stoicism is an ancient Greek/Roman philosophy (founded ~300 BC by Zeno) that teaches how to live a good, happy life even (especially) when things go WRONG.
Core ideas in a nutshell:
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Focus only on what you can control (your judgments, choices, actions) and accept everything else (health, wealth, reputation, other people’s behavior).
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Virtue (wisdom, courage, justice, self-control) is the only true good; everything else is “indifferent.”
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Emotions like anger, fear, or excessive joy come from mistaken judgments — change your thinking and the emotion disappears.
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Practice voluntary discomfort and negative visualization (premeditatio malorum) to build resilience.
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Live in agreement with nature/reason, do your duty, and treat others fairly.
Famous Stoics: Epictetus (slave), Seneca (rich advisor), Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor).Modern takeaway: “You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
From Grok.
Stoicism played a crucial role in the survival and leadership of U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Stockdale, a prominent Vietnam POW, who used Epictetus’s teachings to endure years of torture and solitary confinement. As his plane was about to crash he thought I am now entering the world of Epictetus. (see link below for more info)..
Premeditation of Adversity.
As a start, I think the premeditation of adversity and actual adversity is the best subject to cover. Something I have meditated on regularly over the years. This could be seen as a bit redundant after you have already suffered an event, but there could always be future disasters waiting around the corner.
The short and sweet of it is imagining something bad has happened and planning how you would deal with it. Realising that people deal with bad events all the time and they cope. In fact they often shine because of these very events. It builds an inner resilience so that once something does happen, the shock is negated slightly as you already know you can deal with the situation. One guy in ancient times that I read about, used to hold his own funeral in the evenings. Complete with mourners and everything. He would be carried out in a coffin and put to bed. This was his way of premeditating his own death and taking the sting out it. When he awoke in the morning he was all more grateful for it !.
Memento Mori - Latin: ‘remember you will die’ (this is not meant to be morbid but to remind you to enjoy what you have).
Some things the Stoics said about adversity which I think tie in well ;
Seneca – What madness to be dragged when one could follow ! As much, I swear, as it is folly and ignorance of ones lot to grieve because you lack something, or because something affects you adversely, or not to be surprised or indignant at those things that happen to the good and the bad alike – I mean deaths, funerals, infirmities and all the other accidents besetting human life. Whatever the ways of the universe may require us to suffer, let us take it up with high mindedness. This is the oath by which we are bound : to bear with the human condition, and not be disturbed by what we do not have power to avoid.
Seneca – Whatever happens, let your mind suppose it was bound to happen, and do not rail against nature.
Marcus – The mind turns around every hindrance to its activity and converts it to further its purpose. The impediment to action becomes part of the action; The obstacle in the way becomes the way.
Marcus – Nothing happens to anyone that he is not formed by nature to bear.
Seneca – Fire tests gold, Misfortune brave men.
Seneca – The wise man gets used to future evils: what other men make bearable by long endurance, he makes bearable by long reflection. We sometimes hear the inexperienced say, ‘I did not know this was in store for me’. The wise man knows that everything is in store for him. Whatever happens, he says ‘I knew’.
And this personal favourite.
Epictetus – It is the crisis that reveals the man. So when it arrives, remember that God, like a wrestling coach, had put you up against a rough young antagonist. Why. You ask ? So that you can be an Olympic champion; For this cannot be achieved without sweat.
For me, the Stroke is really where Stoicism shines. Ryan Holiday a popular author on the subject wrote a book called the obstacle is the way. This is another common theme of Stoicism. It means that it is the challenges in life that make us. Without Goliath there could not have been a David.
The Stroke is a significant challenge. It challenges us in a wide variety of ways and its important to remember you are very well equipped to take on this challenge. I think Its important to see it as a challenge.
I can recommend the following reading if the above makes any sense to you.
Starting books –
The practising Stoic by Ward Farnsworth.
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca.
Mediations by Marcus Aurelius.
How to think like a Roman emperor by Donald Robertson.
Please feel free to message me for more in depth reading suggestions.
This is also a great resource with a free monthly magazine !
