Welcome to A Guide to the Good Life! The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy As the name suggests, this book is all about turning to philosophers for wisdom on how to live our lives. In this case, the focus is on Stoic philosophers, who are recommended as a great source of guidance.

You might be wondering: why ask philosophers for advice? The book talks about how, without philosophy, our lives might get a little lost along the way. I know it might sound a bit extreme, but picture yourself back in a very familiar situation. I bet you'll see what I mean!

We all have those days where we feel like we're just going through the motions, right? When we stand at a certain point in our lives and look back, we often feel like we've rushed through this stage. It's as if we're looking at it from a distance, and it's hard to remember what we've done that is really valuable. We're all confused, anxious, and feeling a bit dissatisfied with our lives, which is totally normal! The book calls this misguided, but it's nothing to be ashamed of.

The book explains that these problems often arise because we haven't taken the time to think about what we truly want out of life. And that's where we can turn to philosophy for help. The wonderful world of philosophy is here to help us with two important questions. First, we'll explore the most rewarding path in life. And secondly, what can we do about it? In this book, you'll find some really helpful answers to these two questions.

But with so many wonderful schools of philosophy out there, why does this book recommend Stoicism? And we can't forget to mention the author of this book! The wonderful William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at Wright State University in Ohio. Owen is a breath of fresh air in the world of philosophy. Unlike the typical college professor, he's not just interested in theoretical work. He's passionate about how philosophy can help us live our best lives in practice.

Owen's encounter with the Stoics was also a wonderful, happy coincidence. The Stoics were one of the most successful and popular philosophical schools of all time! They thought a lot about life and explored desire in many ways that are similar to Chinese Zen Buddhism. As Owen was doing his research on desire, he came close to the Stoics. He then tried it out for himself and found that it was very helpful and healing for people who are struggling to survive in their daily lives. So, Owen decided to share this wonderful bounty with others, and thus this book was born! In this book, Owen shares the wisdom of Stoicism with us in a way that's easy to understand. He shows us how we can live our best lives right now.

I'd love to explain this book to you in two parts. In the first part, I'll share with you the Stoics' special way of understanding the challenges of life. They believed that finding peace is a worthwhile goal, and I'll explain why this is still important for us today. In the second part, I'm so excited to introduce you to the Stoics' two main methods: negative imagery and controlling dichotomies. I'll show you how to use these two techniques to practice Stoicism in your own life and pursue a happy and peaceful life.

Part 1

Let's dive into the fascinating history of Stoicism! We'll start by exploring the roots of the Stoic School in ancient Greece.

We all know that the source of Western philosophy is in Ancient Greece, don't we? Back then, philosophy was all the rage! Many parents who could afford it let their kids study with philosophers. Take Aristotle, for example. He was once the tutor of Alexander the Great! Of course, not everyone could afford to pay for tutors. That's why many parents chose to send their children to philosophy schools.

Philosophy schools back then were really quite different from the philosophy departments we have in universities today. In those days, many philosophy schools were all about helping their students learn how to live their best lives. The idea was that students should take what they learned and put it into practice, not just keep it in their heads. So, learning in philosophy schools was more about putting what you learned into practice than just transferring knowledge. It was in this context that the Stoics grew up. They stood out as one of the most popular schools of philosophy at the time because they had more appealing answers to life's questions.

Some schools of philosophy might not sound as appealing as others, especially to us today. Take Cynicism, for example. The Cynics believe that if you want to live a good life, you have to learn to accept a situation of having next to nothing. It's a challenging concept, but they truly believe it's the path to a fulfilling life. It's interesting to note that most Cynic philosophers lived a simple, austere life, embracing poverty and even self-inflicted suffering. The most well-known Cynic philosopher was Diogenes. He's even rumored to have lived in a barrel! When Alexander the Great tried to offer him a little help, he actually asked him to go away on the grounds that Alexander was blocking his sunlight.

Oh, they weren't useless self-mutilators, of course! This might seem like a bold claim, but there's a deeper truth behind it. When we put all our eggs in the basket of fulfilling our desires, we might find ourselves caught up in the whims of our hearts. And while there's nothing wrong with desires, they can sometimes distract us from the true joys of life. The Stoics totally got it. They knew we shouldn't go to extremes, and that we should enjoy the good things in life, like friendship and wealth. But they also knew that we shouldn't cling to these good things.

The different ideas of these two schools of thought also affect who they're aimed at. Because they encouraged people to avoid excess, we often see Cynics living as vagabonds. In contrast, Stoics believed it was okay to enjoy life, which made them more appealing to a wider range of people. So, the main representatives of Stoicism can be found in all sorts of social classes, playing all kinds of different social roles. Among the Stoic philosophers, we have the wonderful Marco Aurelius, who was the emperor of the Roman Empire. And we also have the amazing Epictetus, who came from a slave family but was the most humble of all. Another Stoic, Seneca, had a fascinating life with lots of different sides to him. He was quite the Renaissance man! Not only was he a playwright and essayist, but he was also a banker who served as the emperor's tutor and chief counselor. He even got banished to a desert island once!

It's amazing to see how Stoicism can be applied to people of all kinds and situations! You don't have to give up everything you have or live your life in a way that goes against your beliefs to practice Stoicism. In fact, as Irving points out, you can even apply Stoicism to people of different religious beliefs because it's so compatible! And the great thing is, you don't have to set aside a lot of time for formal exercises. As the author says, "Stoicism is all about taking a little time for yourself. You can fit it in whenever you can, like when you're stuck in traffic or, as Seneca suggests, lying in bed waiting for sleep to come." And this is exactly why ancient Stoicism can be so relevant for us today!

The second reason why Stoicism is perfect for us today is that it addresses the same issue that concerns us all: how to achieve peace. As we mentioned earlier, the Stoics don't ask us to be ascetics. They just gently remind us that we shouldn't cling to life while enjoying it. If we can do that, they say, we'll become more open and resilient in the face of fate and sudden loss. The Stoics called this wonderful state of being free from negative emotions "tranquility."

Of course, the Stoics didn't explicitly categorize the word "tranquility" at first. In ancient Greece, their first stated goal was the pursuit of "virtue." But this "virtue" is a little bit different from the "virtue" we talk about today. When we think of "virtue" today, we probably picture noble virtues and respected moral models. In ancient Greece, though, the word "virtue" basically meant to do what you're supposed to do. Take a sharp knife, for example. In ancient Greece, a sharp knife was a "virtuous knife" because it fully utilized the knife itself. Similarly, a "virtuous person" is someone who fully embodies their role as a human being. For instance, if we have the ability to reason, then using our ability to reason and becoming a reasonable person is a great way to fulfill our role as human beings.

I think you can also sense that the term "virtue" is a little too abstract. So, in the Roman period, the Stoic philosophers modified their goal. Instead of talking about "virtue," they proposed to "obtain peace." I'm so glad you asked that question! Of course, we can only achieve peace if we think things through carefully.

For Irving, the author of this book, the goal of "attaining peace" is a bit too well-defined. It's clear that it's more relevant to our generation. As people today, we all get caught up in negative emotions that can really mess with our peace of mind. It's so easy to make mistakes when we're feeling that way! Take anxiety, for instance. It's one of the most common negative emotions these days. And almost all of the topics that get a lot of attention on the internet, like mental depletion, social fear, and insomnia, are related to anxiety in some way. Owen was also bothered by these negative emotions. When he practiced Stoicism, he found that they went away! He also felt less anxious. When life threw him a curveball, he could handle it with a calm, collected attitude instead of getting all worked up.

It's here that the Stoics unfortunately get the most mixed up. People often wonder how Stoic philosophers can stay so calm in the face of life's ups and downs. Some think they're repressing their emotions, while others believe they've trained themselves to be indifferent. This is actually a kind of "taking for granted."

First of all, the Stoics didn't achieve peace by repressing or detaching themselves from their emotions. In fact, quite the opposite! The Stoics achieved a natural dissolution of negativity through rational analysis and a deeper understanding of the world. And it's this letting go of negative emotions that helps us to embrace the positive ones even more! So, we see that Stoic philosophers are usually happy, optimistic people who love life and know how to enjoy the good things in it.

Secondly, the Stoics don't just avoid disturbing the peace. They actively seek it! How? By facing life head-on. The "imperial philosopher" Marco Aurelius, the "slave philosopher" Epictetus, and the philosopher Seneca, who had a great deal of ups and downs in his life, as we've mentioned earlier, all show this Stoic quality in a really impressive way. Marco Aurelius is a great example of a proactive person who achieved so much in his life. He was the king of a country, and he did a great job! He saved himself, was really diligent, loved the people, and was able to calm down a lot of rebellions in his territory. He even saved the Roman Empire, which was originally in a pretty bad state.

It's so inspiring to see how tranquility doesn't stop us from developing great qualities. In fact, it can even help us to cultivate these qualities more effectively! Irving says, "As I read the biographies of these Stoics, I find myself filled with admiration for them. They're such inspiring people!" They were so courageous, fair-minded, reasonable, and self-possessed—all traits I would love to have! They also believed it was really important to do our best to take care of others and help our fellow human beings, which is something I also believe in.

Part 2

You know, for folks living in the here and now, tranquility, as taught by the Stoic philosophers, is a great goal to have in life. Not only will tranquility make us happier, but it'll also help us develop the good qualities that the Stoics talked about. So, how can we, as modern folks, go about achieving the kind of tranquility that the Stoic philosophers talked about?

In this book, Irving shares lots of helpful tips and techniques to help us achieve peace. Let's think about how we can handle insults, anger, sadness, and other tough situations. How should we think about fame and fortune, human relationships, and our own social responsibilities? And how should we face the big, inevitable changes that come with getting older?

These questions might feel a bit scattered at first, but the great thing is that in addition to exploring these specific questions, the book also gives us two really helpful techniques: "negative imagery" and "dichotomy of control." "This is what I'm going to focus on for you, my friend." I'm so excited to share these two techniques with you! They're going to help us find the common thread in all these complex problems and achieve peace of mind.

So, you might be wondering, what exactly do we mean by "negative visualization" and "dichotomy of control"?

Before we dive in, let's take a quick peek at how the wise Stoic philosophers saw our lives. The lovely Stoics believe that there are two main reasons why we humans are unhappy. The first is that we can never have enough! The second is that we worry about things we can't control.

I think we can all agree that insatiability is something we can all relate to. It's about the endless stream of desires that we all have. Have you ever wondered what it means to worry about things that are beyond our control? Take, for instance, the story of the man who worried about the sky. The main character in the story had a rather unusual mindset. He spent his days fretting over whether the sky would fall. When the ancients told this story, they were mainly pointing out that this kind of thinking is a bit silly. How could the sky possibly fall? But if we look at it from another angle, we can also say that whether the sky will fall or not has nothing to do with whether you worry about it or not. It can't serve any purpose other than torturing yourself, which is such a shame! In our everyday lives, we often find ourselves worrying about things we can't really control. We may hope for a positive outcome, but we know that the outcome is not up to us. This can sometimes lead to feelings of anxiety and fear. This is called worrying about things we can't control. If we're willing to consider this quest for control over outcomes or goals as part of desire, the second reason can actually be categorized as the blindness of desire.

The lovely Stoic philosophers came up with a great idea to help us deal with the endless stream of desires in our lives. They suggested we use a "negative imagination" to help us see things more clearly and a "dichotomy of control" to help us understand that we can't always control everything. Let's take a look at them one by one, shall we?

The first thing we need to think about is how endless our desires can be. Owen said something really interesting. He said that we human beings are not happy, largely because we do not know enough. The word "insufficiency" here actually refers to something called the "hedonic effect," which is a psychological mechanism. It's totally normal to feel this way! We all work hard to get what we want, and then, before we know it, we lose interest and move on to something new.

I'm sure we can all remember the first time we set foot in our ideal school, the first time we went to the desired job, the first time we got to reap the benefits of love, or the first time we got any one of the coveted things. We were so excited and happy about it all! But then, when the feeling of tedium came, it wasn't quite what we expected, was it? Even worse, someone will feel a great sense of tedium the moment they obtain what they've been craving. The book says that we're always on a treadmill of fulfillment, which I think we can all relate to! 

So, the good news is that you can learn to block this cycle and find happiness! Owen has a really interesting saying. He says that we all crave what we don't have, but to be truly happy, we need to learn to appreciate what we do have. I know this might sound a little strange, but let me give you an example so you understand. Now, just picture yourself as a person who can't get out of bed. Many of us have been there! You can't speak or get up, and when you see people outside your window who are alive and kicking, you might feel a little envious of their ordinary health. In that moment, you'll realize how great it is to be able to run and jump around freely! This is a great example of how sometimes, when we least expect it, things can happen that make us realize how precious the things we take for granted are and how good it feels to have them.

Of course, it's unlikely that we'd expect disasters to make us feel better about our everyday lives. But the Stoics have a great suggestion: try "negative imagery," which is just envisioning the worst possible outcomes in your life. This comes from the Stoics' wise insight that what we have right now is just a loan from fate. It could be taken away from us at any time, without our say-so. And we come into this world naked, and we leave it that way, too.

Once we realize this, we realize what a blessing it is to have everything we take for granted on a daily basis. Negative imagery helps us appreciate and enjoy the everyday. And if we can find happiness in what we already have, we're better able to maintain peace and happiness.

Some folks might be concerned that negative imagery might make us too down in the dumps. But Owen says that, in fact, negative imagery can transform a person into a mature optimist. Because it makes us so grateful that we have "half a glass of water" instead of complaining that we have "only half a glass of water." Owen also says that negative imagery helps us to appreciate the people and things around us more. It makes us realise that they won't be around forever, so we should make the most of them while we can! Let's think about parents, for example. If they don't have the experience of negative imagery and always take their children's existence for granted, neglecting to be involved in their children's lives on a regular basis, they'll face even greater lack and regret when faced with the loss of their children.

Now that we've chatted about the endless nature of desire, let's dive into the other side of the coin: the blindness of desire.

As we chatted about earlier, Stoics don't suggest a negative and passive response to life. So, while negative imagery can help us learn to enjoy what we have, when we need to be proactive in seeking changes in our lives or pursuing certain specific goals, we run into a second problem—the blindness of desire.

When we try to control things that are out of our hands, we can end up feeling distressed or even in pain. This can really mess with our peace of mind! Epictetus offers a simple and straightforward response: "Happiness and the desire for what you don't have cannot be linked." So, if you want to get what you want, it's best to ask for things you know you can get.

I know it might sound a little strange, but the wonderful thing about this is that you learn to let your desires or thoughts move towards where you feel more in control. This helps to reduce or even eliminate any negativity. I'm happy to explain what it means! Let's look at an example. In the story about Goji worrying about the sky, we can see that Goji's worry is about making sure the sky doesn't fall. But, as we know, whether or not the sky falls is completely out of our control. And, as we also know, the more we worry about it, the more annoyed we'll feel about not being in control of it. If you focus on what you can control, you'll probably have fewer problems.

This is the second mindfulness technique we chatted about earlier: the idea of control. It's so important to learn to distinguish between things in our lives that are out of our control and things that are in our control. The wise Stoic philosophers taught us a valuable lesson: it's best to focus on what we can control and act on it. And you might be wondering, what is in our control? The wonderful Stoic philosophers taught us that we can control so many things in our lives! We can decide what goals we want to set, how we want to choose our values, and what qualities we want to achieve. We can't control everything, of course, but we can still do our best to be the best version of ourselves. We can choose to be kind and loving, and that's something we can control. In other words, the more we can focus on what's going on inside us, the more we can take control. The more external things are, the less we can control them.

Hearing this, you might be wondering: while what's on the inside is important, could it be that the Stoics are saying we should focus less on external accomplishments and changes? Oh, absolutely not! As we said, the Stoics were a group of people who were actively engaged in their lives. So, according to this idea of control, how should we go about pursuing external goals? Owen thinks the Stoics had a pretty clever approach here. He calls it "internalizing external goals." I'd love to know what this means! So, when you're chasing an external goal, like winning a basketball game, you adjust your mindset to play your best. If you do that, even if you don't win, you're less likely to feel frustrated or discouraged. And here's another great thing about internalizing your goals: it can help you avoid a lot of unnecessary anxiety, which is more likely to help you win the game!

And when it comes to things we can't control, like whether the sky will fall or whether I'll win a game, Stoics gently encourage us to think of them as things not worth worrying about. After all, they're not worth expending our minds on! Stoic philosophers have always encouraged us to focus our energy on what's truly important. Take Marco Aurelius, for instance. He said, "A good man should welcome all the experiences that the loom of destiny weaves out for him." This quote might seem a bit fatalistic at first, but it's not what he meant at all! He simply wanted to point out that we shouldn't get too caught up in the past or worry about the future. He believed it was more helpful to focus on the present and embrace it fully. When it comes to the future, let's focus on what we can control together!

And that's a wrap on A Guide to the Good Life! The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy.

I thought I'd give you a quick summary of today's content, which I know can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. It's so easy to relate to the struggles that many of us face in today's world. We often find ourselves lacking in purpose, which can leave us feeling confused, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to navigate life's challenges. In the face of this dilemma, the author of this book, Irving, has put together an answer for us from the Stoic philosophers, which I'm excited to share with you! The lovely Stoic philosophers believe that the best thing we can aim for in life is peace. They say it's something we can all agree is a good goal because it'll make our lives happier. To help us achieve peace, they've come up with a few simple techniques. Two of the most helpful are "negative imagery" and "the dichotomy of control."

I'd also love to share a little bit about the author of this book, Irving, and his thoughts on the philosophy of life. Owen says that the philosophy of life you choose depends on your personality and circumstances. He doesn't say you have to be a Stoic, but he does think Stoicism can help you find tranquility. Irving says that many people today are ideal candidates for Stoicism. If you're having trouble sustaining a "solid joy" in your life, Stoicism can help!