As we mentioned in our last interview with Dr. Alex Lickerman, we have been fascinated with the parallels between Stoicism and Buddhism and are eager to learn more. Our guest today, Professor John Sellars, has also made similar observations by pointing out analogies between Stoicism and Zen Buddhism. But that’s only one of the numerous […]
This is a guest post by Professor Mark Ralkowski, editor behind the popular Louis C.K. and Philosophy: You Don’t Get to Be Bored In the third chapter of his book Philosophy as a Way of Life, Pierre Hadot acknowledges that the term “spiritual exercise” makes a lot of us uncomfortable. But he also thinks it […]
“A good person dyes events with his own color…and turns whatever happens to his own benefit.” — Seneca So your project wasn’t funded, your idea was tossed aside, the public didn’t love your book or movie, your boss just said, “We don’t need you anymore,” the beautiful stranger you hit it off with has suddenly […]
One of your greatest assets is your willpower, your decision-making, your discipline. This is what we’re told. It’s also what we see. Most of us wouldn’t be where we are without hard work or ability to change our circumstances. And so we come to expect that the world will always respond in kind. That it […]
Several years ago, the television host Charlie Rose picked a strange phrase to describe the comedian Louis C.K: “philosopher-king.” The cynical, brash and vulgar Louis CK called a philosopher? But the truth is you can find philosophy anywhere (and many of most prominent Stoics were anything but academics). Nor is Charlie Rose the only one […]
A Stoic Response to Fear
A Stoic Response, Wisdom, and More
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.” – Seneca Maybe you are facing a difficult conversation you’ve been putting off for months. Or you’re about to embark on a new project that tests you to your limits. Or it could be a job change, moving to […]
We have previously written about the strong parallels between Buddhism and Stoicism but deciding to better our understanding, we reached out to Dr. Alex Lickerman, someone who has deeply studied Buddhism and can bring lessons from the Eastern philosophy that readers of the Daily Stoic can benefit from. Alex is a physician, former assistant professor […]
No matter what happens, you have a choice. Someone insults you, you choose whether you’re going to be offended, whether you’re going to respond, whether you’re going to let it go. You roll your ankle in a game, you decide whether you’re going to tough it out or rest. You knock over a cherished family […]
“The biggest thing for me is, when I find myself irritated or feeling annoyed, to let that thought sink in: ‘This is fine. It’s actually fine’. It always is, of course. It’s fine because it’s (at least for the most part) nothing to do with me. Even if it takes a while to properly take […]